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Science and Math Institute

Q: Is Science and Math Institute a good school?

Science and Math Institute ranks 99 th of 438 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

99^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Washington High Schools

Better than 77% of Washington high schools

Summary

The Science and Math Institute (SAMI) is a public high school serving about 600 students in grades 9-12 within the Tacoma School District, and it stands out as a consistently high-performing school despite its district's overall lower statewide ranking.

SAMI excels in English Language Arts and Science, with proficiency rates far above both district and state averages, but it has a surprising and significant weakness in Mathematics, which is below average. This creates an interesting paradox for a school with "Math" in its name. Compared to other high schools in Tacoma School District, like Stadium High School and Foss High School, SAMI maintains much stronger overall academic results and rankings.

The school is notably effective in supporting students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, achieving high rankings for this group. While still a strong school, some recent test scores and rankings have shown a slight decline. SAMI's focused model allows it to compete effectively with schools in higher-performing neighboring districts, such as Gig Harbor High in the Peninsula School District, even while serving a more diverse student population.

597

Students ?

20.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,923

Per pupil spending ?

35.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5501 N. Pearl St
Tacoma, WA 98407

(253) 571-2300

District: Tacoma School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.4%

Hispanic:

14.9%

Two or more races:

14.4%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Science and Math Institute to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 96th percentile in 2015 → 77th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Washington average (60% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 23% of Washington high schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Tacoma School District

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2015

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

!Math scores 14 pts below the Washington average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg40%

Washington avg48%

99^th of 438

Washington public high schools ?

Top 23%▼ down 19 pts since 2015

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

See the entire ranking list of Washington High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 8High 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	71.5	99 of 438	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	71 of 437	83.8%	★★★★☆
2023	79.8	71 of 442	83.9%	★★★★☆
2022	89.3	33 of 434	92.4%	★★★★★
2021	83.3	57 of 455	87.5%	★★★★☆
2019	80.5	60 of 417	85.6%	★★★★☆
2018	81.3	46 of 315	85.4%	★★★★☆
2017	64.2	120 of 301	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	91.3	9 of 306	97.1%	★★★★★
2015	93.3	12 of 341	96.5%	★★★★★
2013	58.6	198 of 454	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.4	203 of 450	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	65.2	106 of 440	75.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	58.1	26 of 70	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.9	45 of 78	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	96.0	3 of 111	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	85.3	10 of 86	88.4%	★★★★☆
2018	83.4	5 of 54	90.7%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	75.7	28 of 136	79.4%	★★★★☆
2019	77.2	27 of 121	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	64.9	37 of 87	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	62.8	112 of 350	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.9	71 of 347	79.5%	★★★★☆
2023	78.3	63 of 357	82.4%	★★★★☆
2022	91.2	22 of 368	94.0%	★★★★★
2021	77.0	60 of 390	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	80.8	51 of 358	85.8%	★★★★☆
2018	74.1	56 of 243	77.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	92 of 249	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	80.7	35 of 248	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	84.7	23 of 249	90.8%	★★★★★
2022	97.5	4 of 261	98.5%	★★★★★
2021	94.5	6 of 278	97.8%	★★★★★
2019	71.8	52 of 241	78.4%	★★★★☆
2018	87.5	12 of 156	92.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	72.5	63 of 355	82.3%	★★★★☆
2024	89.9	20 of 356	94.4%	★★★★★
2023	81.7	34 of 362	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	81.4	44 of 370	88.1%	★★★★☆
2021	85.2	24 of 392	93.9%	★★★★★
2019	86.4	21 of 344	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	75.3	30 of 227	86.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	72.9	78 of 359	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	83.0	54 of 362	85.1%	★★★★☆
2023	77.6	60 of 358	83.2%	★★★★☆
2022	84.1	49 of 363	86.5%	★★★★☆
2021	87.6	34 of 395	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	79.3	58 of 355	83.7%	★★★★☆
2018	83.5	30 of 254	88.2%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	81.3	25 of 170	85.3%	★★★★☆
2024	72.0	41 of 161	74.5%	★★★★☆
2023	66.3	44 of 166	73.5%	★★★★☆
2022	71.2	46 of 179	74.3%	★★★★☆
2021	61.8	63 of 195	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	81.9	11 of 212	94.8%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	70.9	84 of 373	77.5%	★★★★☆
2024	78.9	60 of 374	84.0%	★★★★☆
2023	78.3	63 of 379	83.4%	★★★★☆
2022	83.5	45 of 390	88.5%	★★★★☆
2021	82.7	54 of 413	86.9%	★★★★☆
2019	73.7	85 of 382	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	78.7	40 of 222	82.0%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2021)95th percentile+7 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)85th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)82nd percentile+5 vs school

Asian (2021)79th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2025)78th percentile~ school

White (2025)77th percentile~ school

Female (2025)68th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)63rd percentile-14 vs school

African American (2024)63rd percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts77%+23 vs state

Science75%+26 vs state

Math28%-14 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, August 26, 2017

Great teachers, great atmosphere and my son has thrived there. Close Quote

by a student
Thursday, January 15, 2015

I love going here. The opportunities are unsurpassed by any school. Internships are a great example of opportunities we get that you can hardly find at any other schools. Close Quote

Schools Near Science and Math Institute

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 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 10th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 10th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Science and Math Institute	Public, Magnet	9-12	5501 N. Pearl St	Tacoma	98407	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	Yes	No	No	(253) 571-2300	597	29	20.5	35.7%	319 (53.4%)	45 (7.5%)	89 (14.9%)	42 (7.0%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	86 (14.4%)	71.5	99^th of 438 public high schools	77.4%		80.3	71^st of 437 public high schools	83.8%	28	75.0	75.0	76.6	76.6	28.5	28.5	$16,923	$539	$16,384
Tacoma Online High School	Public, Virtual	9-12	6501 N.23rd St.	Tacoma	98406	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(253) 571-1545	497	31	15.7	67.4%	172 (34.6%)	62 (12.5%)	110 (22.1%)	25 (5.0%)	4 (0.8%)	19 (3.8%)	100 (20.1%)								(n/a)			37.5	37.5			$14,892	$496	$14,396
Dr. Dolores Silas High School	Public	9-12	1202 N Orchard St	Tacoma	98406	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-6000	1,160	50	23.0	41.9%	576 (49.7%)	119 (10.3%)	152 (13.1%)	80 (6.9%)	7 (0.6%)	16 (1.4%)	200 (17.2%)	40	263^rd of 438 public high schools	40.0%		37.6	278^th of 437 public high schools	36.4%	15	49.3	49.3	60.6	60.6	18.3	18.3	$17,981	$816	$17,164
Remann Hall Juvenile Detention Center	Public	6-12	5501 6th Ave	Tacoma	98406	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-2670	21	1	21.0	19.0%	2 (9.5%)	10 (47.6%)	4 (19.0%)	1 (4.8%)	1 (4.8%)	1 (4.8%)	2 (9.5%)								(n/a)							$37,782	$10,418	$27,365
The School at Pearl Youth Residence	Public	6-12	815 South Pearl Street	Tacoma	98465	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 396-5937	21	0	11.5	28.6%	9 (42.9%)	1 (4.8%)	2 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)	1 (4.8%)	6 (28.6%)								(n/a)							$30,335	$13,194	$17,141
Henderson Bay Alt High School	Public, Virtual	9-12	14015 62nd Ave NW	Gig Harbor	98332	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	Yes	No	(253) 530-1700	139	10	13.9	43.2%	98 (70.5%)	1 (0.7%)	21 (15.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (8.6%)	46	229^th of 438 public high schools	47.7%		38.3	274^th of 437 public high schools	37.3%	45	50.0	50.0	56.0	56.0			$28,726	$4,401	$24,325
Gig Harbor High	Public	9-12	5101 Rosedale St NW	Gig Harbor	98335	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 530-1400	1,375	53	26.0	15.0%	1,059 (77.0%)	12 (0.9%)	146 (10.6%)	20 (1.5%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	129 (9.4%)	85.2	49^th of 438 public high schools	88.8%		73.1	89^th of 437 public high schools	79.6%	40	64.0	64.0	83.6	83.6	51.1	51.1	$14,870	$294	$14,576
Stadium High School	Public	9-12	111 N E St	Tacoma	98403	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-3100	1,700	72	23.4	38.2%	818 (48.1%)	125 (7.4%)	309 (18.2%)	155 (9.1%)	9 (0.5%)	20 (1.2%)	259 (15.2%)	66.7	121^st of 438 public high schools	72.4%		73.1	90^th of 437 public high schools	79.4%	31	60.9	60.9	66.6	66.6	37.9	37.9	$16,884	$938	$15,947
Foss High School	Public	9-12	2112 S Tyler St	Tacoma	98405	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-7300	599	31	19.1	69.4%	146 (24.4%)	126 (21.0%)	148 (24.7%)	45 (7.5%)	9 (1.5%)	26 (4.3%)	96 (16.0%)	5	431^st of 438 public high schools	1.6%		12.2	409^th of 437 public high schools	6.4%	22	14.5	14.5	31.8	31.8	7.3	7.3	$24,147	$1,308	$22,839
Community Based Trans Program	Public	12	601 S 8th St	Tacoma	98405	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-2603	71	4	17.7	45.1%	26 (36.6%)	9 (12.7%)	14 (19.7%)	5 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.0%)	12 (16.9%)								(n/a)							$55,065	$4,431	$50,633

Frequently Asked Questions about Science and Math Institute

What district is Science and Math Institute in?

Tacoma School District

Is Science and Math Institute a good school?

Science and Math Institute ranks 99^th of 438 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Science and Math Institute?

Students at Science and Math Institute are 53% White, 15% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 8% African American, 7% Asian, 2% Not Specified.

How many students attend Science and Math Institute?

In the 2024-25 school year, 597 students attended Science and Math Institute.

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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.