The top reported proficiency rate is 66% in English language arts. The lowest is 59% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Brier Terrace Middle School
Brier Terrace Middle School serves seventh and eighth graders in the Edmonds School District, and it sits inside a small, almost exclusively residential city. Brier itself is a largely wooded, semi-rural place with a single commercial strip that has few businesses, no traditional downtown, and a deliberate city policy of preserving its spacious, single-family-home character. The school is woven into that residential fabric rather than set apart, and it draws from the families who choose this quiet corner of Snohomish County.
The school’s student body is diverse. Just under half of the students are white, with the largest single minority group being Asian students, followed by Hispanic students, Black students, and then a smaller share of multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school serves only two grade levels, and its total enrollment is moderate for a middle school.
On state assessments, Brier Terrace posted solid results. Across tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among middle schools within Snohomish County’s districts, meaning it outperforms most of its county peers. In English language arts, a strong majority of both seventh and eighth graders met the state standard. Math proficiency was also above the midpoint of county districts, though a noticeable share of students did not meet the bar, and a parent may want to ask how the school supports those learners. Science results, tested in eighth grade, showed a similar pattern to math, with a majority of students proficient but a substantial minority below that threshold.
Because the school only has one year of assessment data available, it is not possible to see a trend line or know whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining. That lack of trend information is a meaningful gap. A parent considering this school would want to ask the school directly about how its test scores have shifted over time and what steps it is taking to raise achievement for the students who are not yet meeting the standard.
The Edmonds School District, which oversees Brier Terrace, has two recent developments that will shape the school environment. In early 2024, voters approved a construction bond that will fund rebuilding of two older district schools and finance security upgrades, HVAC improvements, and additional classrooms at several others. That bond is a property tax measure, so it has a direct cost for homeowners. Separately, the district is adopting a new K-3 literacy curriculum based on the science of reading, with materials expected in classrooms by fall 2025. While this change targets elementary grades, it signals a district-wide shift in reading instruction that will eventually reach the middle school level.
The housing market in Brier is expensive. Home values are well above the national typical price, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment is high enough that renting is substantially cheaper than buying. For families considering a move to the area, the cost of entry is steep, and the city’s deliberate resistance to major new development means the housing supply is unlikely to expand quickly.
Brier Terrace does not offer the kind of course access data, chronic absenteeism data, or staffing data that would help a family understand daily conditions inside the school. Those gaps leave questions about how many students are chronically absent, how many students have disabilities or are learning English, and what the teacher-to-student ratio looks like. A parent should expect to ask the school for that information directly.
What can be said with confidence is that Brier Terrace is a middle school with above-average academic results for its county, set in a quiet, expensive, deliberately low-growth suburb. It fits families who value a small, single-family residential environment and want a school that is performing above the local norm on state tests, but who are willing to do their own research on the areas where public data is thin.
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