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Vera Risdon Middle School

Q: Is Vera Risdon Middle School a good school?

Vera Risdon Middle School ranks 156 th of 534 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

156^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 534 Washington Middle Schools

Better than 71% of Washington middle schools

Summary

Vera Risdon Middle School is a public school in Newcastle, WA, serving about 750 students in grades 6-8 within the Renton School District, and it stands out as the district's top-performing middle school with a strong and improving academic record.

Academically, Vera Risdon consistently outperforms other middle schools in its own district, such as Nelsen Middle School, Dimmitt Middle School, and McKnight Middle School, with proficiency rates in English and Math that are often 10 to 20 percentage points higher. The school has shown impressive growth, climbing to a 4-star state rating. While its test scores are strong, it's important for parents to know that the school is located near very high-performing districts like Bellevue and Mercer Island, whose schools, such as Odle Middle School and Islander Middle School, have higher scores but also serve communities with different demographic profiles.

The school has notable strengths, including exceptional 7th-grade performance and effective support for English Language Learners. It operates efficiently with resources similar to other Renton School District schools. While celebrating its success as a leader within its district, the school continues to focus on supporting all student groups, as there is variability in performance across different subgroups, and it aims to build on its positive trajectory of improvement.

751

Students ?

21.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,281

Per pupil spending ?

39.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6928 116th Ave SE
Newcastle, WA 98056

(425) 204-2700

District: Renton School District

Students who attend Vera Risdon Middle School usually attend:

High:

Hazen Senior High School

Feeder schools for Vera Risdon Middle School:

Elementary:	Hazelwood Elementary School
	Honey Dew Elementary
	Sierra Heights Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

27.8%

Hispanic:

27.3%

White:

25.4%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Vera Risdon Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 64th percentile in 2019 → 71st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2019

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Renton School District

✓Above the Washington median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg44%

Washington avg48%

156^th of 534

Washington public middle schools ?

Top 29%▲ up 6 pts since 2019

From top 36% (2019) to top 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Middle Schools in the Renton School District

133^rd of 247Renton 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	66.9	156 of 534	70.8%	★★★★☆
2024	66.1	164 of 535	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.2	214 of 539	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.8	233 of 541	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.9	205 of 529	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.0	182 of 512	64.5%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	42.1	59 of 101	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.4	46 of 90	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.0	49 of 96	49.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.1	61 of 104	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.4	31 of 106	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	52.3	39 of 111	64.9%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	57.2	65 of 147	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.0	46 of 148	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.0	49 of 145	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.2	60 of 161	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.4	58 of 149	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	62.7	53 of 152	65.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	43.5	40 of 96	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.6	31 of 78	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.6	25 of 57	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.3	33 of 63	47.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.8	31 of 50	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	64.9	146 of 471	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.5	144 of 464	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.0	160 of 464	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.3	207 of 479	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.0	159 of 469	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.8	158 of 452	65.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	36.3	214 of 347	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.1	207 of 344	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.6	252 of 336	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	313 of 360	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.0	294 of 353	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.8	248 of 344	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	50.5	203 of 457	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.5	249 of 455	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.8	320 of 463	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	337 of 475	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.7	265 of 458	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.5	218 of 448	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	66.5	132 of 472	72.0%	★★★★☆
2024	64.0	138 of 466	70.4%	★★★★☆
2023	44.6	235 of 470	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.7	224 of 480	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.1	205 of 476	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.8	166 of 453	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	71.7	62 of 246	74.8%	★★★★☆
2024	49.6	108 of 243	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.6	119 of 244	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.1	119 of 257	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.5	74 of 250	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	53.5	115 of 246	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	38.5	101 of 186	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	62.3	55 of 179	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.2	90 of 167	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.2	123 of 199	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.7	143 of 210	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.1	161 of 231	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	81.4	82 of 488	83.2%	★★★★☆
2024	75.4	92 of 486	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	70.2	121 of 488	75.2%	★★★★☆
2022	54.6	202 of 488	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.3	164 of 480	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.3	131 of 470	72.1%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2025)83rd percentile+12 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)75th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)72nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)69th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)58th percentile-12 vs school

Asian (2025)56th percentile-15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)56th percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2025)46th percentile-25 vs school

African American (2025)42nd percentile-29 vs school

Hispanic (2025)38th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts59%+5 vs state

Science49%~ state avg

Math48%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Vera Risdon 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 8th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	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 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
Vera Risdon Middle School	Public	6-8	6928 116th Ave SE	Newcastle	98056	King County	Renton School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 204-2700	751	34	21.8	39.3%	191 (25.4%)	49 (6.5%)	205 (27.3%)	209 (27.8%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	89 (11.9%)	66.9	156^th of 534 public middle schools	70.8%		66.1	164^th of 535 public middle schools	69.3%	8	48.7	48.7	48.8	63.9	62.9	58.5	42.9	57.1	44.4	48.3	$18,281	$1,158	$17,123
Islander Middle School	Public	6-8	8225 SE 72nd	Mercer Island	98040	King County	Mercer Island School District	No	No	No	No	(206) 236-3413	960	45	21.3	7.8%	440 (45.8%)	9 (0.9%)	74 (7.7%)	306 (31.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	126 (13.1%)	97.2	13^th of 534 public middle schools	97.6%		96.2	19^th of 535 public middle schools	96.4%	6	75.0	75.0	84.8	78.1	83.8	82.1	78.9	79.0	76.7	78.2	$17,200	$267	$16,933
McKnight Middle School	Public	6-8	1200 Edmonds Ave NE	Renton	98056	King County	Renton School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 204-3600	811	38	21.2	49.0%	157 (19.4%)	75 (9.2%)	297 (36.6%)	202 (24.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	75 (9.2%)	51	238^th of 534 public middle schools	55.4%		54	224^th of 535 public middle schools	58.1%	14	39.9	39.9	47.4	49.2	48.2	48.2	38.5	50.0	42.4	43.5	$18,740	$1,579	$17,161
Tyee Middle School	Public	6-8	13630 S.E. Allen Road	Bellevue	98006	King County	Bellevue School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 456-6800	1,007	53	19.1	18.8%	170 (16.9%)	13 (1.3%)	54 (5.4%)	675 (67.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	91 (9.0%)	98.4	9^th of 534 public middle schools	98.3%		96.8	15^th of 535 public middle schools	97.2%	6	80.2	80.2	84.5	82.9	86.7	84.7	85.5	83.3	85.0	84.6	$19,421	$328	$19,093
Dimmitt Middle School	Public	6-8	12320 80th Ave S	Seattle	98178	King County	Renton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(425) 204-2800	605	34	17.5	62.3%	64 (10.6%)	141 (23.3%)	172 (28.4%)	157 (26.0%)	4 (0.7%)	21 (3.5%)	46 (7.6%)	28	390^th of 534 public middle schools	27.0%		13.4	477^th of 535 public middle schools	10.8%	87	34.0	34.0	41.9	35.4	41.3	39.7	31.7	26.9	27.0	28.6	$21,054	$2,276	$18,778
Aki Kurose Middle School	Public	6-8	3928 S Graham St	Seattle	98118	King County	Seattle School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 252-7700	817	45	18.0	56.8%	154 (18.8%)	239 (29.3%)	146 (17.9%)	192 (23.5%)	3 (0.4%)	12 (1.5%)	60 (7.3%)	50.5	240^th of 534 public middle schools	55.1%		44.5	281^st of 535 public middle schools	47.5%	41	40.6	40.6	50.2	55.1	49.2	51.3	37.5	42.6	38.2	39.3	$22,443	$1,032	$21,411
Tillicum Middle School	Public	6-8	1280 160th Avenue SE	Bellevue	98008	King County	Bellevue School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 456-6700	676	37	18.2	19.8%	219 (32.4%)	27 (4.0%)	106 (15.7%)	212 (31.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	110 (16.3%)	90.1	54^th of 534 public middle schools	89.9%		92.9	41^st of 535 public middle schools	92.3%	13	72.3	72.3	64.1	71.1	75.7	70.5	61.5	66.0	66.5	64.8	$21,640	$588	$21,052
Odle Middle School	Public	6-8	502 143rd Avenue NE	Bellevue	98007	King County	Bellevue School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 456-6600	974	52	18.7	20.2%	146 (15.0%)	29 (3.0%)	86 (8.8%)	635 (65.2%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.5%)	70 (7.2%)	96.4	19^th of 534 public middle schools	96.4%		96.8	16^th of 535 public middle schools	97.0%	3	74.3	74.3	80.7	80.3	76.9	79.3	77.3	78.7	73.4	76.5	$18,949	$796	$18,153
Cougar Mountain Middle School	Public	6-8	1929 NW Talus Drive	Issaquah	98027	King County	Issaquah School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 683-8000	616	31	19.8	12.3%	256 (41.6%)	23 (3.7%)	58 (9.4%)	208 (33.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	68 (11.0%)	95.2	26^th of 534 public middle schools	95.1%		93	39^th of 535 public middle schools	92.7%	13	68.0	68.0	81.3	84.4	74.5	80.1	77.7	71.4	69.0	72.7	$17,182	$338	$16,844
Nelsen Middle School	Public	6-8	2403 Jones Ave S	Renton	98055	King County	Renton School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 204-3000	913	42	21.5	58.5%	178 (19.5%)	145 (15.9%)	243 (26.6%)	242 (26.5%)	3 (0.3%)	17 (1.9%)	85 (9.3%)	25.4	412^th of 534 public middle schools	22.8%		32	360^th of 535 public middle schools	32.7%	52	32.6	32.6	38.0	39.1	38.5	38.6	24.5	32.5	23.5	27.0	$17,952	$1,015	$16,938

Frequently Asked Questions about Vera Risdon Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Vera Risdon Middle School?

Students at Vera Risdon Middle School are 28% Asian, 27% Hispanic, 25% White, 12% Two or more races, 7% African American.

How many students attend Vera Risdon Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 751 students attended Vera Risdon Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Vera Risdon Middle School attend?

Students who attend Vera Risdon Middle School usually go on to attend Hazen Senior High School

What district is Vera Risdon Middle School in?

Renton School District

Is Vera Risdon Middle School a good school?

Vera Risdon Middle School ranks 156^th of 534 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Vera Risdon Middle School!

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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.