Ridgetop Middle School, Silverdale WA

Original Research by School Decision on Ridgetop Middle School

Ridgetop Middle School serves grades six through eight in Silverdale, an unincorporated commercial and residential hub on the Kitsap Peninsula. The school is part of the Central Kitsap School District, which recently secured voter approval for a capital bond to modernize its high school and middle school facilities, a project that will also bring district-wide safety upgrades. Ridgetop itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it draws from the surrounding suburban neighborhoods and commercial corridors that define Silverdale.

The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of students identifying as two or more races and a notable Hispanic population. Asian, Black, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students each make up smaller shares of the enrollment. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic diversity that is present but not dominant. The school serves a balanced enrollment across grades six, seven, and eight, with each grade level holding roughly the same number of students.

On state assessments, Ridgetop's English language arts results are a clear strength. Across all three grade levels, a majority of students met the proficiency standard, with the highest share in seventh grade and similar levels in sixth and eighth. Science results, tested only in eighth grade, also show a majority of students meeting the bar. Math proficiency is lower across the board. In sixth grade, just over a third of students met the standard, with somewhat higher rates in seventh and eighth grades, though still below the majority mark. When compared with other schools in Kitsap County, Ridgetop's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, a strong showing for the region.

The school's enrollment is large for a middle school, with each grade level holding a similar number of students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source materials, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of special education and language support services. Information on discipline, chronic absenteeism, and staffing was also absent from the data provided.

Silverdale itself is an unincorporated community that functions as the retail and commercial center of the Kitsap Peninsula. It is car-dependent, with a major arterial lined with shopping centers and restaurants. The area has seen steady growth and a high-cost housing market, with home values and rents that are elevated relative to national benchmarks. The local economy is anchored by a regional hospital, the nearby Naval Base Kitsap, and a large retail sector. The Central Kitsap School District, which operates Ridgetop, recently passed a capital bond to modernize its high school and middle school, and has adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading. These district-level investments signal a focus on facility upgrades and instructional alignment, though the direct impact on Ridgetop's day-to-day operations is not detailed in the available data.

Ridgetop Middle School presents as a solid academic option within its district, with English language arts and science results that are a clear draw and math performance that is more mixed. The school's size is large, and its student body reflects the broader community's economic and racial diversity. Families considering Ridgetop will want to understand the level of math support available and inquire about special education and English learner services, as those details were not present in the data reviewed.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 34% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 40% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 844%

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

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

English language arts

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 54% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 765%

School 65% · District 60% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 56% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 46% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolCentral Kitsap 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 6Lower-income44%Higher-income72%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income56%Higher-income70%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income73%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income45%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income40%Higher-income50%10 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income26%Higher-income54%28 pp gap