Summary:
ZIP code 99161 has one middle school, Palouse at Garfield Middle School, serving grades 6–8 in the small Palouse School District. The school enrolls just 34 students, so results can change noticeably from year to year when only a few students perform differently. It is the only middle-school option in the area and was ranked 382nd out of 514 Washington middle schools for 2025–2026, placing it in the 26th percentile.
The school’s latest results are mixed but below state and district benchmarks in both tested subjects. In 2025–2026, 45.71% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA), compared with 65.91% for the district and 52.81% statewide. Math proficiency was 31.43%, below the district’s 46.59% and the state’s 43.11%. ELA is the stronger subject overall, but it declined sharply from 70% in 2024–2025. Math improved modestly from 26.67% to 31.43%, yet remains the more consistently weak subject. Sixth grade stands out as the clearest area for attention: ELA proficiency was 26.67% and math proficiency was 20%, both well below state averages. Seventh-grade math was closer to the state result, at 38.46% versus 41.31% statewide.
Parents should interpret these figures cautiously because the school’s small enrollment can make percentages volatile, and several results were suppressed for privacy. School-level science results, seventh- and eighth-grade ELA results, and eighth-grade math results are unavailable; suppressed figures should not be treated as zero. The school’s ranking also fell from the 72nd percentile in 2023–2024 and the 68th percentile in 2024–2025 to the 26th percentile most recently. About 38.24% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, and reported spending was $8,198 per student. Overall, the most important measurable concerns are sixth-grade achievement, persistent math weakness, and the recent ELA decline, while the small setting may offer a more individualized school environment.
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