Summary:
ZIP code 98146 has one listed middle school, Cascade Middle School, serving grades 6–8 with 671 students in the Highline School District; the area’s school profile reflects a relatively large middle school serving a community with significant economic needs.
Cascade Middle School has shown some improvement, but parents should expect mixed results. Its statewide ranking rose from the 5th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 11th percentile in 2025–2026, and its rating increased from zero stars to one. English Language Arts proficiency also improved, reaching 30.92% in 2025–2026. Still, that result was below both the Highline School District rate of 34.68% and the Washington state rate of 52.81%. Math proficiency was lower at 17.48%, while science proficiency was 23.74%, both substantially below district and state levels.
The strongest current results are generally in 7th grade: 34.78% of students were proficient in ELA and 22.44% in math, with both results slightly above district averages. Eighth grade is the clearest area of concern, especially math, where proficiency was just 12.22%; 8th-grade ELA was 26.24%. Year over year, ELA improved by 4.06 percentage points, math was essentially unchanged, and science declined by 6.26 points. The school reports a 16.8-to-1 student-teacher ratio, $20,983 in per-student spending, and 73.32% participation in free or reduced-price lunch. Overall, the data suggest a school making gradual progress but still needing significant improvement in math, science, and 8th-grade achievement.
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