Midway Elementary, Colbert WA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Midway Elementary

Midway Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Mead School District, located in the unincorporated community of Colbert, about a drive north of Spokane. The school enrolls a student body of roughly moderate size for an elementary school in this grade band. Its student composition is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and smaller representations of several other racial and ethnic groups. Roughly a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that sits below many peers in the county and aligns with the area’s affluent residential character.

Academically, Midway posted strong state assessment results across the most recent school year. In English language arts, proficiency rates were solid across all three tested grades, with the third-grade performance particularly high. In math, third graders also showed strong proficiency, while fourth and fifth graders, though still above typical levels, declined somewhat. Fifth-grade science proficiency was also well above common benchmarks. Because only one year of state testing data was available, there is no multi-year trend to assess whether these results represent an uptick, a plateau, or a decline relative to prior years. When compared with other schools in Spokane County, Midway’s overall proficiency index placed it in the top quartile. That is a meaningful distinction: the school’s academic results as a whole are among the stronger ones in the county.

The school’s setting reinforces a quiet, low-density character. Colbert has no downtown core; homes sit along rural roads off the main highway, and civic life is spread across campus-style sites. Midway Elementary is one of two elementary schools serving the area, both feeding into a middle school and then Mount Spokane High School. The community is primarily residential, with Bidwell Park offering a pool, sports courts, and fields, and a post office nearby. Home values in the area are elevated relative to national medians, reflecting an affluent housing market, though prices have seen a slight softening. The median household income in Colbert is estimated well above the national figure, and the area’s population is small. Most residents likely commute to Spokane for employment, as no major employers were identified within Colbert itself.

At the district level, voters approved a replacement Educational Programs and Operations levy in early 2023 that funds a substantial portion of the operating budget through 2027. That levy supports staffing, curriculum, technology, athletics, and extracurriculars, and its passage means stable funding for core programs across the district, including at Midway.

Several data points are absent from this profile. Enrollment counts for students with disabilities and English learners were not reported, so their proportions in the student body are unknown. Chronic absenteeism rates and discipline data were also unavailable. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to examine. Course access information and program offerings, such as gifted or specialist programs, were not provided.

For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a well-performing elementary in a quiet, rural residential setting where home prices are notably high. The academic results are a clear strength relative to the county, particularly in early-grade literacy and third-grade math, though upper elementary math proficiency tapers off. The student body is not highly diverse, and the share of students from lower-income households is modest. A parent may want to ask the school directly about supports for special education and English learners, as well as any enrichment or intervention programs offered, since that detail is not available here. The school’s stable district funding and its position in a district with generally strong offerings provide additional context for a basic education pathway.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 73% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 54% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 52% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 57% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 468%

School 68% · District 56% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 64% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Science

Grade 577%

School 77% · District 64% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

This schoolMead 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 4Lower-income50%Higher-income77%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income77%27 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income59%Higher-income81%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income75%Higher-income77%2 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income74%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income69%41 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income53%Higher-income70%17 pp gap