The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in English language arts. The lowest is 73% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Woodward Middle School
Woodward Middle School serves Bainbridge Island’s seventh and eighth graders as a regular public school in the Bainbridge Island School District. It is a two-grade middle school with an enrollment that places it at a moderate size for that grade band. The school sits on an island that is an affluent bedroom community of Seattle, connected by a Washington State Ferries ride to the city. The island combines a walkable town center called Winslow with forested hills, small farms, and shoreline; outside Winslow the terrain is largely car-dependent and rural in character.
Academically, Woodward Middle School posts results that stand out among its Kitsap County peers. On the state assessments in English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency is high in both grade levels tested. In math, the results are also strong, with the seventh-grade cohort performing somewhat higher than the eighth-grade cohort. Science proficiency, measured in eighth grade, is similarly high. When all tested subjects and grades are combined into a single index, the school’s performance lands in the top quartile relative to the other six districts in Kitsap County for which the data is available, and well above the county median. These are clear strengths. The data covers only the most recent testing year, so no trend is yet available.
The student body is predominantly white, with a notable share of students identifying as two or more races. Asian and Hispanic students each make up a smaller portion, while Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students together account for a very small number. About one in ten students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that reflects the area’s affluence. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported in the data available; a parent may want to ask the school directly about special education and language support services.
The housing market on Bainbridge Island is expensive. Typical home values are well above the state and national averages, and rents are similarly high. A large share of island residents commute to Seattle for work, and the ferry ride shapes daily life. The cost of living is a factor any family considering the area would need to weigh carefully.
Because Woodward Middle School serves only grades seven and eight, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also missing from the available records, so that metric cannot be assessed here. No discipline data, course access details, or staffing information was provided, and the school does not appear to report a specific programs list in this profile. These are gaps a family may wish to follow up on with the school or district.
The Bainbridge Island School District has adopted a district-wide Race, Equity, and Identity Board Policy, a commitment that shapes curriculum and school culture. One of the district’s elementary schools was renamed in recent years to honor a local petroglyph, a change that families moving to the island will encounter.
Woodward Middle School delivers high academic performance in a setting shaped by the affluence and island character of Bainbridge Island. It offers strong proficiency outcomes that place it among the top schools in Kitsap County, within a district that has publicly emphasized equity work. Families relocating to this high-cost market will find a school that performs well on the core measures available, with some gaps in programmatic and support data that merit a direct conversation with the staff.
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