Haller Middle School, Arlington WA

Original Research by School Decision on Haller Middle School

Haller Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade in Arlington, Washington, as a regular public school within the Arlington School District. It enrolls a moderate-sized student body for a middle school, reflecting the city’s ongoing suburban growth. The school is located in a community that has transformed from a timber and agricultural base into a service-oriented economy, with a major Amazon distribution center and the Cascade Industrial Center nearby as large employers. Arlington has grown rapidly since the 1980s, annexing the Smokey Point area and adding new apartment buildings and subdivisions. The city’s downtown sits on a bluff above the Stillaguamish River, but the broader built environment is suburban, with housing developments and commercial corridors. Families considering Haller Middle School will find a setting that blends traditional small-city character with recent industrial and residential expansion.

The Arlington School District has been active in shaping its direction. In early 2024, voters narrowly approved a four-year technology replacement levy that funds student devices, classroom technology, network upgrades, and STEM resources through 2028, a sign of both community investment and some divide over school funding. The district has also adopted a new five-year Strategic Plan centered on closing achievement gaps, raising graduation rates, expanding mental health supports, and strengthening community engagement. Additionally, the district is in the process of adopting new English Language Arts and K-12 science curricula, which will affect instruction and materials in Haller Middle School in the years ahead.

Academically, Haller Middle School’s performance is mixed. On the state’s Smarter Balanced assessments for the 2024-25 school year, proficiency rates in English language arts varied across grades, with the sixth grade showing the lowest share of students meeting the bar and the eighth grade the highest. In math, proficiency rates were notably lower across all three grades, with roughly three in ten students meeting the standard in each grade level. On the state science assessment, administered in eighth grade, just over two in five students were proficient. When compared with other districts in Snohomish County, Haller’s overall proficiency across subjects and grades falls below the midpoint. This pattern suggests that while some students are performing well in reading and writing, math presents a particular challenge for the school. The district’s curriculum adoption efforts may aim to address these areas, but the data reflect the current picture.

The student body is diverse. More than half of students are white, with a substantial Hispanic or Latino share and smaller groups of students who are two or more races, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Black or African American. A meaningful portion of the student population comes from households with lower incomes, as indicated by the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the records reviewed, so a parent may want to inquire directly about the school’s special education and language support services.

Arlington’s housing market is relatively expensive, with home values above the state median and rents similarly high, a factor families should weigh against the school’s academic profile. The city’s growth continues, and the school sits in a district that is actively investing in technology and curriculum renewal. For a family seeking a mid-sized middle school in a suburbanizing city with ongoing development and a mixed academic record, Haller Middle School offers a setting where math achievement stands out as an area to watch and where the district’s new plans may bring changes in the coming years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 628%

School 28% · District 30% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 33% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 23% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 43% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 53% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 860%

School 60% · District 47% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 37% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

This schoolArlington 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-income34%Higher-income59%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income47%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income65%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income70%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income8%Higher-income20%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income15%Higher-income34%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income17%Higher-income39%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income23%Higher-income35%12 pp gap