Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 98371

ZIP code 98371 has one listed middle school, Aylen Junior High, serving about 720 students in grades 7–9 in Puyallup. The school is part of the Puyallup School District, which has a relatively strong overall standing, ranking 71st of 238 districts with a four-star rating. Because there is only one middle school in the ZIP code, families cannot compare schools within the area directly; the most useful comparisons are Aylen’s results with district and Washington averages and its performance across grades and subjects.

Aylen’s strongest subject in 2025–2026 was English Language Arts, with 49.22% of students meeting proficiency standards. That result was below the district’s 54.82% and the state’s 52.81%, and it declined 4.40 percentage points from the previous year. Math proficiency was lower at 37.98%, about five points below both district and state results. Science was the clearest area of concern: 43.24% of students were proficient, compared with 54.14% districtwide and 50.95% statewide. Grade-level results show some important differences. Seventh-grade math was a relative strength, nearly matching the state average, while eighth-grade math was notably weaker. Eighth-grade ELA was close to the state average, but eighth-grade science remained well below both comparison groups.

Parents should also consider the school’s broader context. About 43.89% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, the reported student-teacher ratio was 22.7 to 1, and per-student spending was $16,074. These figures provide context but do not by themselves determine educational quality. Aylen has received three stars in each of the past three ranking years and has generally ranked near the middle of its statewide comparison group, most recently at the 54th percentile. Overall, the main priorities suggested by the data are improving science achievement, strengthening eighth-grade math, and monitoring the recent decline in ELA. Seventh-grade math and eighth-grade ELA offer encouraging examples of performance closer to state expectations.