Huntington Middle School, Kelso WA

Original Research by School Decision on Huntington Middle School

Huntington Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in the Kelso School District, a regular public school in the small Cowlitz County city of Kelso. The city itself sits along the Cowlitz River, directly across from Longview, and remains tied to wood-products industries and county government. Kelso is auto-oriented, with a historic downtown core near the river and residential neighborhoods spreading eastward into hillsides. Population growth has been very modest in recent years. For a family considering this school, the surrounding housing market offers home values and rents that are below Washington state benchmarks but still require a substantial household income to afford comfortably.

The school’s student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and small shares of other racial groups. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a community with concentrated economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source material, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how those populations are supported.

On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Huntington Middle School’s results fell below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Cowlitz County. In English language arts, proficiency rates across the three grade levels ranged from roughly a third of students to just under half, with seventh graders showing the highest performance. In math, rates were lower, ranging from about a quarter to a third of students proficient, with eighth graders at the bottom end. Eighth-grade science results showed a little over a third of students meeting the standard. These are not strong numbers, and they suggest that many students arrive at middle school or progress through it without reaching grade-level expectations in core subjects. Because only a single year of data was available, there is no basis to say whether performance is improving or declining; a parent may want to discuss academic support and intervention programs with the school.

No data was reported on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, or staffing ratios. The school’s Title I status was also not listed, though the high share of students qualifying for meal assistance would typically make a school eligible. The lack of these details means a parent cannot fully assess the school’s learning environment from the available information.

As a regular public middle school, Huntington does not offer specialized programs that would strongly differentiate it, and no information on specific electives, career pathways, or advanced coursework was provided. The school serves the Kelso community, which is a modest-sized city with limited walkability and a commuter-oriented feel. The district operates two middle schools, so some families may have a choice depending on attendance boundaries.

For families weighing options, Huntington Middle School presents a straightforward profile: a predominantly low-income student body, academic results that trail the county average, and a setting in a small industrial city with slow growth. The school may fit a family that values neighborhood proximity and the typical middle school experience, but those seeking strong test scores, robust data transparency, or evidence of academic momentum will find little to point to here. It would be reasonable to ask the school about recent improvement efforts and how it supports students who are below proficiency.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 30% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 38% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 25% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 38% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 48% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 44% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Science

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 40% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · even with county median

This schoolKelso School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income65%34 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income36%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income66%31 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income45%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income26%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income38%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income20%Higher-income56%36 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income31%11 pp gap