Desert Hills Middle School, Kennewick WA

Original Research by School Decision on Desert Hills Middle School

Desert Hills Middle School sits within the Kennewick School District, serving students in sixth through eighth grade. Kennewick is the most populous of the Tri-Cities, with a diversified economy that includes manufacturing, food processing, retail, and services, and it hosts offices for Amazon and Lamb Weston. The city is part of a region described as having the fastest growing population in Washington State, and the district itself has a facility study committee that recommends capital projects based on enrollment growth projections. A bonds and levies program lets local voters decide on funding for construction and ongoing operations.

The school is a regular public school with a substantial enrollment for a middle school. The student body is predominantly white and Hispanic, with smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Black, Asian, or American Indian. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source materials, so a parent who wants to understand the full scope of special populations served should check with the school directly.

In terms of academic performance, Desert Hills presents a picture of clear strength in English language arts across all three grades. The proficiency rates for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders all landed within a range that reflects a solid foundation, and the school’s overall ELA proficiency placed well above many of its peers. Math proficiency was notably lower, with rates in each grade level falling below the ELA levels, though the eighth-grade math result was the strongest of the three. In science, the eighth-grade cohort posted a result that was close to the school’s math average. The comparison relative to districts in Benton County places Desert Hills in the top quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, which gives a picture of a school that is performing well compared to its neighbors.

There is only a single year of assessment data available, so no trend can be drawn yet. A parent looking to gauge whether the school is improving or declining will need to wait for future results.

The housing context in the area shows that home values are in line with the state benchmark, and the typical rent is modest relative to the national median household income. This suggests that the neighborhood around the school is within reach for many middle-income families, though a family considering a move should look at current listings to confirm fit.

The district brief mentioned the bonds and levies program but did not contain specific details on recent ballot measures or their outcomes. A parent interested in whether the district has passed recent funding measures for facilities or programming may want to ask the district office directly.

Desert Hills appears to be a solid choice for a family looking for a middle school within a growing part of the state, where the English language arts results are a clear bright spot and the overall academic performance ranks among the higher tier of schools in the county. The lower math proficiency is worth noting, and a parent who prioritizes strong math instruction may want to ask about the school’s approach to math intervention and enrichment. The school does not have a published graduation rate because it serves only middle school grades, so that measure does not apply.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 31% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 32% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 31% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 44% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 51% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 46% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Science

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 34% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

This schoolKennewick 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-income48%Higher-income62%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income70%40 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income60%Higher-income76%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income49%Higher-income66%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income23%Higher-income42%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income57%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income51%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income57%24 pp gap