The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mattson Middle School
Mattson Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade in Covington, part of the Kent School District. The school sits in a suburban community that has grown steadily since its incorporation, with a retail core developed along a major corridor. Covington functions as a regional commercial and medical hub for southeast King County, anchored by hospital facilities. The city is primarily residential and car-dependent, with its civic life centered on city parks, an aquatic center, and recreational leagues rather than a traditional downtown.
The student body reflects the area's demographic diversity. The largest racial group among students is white, followed by Hispanic and Asian populations, with smaller shares of Black, multiracial, and other backgrounds. The school serves about seven hundred students across the three middle grades, with each grade at roughly similar size. Around half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning that the school serves a community with a substantial share of households that qualify for income-based assistance.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, proficiency rates across the three grades range from roughly half to just over half of students meeting the bar. Seventh grade shows the strongest result, with a majority proficient. Math proficiency is more varied, with rates that drop notably from seventh to eighth grade, where fewer than a third of students test as proficient. Eighth-grade science results are similar to the eighth-grade math outcome, with just over a third of students reaching proficiency. When compared to other schools across districts in King County, Mattson falls below the midpoint on an overall proficiency index that averages performance across tested subjects and grades.
A parent may want to look into how the school supports students who are not yet at proficiency in math and science, especially given the drop in math performance between seventh and eighth grade. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a family with a child who has an individualized education plan or is learning English should ask the school directly about how those students are served and how they perform.
Covington is part of the Kent School District, which has seen several recent changes relevant to families. In April 2023, voters approved a capital bond that funded a new middle school, which opened for the 2023-2024 school year, along with safety and security upgrades districtwide. That same election also approved a technology levy and an enrichment levy, both of which had failed the year prior, providing ongoing local funding for classroom technology and extracurricular programs. In June 2024, the school board voted to close two elementary schools effective for the 2025-2026 school year, a response to a budget shortfall driven by declining enrollment, inflation, and the end of COVID relief funds. That closure will change attendance boundaries and feeder patterns for families in those areas. Voters also approved a levy lid lift in November 2024, increasing the district's enrichment levy collection authority and raising local property taxes.
The school itself is a regular public middle school. Because it serves only grades six through eight, there is no graduation rate to report. The district's most recent capital investment in new middle school facilities may be relevant to families considering Mattson versus other middle schools in the district, as the bond-funded school may offer newer infrastructure.
For a family weighing Mattson, the key considerations are a student body with significant economic diversity, state assessment results that are below the middle of the pack among King County districts, and a school that sits within a district navigating both investment in facilities and program funding alongside the financial pressures that led to elementary school closures. The broader Covington context offers suburban stability with ongoing growth, a car-dependent layout, and a community that balances residential life with a regional commercial and medical role.
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