Lochburn Middle School, Lakewood WA

Original Research by School Decision on Lochburn Middle School

Lochburn Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade in Lakewood, part of the Clover Park School District. This is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is modest for a middle school in a mid-sized suburban city. The student body is diverse, with a substantial share of students identifying as Hispanic, along with significant populations of students who are White, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or of two or more races. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a marker of the economic context families bring to the school.

The academic picture is the central feature a parent will want to understand. On the statewide assessments in English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency is in the mid-teens across grades six and eight, with a lower figure in grade seven. In math, the proficiency rates are in the single digits across all three grades, with the eighth-grade figure particularly low. In science, the eighth-grade proficiency rate is in the low teens. Taken together, these results place Lochburn’s overall proficiency index in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Pierce County. The school’s own data shows a single year of test results, so there is no trend to examine yet. A parent will want to discuss these numbers directly with the school to understand the instructional supports in place and how the school approaches raising achievement.

The school itself is set in Lakewood, a suburban city with a car-oriented layout and no traditional downtown. Commercial life clusters around the Lakewood Towne Center and along South Tacoma Way and Pacific Highway, which also hosts an International District reflecting Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Latino influences. The economy is heavily shaped by Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a major military installation adjacent to the city, and healthcare is the largest employment sector. Housing values in the area are moderate relative to the broader state, and the rental market has been seeing some upward pressure. The city offers a range of parks and civic spaces, including Fort Steilacoom Park, and has a commuter rail station connecting to the wider region. Lakewood was incorporated as a city decades ago and continues to position itself for growth along the I-5 corridor, with development incentives in place.

The Clover Park School District does not have publicly reported recent strategic changes or referendums that would shift the context for a middle school family, so that piece is absent from what can be described here.

Discipline data, staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, and special education or English learner counts were not available in the data provided. A parent interested in those areas will want to ask the school directly. The graduation rate does not apply here because this is a middle school.

Lochburn Middle School serves a community with high economic need and a diverse student population. Its academic results are low compared to other Pierce County schools, and a family considering this school will likely want a thorough conversation with staff about interventions, enrichment, and the school’s plans for improvement. The school’s setting in Lakewood offers a suburban environment with access to military-base-related community resources and a range of commercial and recreational amenities.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 22% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 23% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 84%

School 4% · District 16% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 32% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 35% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 31% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Science

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 27% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

This schoolClover Park 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-income18%Higher-income45%27 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income15%Higher-income16%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income16%Higher-income20%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income8%Higher-income15%7 pp gap