Explorer Middle School, Everett WA

Original Research by School Decision on Explorer Middle School

Explorer Middle School sits in a residential part of Everett, serving grades six through eight as one of the middle schools within the Mukilteo School District. The school draws from a community where housing values are substantial and have seen a slight recent dip, and where rents are also softened compared to a year ago. The broader context of Everett is that of a county seat with a strong industrial and aerospace employment base, anchored by Boeing and a naval station, and it has been absorbing new residential growth over time. For a family considering this school, the setting is a mid-sized city with a working waterfront, a transit hub, and a downtown that has some concentrated street life around arenas and entertainment venues.

The school’s student population is quite diverse. A large share of students are Hispanic, roughly a quarter are white, and the remainder includes Asian, Black, multiracial, and smaller groups. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places Explorer in a high-poverty context compared to many schools. Data on the share of students with disabilities or who are English learners was not available in the source material, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how those populations are supported.

On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Explorer’s proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and science fall into a lower range. In math, the rates decline from grade six to grade eight, with the highest in seventh grade and the lowest in eighth. In English language arts, the pattern is similar, with the highest proficiency in seventh grade and the lowest in eighth. In science, only grade eight is tested, and the proficiency rate there is on par with the lower end of the school’s other subjects. When compared to other middle schools within Snohomish County, Explorer’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile. This is a soft spot that a parent would want to understand further by visiting the school and discussing instructional supports, intervention programs, and any recent changes in curriculum or staffing.

Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report. The school only has one year of assessment data in the provided records, so there is no trend line to show whether performance is improving or declining.

The Mukilteo School District has been investing in facilities, with a notable amount of capital outlay and construction spending in recent fiscal data, which publicly reported sources indicate is an ongoing priority. A parent moving into the area who values a recently updated facility may want to check whether Explorer has been part of that capital plan.

Explorer Middle School offers a standard middle school program in a high-poverty, diverse setting. The academic results from the most recent testing year are below the middle of the pack for Snohomish County. A family considering this school should weigh those results against the school’s support structures, program offerings, and the fit for their child’s learning needs. The absence of data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and special population counts means a parent has reason to ask probing questions during a school visit.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 69% · ▼ 38 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 23% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 38% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 46% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 52% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 46% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Science

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 41% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

This schoolMukilteo 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-income24%Higher-income57%34 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income54%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income30%Higher-income55%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income44%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income8%Higher-income42%34 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income22%Higher-income48%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income47%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income17%Higher-income37%20 pp gap