Blaine Middle School, Blaine WA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Blaine Middle School

Blaine Middle School is a regular public school in Whatcom County serving grades six through eight. It sits in the city of Blaine, a border town and port of entry with a history rooted in fishing and logging. The city has a turn-of-the-century theme downtown, supported by cross-border traffic and a waterfront resort, and it describes itself as having a growing economy. The Peace Arch park is a major civic anchor, and the natural setting along Drayton Harbor and Boundary Bay shapes daily life. Modest population growth has been reported in recent years, and the district—Blaine School District—did not have any major parent-relevant changes publicly noted in the period reviewed, so the middle school’s context appears stable on that front.

The school’s academic performance, based on Washington state assessments from the 2024-25 school year, places its overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades below the midpoint among districts in Whatcom County. In English language arts, proficiency rates varied by grade, with a noticeable increase from sixth to eighth grade. Math proficiency also rose across the same grades, but at every level a majority of students did not meet the state’s proficiency standard. In science, tested only in eighth grade, about two-fifths of students scored proficient. Because only a single year of assessment data is available for this school, there is no multi-year trend to indicate improvement or decline. A family considering Blaine Middle School may want to follow up with the school or district about how they are working to lift these results, and whether any supports are available for students who need extra help.

Enrollment is moderate for a middle school. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic representation, and smaller shares of Asian, black, multiracial, and other backgrounds. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available from the source used here, so a parent should ask the school directly about those populations and the services offered.

The housing market in the Blaine area reflects a typical national pattern of housing costs being a notable share of income. Home values and rents are in a range that many families in the region navigate, though affordability relative to local incomes may be a consideration for some households. The broader economic context includes a national unemployment rate that has been generally steady.

No information was available from the data about discipline, attendance, staffing ratios, or course access, so those dimensions are not part of this account. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not provided. Blaine Middle School is a straightforward public school in a small border city. Its academic results are modest compared with other schools in the county, and the surrounding community offers a distinctive setting shaped by the border, the waterfront, and a pedestrian-friendly downtown. For a family, the key question is whether the school’s current academic profile and available support systems match what they are looking for at this stage.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 29% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

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

English language arts

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 36%

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 45% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50% · ▼ 1 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolBlaine 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-income26%Higher-income55%29 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income45%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income34%Higher-income57%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income64%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income21%Higher-income31%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income13%Higher-income47%34 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income30%Higher-income47%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income21%Higher-income53%32 pp gap