The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 32% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on R a Brown Middle School
R A Brown Middle School serves seventh and eighth graders in the Hillsboro School District, a regular public school in a city that blends high-tech campuses, suburban neighborhoods, and a historic downtown. The school sits within a growing, diverse community that is home to major employers like Intel, Nike, and Genentech, and the district recently completed a round of capital construction from a bond measure, opening a new elementary school in 2021 and replacing another in 2020. A new strategic plan adopted for 2023 to 2027 focuses on maximizing student experience and preparing students for life after high school.
The student body includes a broad mix of backgrounds. White students make up the largest share, followed by a substantial Hispanic population, and smaller proportions of Asian, two-or-more-races, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Just over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that a majority of families have modest incomes. This is a school where economic diversity is a real part of the everyday context.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show that in English language arts, about two out of five students met the proficiency bar in seventh grade, with a slightly lower share in eighth grade. In math, roughly a third of seventh graders and a little under a third of eighth graders were proficient. Science results for eighth graders land around a third proficient. These are below the levels a typical parent would hope for, and they suggest that many students are not yet solidly on grade level. When compared to other school districts in Washington County on an overall proficiency index that averages results across subjects and grades, R A Brown Middle School places above the midpoint of the county. That means it performs better than some of its neighbors, but the absolute rates remain an area where a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what support is available.
The school serves only two grades, seventh and eighth, and the enrollment is sizeable for that span. The school offers no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Parents looking for high school outcomes will need to look to the district’s high schools. Information on English learner and special education identification rates was not available, so it is not possible to say how many students receive those services. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and Title I status was not provided.
Hillsboro itself has grown steadily over recent decades, transforming from a small agricultural town into a major tech employment center. The city offers a range of civic amenities, including multiple farmers' markets in summer, light rail access to Portland, parks and nature preserves, and cultural venues downtown. Housing values in the area are high, roughly in line with the state benchmark, reflecting the broader Portland metro market’s pressure. Rents are also elevated. For a family considering this school, the neighborhood is suburban and built around technology industry commuters, with a growing population and active development.
A family weighing R A Brown Middle School will find a school that sits in the middle of the county's performance range, with a diverse and economically mixed student body. The academic numbers are not high, and parents should expect to engage with the school to understand how it supports students who are below grade level. The surrounding city offers plenty of activity and resources, and the district has been investing in its physical plants. For a seventh or eighth grader, this is a large, conventional public middle school in a fast-growing, diverse suburb where the economy is driven by major tech employers.
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