Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 98372

Middle schools in ZIP code 98372 include two schools serving grades 6–9 in the Puyallup School District: Kalles Junior High, serving grades 7–9, and Edgemont Junior High, serving grades 6–9. Together, they enroll 1,352 students in this Puyallup-area community. Both schools benefit from the same district context, which ranks 71st out of 238 Washington districts and holds a four-star rating, but their school-level academic results differ.

Kalles Junior High is the stronger all-around choice based on the available results. It ranks 105th of 514 Washington schools, placing it in the 80th percentile with four stars. Kalles exceeds both district and state averages in English Language Arts, Math, and Science, with overall proficiency rates of 64.09%, 48.62%, and 60.39%. It also leads Edgemont Junior High in ELA and Math, especially in 7th-grade Math, where the difference is 16.75 percentage points. Edgemont Junior High ranks 184th, at the 64th percentile with three stars, and has lower overall ELA and Math results. Its clear strength is Science: 64.83% of students are proficient, exceeding Kalles Junior High by 4.44 points and surpassing both district and state results.

Math is the main improvement opportunity across the area. At Edgemont Junior High, 7th-grade Math proficiency is 34.84%, the lowest subject-grade result in the comparison, while Kalles Junior High also remains below 50% in 8th-grade Math. Both schools improved their statewide rankings over the past three years, and Science results rose sharply from the prior year, particularly at Edgemont. Reported spending is nearly identical—about $16,000 per student—and student-teacher ratios are similar, so these figures do not explain the academic differences. Overall, Kalles offers the more consistent academic profile, while Edgemont provides a notable Science strength and signs of recent progress.