Spanaway Middle School, Tacoma WA

Original Research by School Decision on Spanaway Middle School

Spanaway Middle School sits in the Bethel School District and serves students in grades six through eight. It is located on the southeastern side of Tacoma, in an area that blends suburban development with proximity to the city’s larger industrial and port economy. The school is a regular public middle school, not a charter or magnet, and serves a student body that is diverse in its racial and ethnic makeup. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by white students, multiracial students, Black students, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students, and Asian students. A substantial share of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, marking the school as one serving a community where economic need is common.

State testing results from the most recent school year show a pattern of performance that sits at or near the middle of the road relative to other districts in Pierce County. On the overall proficiency index, which averages performance across tested subjects and grades, the school lands in the lower half compared to other schools in the county. Looked at by grade level, the numbers fluctuate. In English language arts, proficiency rates rise as students get older, with the highest rate in eighth grade. In math, the opposite pattern appears: sixth graders have the strongest showing, and the rate declines through seventh and eighth grade. Science, tested only in eighth grade, shows proficiency among a smaller share of students. A parent considering this school should note that these are single-year results; no trend data covering multiple years is available, so it is not possible to see whether performance is improving or declining over time.

The school environment has some notable gaps in the available data. Information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, the number of students with individualized education programs, and the number of English learners was not reported. These are meaningful pieces of context for families deciding whether a school can meet their child’s needs, and their absence means a parent may want to ask the school directly for this information.

The broader Bethel School District has been navigating financial and enrollment challenges. A capital bond that would have funded a new elementary school, HVAC upgrades, and safety improvements failed in early 2024, leaving the district without planned funding for capacity issues in growing areas. In the prior year, voters did approve an Educational Programs and Operations Levy and a Technology Levy, reversing a 2022 rejection and securing funding for special education, transportation, and extracurriculars through 2026. More recently, the district reduced about 50 staff positions due to declining enrollment and the expiration of federal pandemic relief funds, a change that could affect class sizes and program availability.

Tacoma itself is a mid-sized port city with a mix of industrial employment and a growing cultural scene. The school’s location places it outside the denser downtown core, in a part of the city where car dependence is higher and walkability is lower. Housing values in the zip code are somewhat below the statewide benchmark, and rents are moderate relative to incomes, making this one of the more affordable parts of the region for families. The city overall is growing steadily, with a notable increase in proposed housing units driven by local policy initiatives, though homeownership rates remain below the national average.

For a family looking at Spanaway Middle School, the picture is one of a diverse, economically mixed school where academic performance is moderate and varies by subject. The absence of data on special education and English learner populations, as well as on discipline and attendance, is a real gap. The district is in a period of adjustment, managing lower enrollment and tighter budgets. A parent may want to visit, speak with staff about supports for students who are struggling or advanced, and clarify what has not been reported in the public data before making a decision.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 33% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 69% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 29% · ▲ 4 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 44% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 65% · ▼ 23 pts below district

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

Grade 853%

School 53% · District 48% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 35% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

This schoolBethel 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-income29%Higher-income55%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income37%Higher-income52%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income58%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income59%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income12%Higher-income24%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income46%Higher-income61%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income54%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income46%18 pp gap