Chehalis Middle School, Chehalis WA

Original Research by School Decision on Chehalis Middle School

Chehalis Middle School serves grades six through eight in the Chehalis School District, located in the city of Chehalis, the county seat of Lewis County. The school sits on a campus separate from the historic downtown area, which is the center of county government and civic life. Chehalis began as a railroad and logging town and shifted toward manufacturing and warehousing in the 21st century, particularly around the Port of Chehalis. The city is car-dependent overall, and its economic activity is closely tied to neighboring Centralia. Housing values in the area are lower than the state benchmark, and the typical rent is modest relative to national income, making the area more affordable than many parts of Washington.

The school has a substantial enrollment for a middle school serving three grades. A majority of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Asian, Black, or American Indian or Alaska Native. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs or English learner status was not available in the provided records.

State assessment results from the 2024-25 school year provide a picture of academic performance. In English language arts, proficiency rates across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades all cluster in a similar range, with the highest rate in seventh grade and the lowest in eighth grade. In math, proficiency rates are consistent across all three grades, at roughly a third of students meeting the bar. Science is assessed in eighth grade only, where just under half of students were proficient. Compared to other districts in Lewis County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint. This is a school where a parent will find that about half of students are meeting the English language arts standard, while math is a clear area of weakness, and science performance falls between those two.

Program offerings and course access details were not available in the data provided. The district has communicated a strategic goal called “75 by 35,” which aims for a specific portion of high school graduates in a future class to earn credentials to be responsible, contributing citizens. At the middle school level, this translates into students exploring career fields and mapping out career paths aligned with their strengths, with connections to high school and alternative pathways. The district also launched a pre-kindergarten readiness initiative in 2023, which speaks to a longer-term investment in early preparation, but that does not directly affect middle school families other than through the pipeline it creates.

For a parent evaluating Chehalis Middle School, the core picture is a regular public middle school in a small city with a working-class economic base, where the student body reflects the broader community. English language arts proficiency is around the midpoint among local districts, while math proficiency is lower, and a parent may want to follow up with the school about how they support students who are not meeting that standard. The district has articulated a clear academic and career-pathway vision, and because the school feeds into a high school with stated goals, a family might consider how the middle school experience aligns with those longer-term targets. The school has a large enough enrollment to offer a typical middle school peer environment, and the surrounding community offers a slower-paced, affordable setting with a historic downtown and access to parks and the Willapa Hills Trail.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 35%

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

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 52%

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

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 55%

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

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 52%

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

Science

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 47%

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

This schoolChehalis 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-income35%Higher-income55%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income64%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income68%27 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income68%31 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income14%Higher-income26%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income48%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income48%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income19%Higher-income51%33 pp gap