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Pioneer Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

513^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 534 Washington Middle Schools

Better than 4% of Washington middle schools

Summary

Pioneer Middle School is a public school serving about 250 students in grades 6-8 in Shelton, WA, operating within the Pioneer School District, which faces significant systemic challenges.

Academic performance at Pioneer is well below state averages, with recent data showing only about 24% of students proficient in English, 11% in math, and 26% in science. The school's statewide ranking has declined sharply in recent years, placing it in the bottom tier of middle schools. This performance lags significantly behind nearby schools like Kopachuck Middle School and Jefferson Middle School, even though Pioneer spends more per student and has a lower student-teacher ratio, suggesting smaller class sizes.

Pioneer serves a high-need population, with 64% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's struggles are reflected in its district's low ranking, while other local schools belong to higher-performing districts like the Peninsula School District. Geographically close schools such as Olympic Middle School and Oakland Bay Junior High School in the Shelton School District also show similar challenges, pointing to broader regional factors.

250

Students ?

12.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,793

Per pupil spending ?

64%

Free/discounted lunch ?

50 E Spencer Lake Road
Shelton, WA 98584-7306

(360) 426-8291

District: Pioneer School District

Feeder schools for Pioneer Middle School:

Elementary:

Pioneer Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.2%

Hispanic:

17.2%

Two or more races:

4.4%

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Compare Pioneer Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (20% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg23%

Washington avg48%

513^th of 534

Washington public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 19 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

240^th of 247Pioneer School District among Washington districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2017	32.2	743 of 1056	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.3	852 of 1053	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.3	870 of 1067	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.9	845 of 1106	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.8	928 of 1097	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	25.7	895 of 1092	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	22.0	925 of 1088	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	9.6	1021 of 1072	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	14.6	962 of 1067	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	16.7	954 of 1069	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.3	835 of 1051	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	26.7	811 of 1031	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	25.4	825 of 1026	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	63.9	333 of 1008	67.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	74.9	64 of 501	87.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	42.7	462 of 854	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	22.4	812 of 1025	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	24.1	747 of 943	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	7.7	513 of 534	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	419 of 535	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	449 of 539	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	450 of 541	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.1	401 of 529	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.9	333 of 512	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.1	249 of 437	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.1	272 of 435	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.0	239 of 443	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	25.0	342 of 445	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.7	376 of 498	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.3	372 of 497	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	37.6	333 of 492	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	31.2	360 of 483	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	20.9	405 of 476	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	31.2	338 of 466	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	38.0	306 of 463	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.1	320 of 449	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	39.5	281 of 425	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	39.8	272 of 421	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	435 of 471	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	338 of 464	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.9	372 of 464	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.4	391 of 479	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	50.0	214 of 469	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.5	301 of 452	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.2	234 of 376	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2023	30.0	235 of 336	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.7	197 of 360	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.1	122 of 353	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.8	121 of 344	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	438 of 457	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	337 of 455	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	358 of 463	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.8	342 of 475	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.4	276 of 458	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.0	183 of 448	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.8	137 of 349	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	9.3	442 of 472	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	372 of 466	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	387 of 470	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.9	382 of 480	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	387 of 476	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.1	284 of 453	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.8	208 of 371	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	32.9	151 of 231	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.3	143 of 268	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	3.8	484 of 488	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	417 of 486	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	453 of 488	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	455 of 488	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.9	429 of 480	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.0	390 of 470	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	250 of 325	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Hispanic (2021)87th percentile

Female (2021)67th percentile

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)46th percentile

White (2021)21st percentile

Male (2021)21st percentile

Middle school

Special Education (2019)35th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2023)30th percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)8th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

White (2025)1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

Science26%-24 vs state

English Language Arts24%-29 vs state

Math11%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pioneer Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)			SBAC English Language Arts (2025)					SBAC Math (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 5th Grade	WCAS Science 8th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pioneer Middle School	Public	6-8	50 E Spencer Lake Road	Shelton	98584	Mason County	Pioneer School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 426-8291	250	19	12.9	64.0%	183 (73.2%)	3 (1.2%)	43 (17.2%)	3 (1.2%)	4 (1.6%)	3 (1.2%)	11 (4.4%)	7.7	513^th of 534 public middle schools	3.9%		23.3	419^th of 535 public middle schools	21.7%	94		25.7	25.7		22.6	25.0	23.5	23.7		4.7	15.0	13.0	10.6	$23,793	$2,402	$21,392
Olympic Middle School	Public	5-6	800 E K St	Shelton	98584	Mason County	Shelton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 462-6671	601	35	17.4	70.0%	258 (42.9%)	6 (1.0%)	267 (44.4%)	2 (0.3%)	17 (2.8%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (8.0%)								(n/a)	27.0		27.0	24.8	30.7			27.9	10.4	22.4			16.6	$16,816	$1,194	$15,623
Oakland Bay Junior High School	Public	7-8	3301 Shelton Springs Rd.	Shelton	98584	Mason County	Shelton School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 426-7991	544	32	17.0	65.6%	256 (47.1%)	4 (0.7%)	233 (42.8%)	5 (0.9%)	16 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (5.3%)	10.8	491^st of 534 public middle schools	8.1%		12.4	488^th of 535 public middle schools	8.8%	3		21.4	21.4			31.0	25.8	28.2			18.1	17.0	17.5	$19,332	$1,194	$18,139
Key Peninsula Middle School	Public	6-8	5510 Key Peninsula Hwy N	Lakebay	98349	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 530-4200	444	24	18.1	41.9%	311 (70.0%)	2 (0.5%)	63 (14.2%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	5 (1.1%)	55 (12.4%)	38.1	316^th of 534 public middle schools	40.8%		47	265^th of 535 public middle schools	50.5%	51		40.4	40.4		47.1	45.0	39.1	43.5		37.9	32.8	31.4	34.0	$17,602	$439	$17,162
Hawkins Middle School	Public	6-8	300 E. Campus Dr.	Belfair	98528	Mason County	North Mason School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 277-2302	485	27	17.7	57.7%	293 (60.4%)	0 (0.0%)	138 (28.5%)	5 (1.0%)	4 (0.8%)	2 (0.4%)	43 (8.9%)	20.2	437^th of 534 public middle schools	18.2%		25.5	401^st of 535 public middle schools	25.0%	36		27.8	27.8		31.6	31.3	34.0	32.3		29.4	29.3	23.0	27.2	$18,628	$519	$18,109
Thurgood Marshall Middle School	Public	6-8	3939 20th Ave NW	Olympia	98502	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 596-7600	469	28	16.7	39.9%	253 (53.9%)	24 (5.1%)	73 (15.6%)	37 (7.9%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.9%)	55 (11.7%)	58.7	200^th of 534 public middle schools	62.5%		62.7	179^th of 535 public middle schools	66.5%	21		52.4	52.4		44.2	57.6	52.9	51.9		38.1	50.9	44.0	44.7	$16,754	$830	$15,924
Reeves Middle School	Public	6-8	2200 Quince St NE	Olympia	98506	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-3400	394	22	18.1	35.8%	250 (63.5%)	8 (2.0%)	64 (16.2%)	17 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	42 (10.7%)	68.2	147^th of 534 public middle schools	72.5%		71	128^th of 535 public middle schools	76.1%	19		58.8	58.8		54.3	59.4	65.6	59.8		46.2	36.6	53.0	45.7	$17,630	$1,126	$16,504
Jefferson Middle School	Public	6-8	2200 Conger Ave NW	Olympia	98502	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 596-3200	462	25	18.2	42.9%	228 (49.4%)	22 (4.8%)	64 (13.9%)	60 (13.0%)	2 (0.4%)	11 (2.4%)	63 (13.6%)	84.6	72^nd of 534 public middle schools	86.5%		85.9	68^th of 535 public middle schools	87.3%	4		61.0	61.0		62.8	75.2	70.4	69.4		53.8	64.4	53.7	57.4	$16,806	$693	$16,113
Kopachuck Middle School	Public	6-8	10414 56th St NW	Gig Harbor	98335	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 530-4100	516	24	21.9	17.1%	397 (76.9%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.3%)	9 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (12.8%)	91.4	45^th of 534 public middle schools	91.6%		91.2	49^th of 535 public middle schools	90.8%	4		66.1	66.1		68.8	77.7	73.8	73.7		67.5	65.0	64.2	65.5	$15,446	$235	$15,211
Chinook Middle School	Public	6-8	4301 6th Ave NE	Lacey	98516	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4760	746	38	19.6	55.5%	287 (38.5%)	42 (5.6%)	216 (29.0%)	64 (8.6%)	5 (0.7%)	31 (4.2%)	99 (13.3%)	44.6	278^th of 534 public middle schools	47.9%		40.2	309^th of 535 public middle schools	42.2%	31		44.0	44.0		52.5	53.4	54.1	53.4		30.9	33.5	24.5	29.6	$17,789	$517	$17,273

Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Middle School

Is Pioneer Middle School a good school?

Pioneer Middle School ranks in the bottom 3.9% of Washington middle schools.

What district is Pioneer Middle School in?

Pioneer School District

How many students attend Pioneer Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 250 students attended Pioneer Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Middle School?

Students at Pioneer Middle School are 73% White, 17% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% African American, 1% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.