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Hilltop Heritage Middle School

Q: Is Hilltop Heritage Middle School a good school?

Hilltop Heritage Middle School ranks 368 th of 534 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

368^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 534 Washington Middle Schools

Better than 31% of Washington middle schools

Summary

Hilltop Heritage Middle School is a public school serving 447 students in grades 6-8 within the Tacoma School District, operating in a context where many families face economic challenges.

Academically, the school's test scores in English and Math are below district and state averages, but it has a notable strength in Science, where it outperforms the district. Compared to other Tacoma middle schools with similar levels of student economic need, such as Gray Middle School, Angelo Giaudrone Middle School, and Stewart Middle School, Hilltop Heritage achieves better academic results. However, a stark contrast exists with the higher-performing Mason Middle School located nearby, which has a significantly different student population profile.

The school's effectiveness varies across different student groups, showing particular strength with some while facing significant challenges with others, such as multi-racial and low-income students. It receives more funding per student than several higher-performing schools like Meeker Middle School, raising questions about how resources are used. Despite current struggles, the school has shown a positive long-term trend, improving its state ranking over the past several years.

447

Students ?

20.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,482

Per pupil spending ?

62.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

602 N Sprague Ave
Tacoma, WA 98403

(253) 571-7700

District: Tacoma School District

Students who attend Hilltop Heritage Middle School usually attend:

High:

Stadium High School

Feeder schools for Hilltop Heritage Middle School:

Elementary:	Bryant Montessori School
	Edna Travis Elementary School
	Grant Elementary School
	Lowell Elementary School
	More...
	Stanley Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.5%

Hispanic:

20.6%

Two or more races:

20.4%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Hilltop Heritage Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 44th percentile in 2022 → 31st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (38% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 44th-percentile peak (2022) to 31st (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg40%

Washington avg48%

368^th of 534

Washington public middle schools ?

Bottom 31%▲ up 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 16% (2015) to bottom 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 13Middle Schools in the Tacoma School District

157^th of 247Tacoma 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	31.2	368 of 534	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.4	369 of 535	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.2	357 of 539	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.3	304 of 541	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.4	341 of 529	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.7	438 of 512	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.6	357 of 437	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.1	339 of 435	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.8	325 of 443	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	17.6	376 of 445	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.3	429 of 498	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.2	413 of 497	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	16.9	440 of 492	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	10.1	451 of 483	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	12.7	442 of 476	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	15.5	416 of 466	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	11.9	435 of 463	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	14.5	403 of 449	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	16.5	373 of 425	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	8.4	407 of 421	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	14.6	101 of 106	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.2	93 of 111	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	61 of 66	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	27.7	353 of 471	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	320 of 464	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.9	337 of 464	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.6	284 of 479	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.6	333 of 469	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	363 of 452	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	301 of 376	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	47.1	169 of 347	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.5	237 of 344	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.5	217 of 336	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.4	130 of 360	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.0	160 of 353	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	17.0	308 of 344	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	248 of 259	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	68.4	6 of 33	81.8%	★★★★☆
2019	16.3	56 of 59	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	20.5	391 of 457	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	412 of 455	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	415 of 463	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.9	335 of 475	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.8	332 of 458	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.9	411 of 448	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.4	322 of 349	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	37.1	297 of 472	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.1	328 of 466	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.6	313 of 470	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.0	276 of 480	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.3	266 of 476	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.1	410 of 453	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	329 of 371	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	15.1	224 of 246	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.6	232 of 243	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	226 of 244	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	214 of 257	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.8	224 of 250	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	204 of 246	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.8	134 of 166	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2018	15.4	261 of 268	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	47.9	241 of 488	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	214 of 486	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.6	161 of 488	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.5	198 of 488	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.5	187 of 480	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.2	313 of 470	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	217 of 325	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2022)82nd percentile+38 vs school

Hispanic (2025)51st percentile+20 vs school

White (2025)51st percentile+20 vs school

Male (2025)37th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)25th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile-17 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)9th percentile-22 vs school

African American (2021)5th percentile-31 vs school

Special Education (2018)3rd percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

Science46%-3 vs state

English Language Arts42%-12 vs state

Math25%-17 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, November 1, 2011

My son is a 6th grader at Jason Lee this year. The principal and all teachers have been absolutely wonderful. They have done everything possible to make his transition into middle school easier. Mr. Kellet actually started last year by letting the kids come and spend the day with a buddy to see how it went. Whenever I have had a concern, the principal has emailed or called me back within an hour. I scheduled a meeting with my son's Advisory teacher and all his other teachers popped in to tell me how much they are enjoying my son in their class and talked to me about anything they could do to make school great for him. He even receives postcards in the mail telling him he is doing awesome in a class that he had struggled in before. Mr. Kellet is very hands on. When we were taking a tour through the school during school hours, he went and shook every students hand and knew each and every one by name. I actually opted my son out of the middle school he was suppose to go to and sent him to Jason Lee. It has been a wonderful decision and I am so impressed by the teachers and the principal. My son is loving it and really exceeding in grades more than I expected. This school has had a bad rap in the past, but it seems to be the best decision for my son. Close Quote

Schools Near Hilltop Heritage 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 4th Grade	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 4th Grade	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
Hilltop Heritage Middle School	Public	6-8	602 N Sprague Ave	Tacoma	98403	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-7700	447	22	20.0	62.4%	172 (38.5%)	62 (13.9%)	92 (20.6%)	12 (2.7%)	5 (1.1%)	13 (2.9%)	91 (20.4%)	31.2	368^th of 534 public middle schools	31.1%		30.4	369^th of 535 public middle schools	31.0%	1		46.2	46.2			41.9	34.0	48.5	41.6			28.7	19.8	26.7	25.3	$21,482	$2,018	$19,464
Bryant Montessori Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	717 S. Grant Ave	Tacoma	98405	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	Yes	No	No	(253) 571-2800	135	23	5.9	48.1%	76 (56.3%)	4 (3.0%)	24 (17.8%)	4 (3.0%)	2 (1.5%)	1 (0.7%)	23 (17.0%)	29	382^nd of 534 public middle schools	28.5%		56.7	208^th of 535 public middle schools	61.1%	174		40.9	40.9			38.6	46.8	38.1	41.4			13.6	36.2	22.0	24.2	$50,357	$903	$49,454
Mason Middle School	Public	6-8	3901 N 28th St	Tacoma	98407	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-7000	639	31	20.7	29.6%	426 (66.7%)	18 (2.8%)	79 (12.4%)	20 (3.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	91 (14.2%)	77.4	104^th of 534 public middle schools	80.5%		76.5	105^th of 535 public middle schools	80.4%	1		56.7	56.7			69.3	65.5	73.6	69.4			56.1	45.0	44.6	49.0	$18,811	$786	$18,025
Wainwright Intermediate School	Public	4-8	130 Alameda Ave	Tacoma	98466	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-2100	368	21	17.7	59.5%	128 (34.8%)	53 (14.4%)	64 (17.4%)	22 (6.0%)	2 (0.5%)	12 (3.3%)	87 (23.6%)	31.7	362^nd of 534 public middle schools	32.2%		27.7	384^th of 535 public middle schools	28.2%	22	48.7	39.7	44.5	60.0	51.4	35.6	46.4	51.6	48.3	48.6	35.1	15.6	31.6	26.2	30.7	$21,961	$890	$21,072
Hunt Middle School	Public	6-8	6501 S 10th St.	Tacoma	98465	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-2400	519	29	17.8	48.4%	233 (44.9%)	62 (11.9%)	64 (12.3%)	29 (5.6%)	7 (1.3%)	21 (4.0%)	101 (19.5%)	53.1	226^th of 534 public middle schools	57.7%		40.3	308^th of 535 public middle schools	42.4%	82		44.3	44.3			54.7	58.1	51.3	54.9			38.2	40.7	34.0	37.8	$21,309	$1,621	$19,688
Truman Middle School	Public	6-8	5801 N 35th St	Tacoma	98407	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-5600	438	21	20.7	49.5%	230 (52.5%)	35 (8.0%)	61 (13.9%)	20 (4.6%)	5 (1.1%)	6 (1.4%)	79 (18.0%)	45.7	271^st of 534 public middle schools	49.3%		43.1	291^st of 535 public middle schools	45.6%	20		42.4	42.4			43.9	55.5	47.8	49.1			33.8	43.5	31.3	36.4	$20,569	$959	$19,611
Tacoma Online Middle School	Public, Virtual	6-8	6501 N.23rd St.	Tacoma	98406	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(253) 571-1545	170	12	13.8	64.7%	64 (37.6%)	22 (12.9%)	37 (21.8%)	7 (4.1%)	1 (0.6%)	6 (3.5%)	33 (19.4%)	60.6	185^th of 534 public middle schools	65.4%		70	134^th of 535 public middle schools	75.0%	51						57.1	70.0	40.0	55.6						18.5	$16,887	$1,227	$15,660
Angelo Giaudrone Middle School	Public	6-8	4902 S Alaska St	Tacoma	98408	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-5811	449	23	19.6	71.9%	91 (20.3%)	72 (16.0%)	116 (25.8%)	33 (7.3%)	6 (1.3%)	25 (5.6%)	105 (23.4%)	13.3	474^th of 534 public middle schools	11.2%		10	503^rd of 535 public middle schools	6.0%	29		21.1	21.1			35.3	32.0	29.3	32.4			20.4	19.9	12.8	17.9	$22,668	$2,364	$20,304
Stewart Middle School	Public	6-8	5010 S Pacific Ave	Tacoma	98408	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-2200	650	33	19.6	70.3%	148 (22.8%)	57 (8.8%)	210 (32.3%)	94 (14.5%)	2 (0.3%)	26 (4.0%)	111 (17.1%)	17.6	454^th of 534 public middle schools	15.0%		19.9	446^th of 535 public middle schools	16.6%	8		28.3	28.3			38.9	31.0	33.0	34.4			21.4	17.8	23.2	20.7	$18,714	$1,254	$17,460
Meeker Middle School	Public	6-8	4402 Nassau Ave Ne	Tacoma	98422	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-6500	567	28	20.2	43.6%	236 (41.6%)	41 (7.2%)	108 (19.0%)	74 (13.1%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (1.6%)	96 (16.9%)	49.8	244^th of 534 public middle schools	54.3%		52.8	234^th of 535 public middle schools	56.3%	10		48.6	48.6			45.6	57.7	51.7	51.6			32.2	37.6	37.6	35.8	$18,748	$1,065	$17,683

Frequently Asked Questions about Hilltop Heritage Middle School

What district is Hilltop Heritage Middle School in?

Tacoma School District

What high school do graduates of Hilltop Heritage Middle School attend?

Students who attend Hilltop Heritage Middle School usually go on to attend Stadium High School

How many students attend Hilltop Heritage Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 447 students attended Hilltop Heritage Middle School.

Is Hilltop Heritage Middle School a good school?

Hilltop Heritage Middle School ranks 368^th of 534 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Hilltop Heritage Middle School?

Students at Hilltop Heritage Middle School are 38% White, 21% Hispanic, 20% Two or more races, 14% African American, 3% Pacific Islander, 3% Asian, 1% American Indian.

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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.