Komachin Middle School, Lacey WA

Original Research by School Decision on Komachin Middle School

Komachin Middle School is a regular public school serving grades six through eight in Lacey, part of North Thurston Public Schools. The school sits in a suburban city that grew as a bedroom community for Olympia, Fort Lewis, and Tacoma, and it remains primarily residential with significant retail and distribution sectors. Lacey has no traditional downtown, and the built environment is dominated by subdivisions, strip development, and warehouse centers, making it a car-dependent place. The city is experiencing steady growth, with new industrial development, a casino resort planned by the Nisqually Tribe, and an off-campus emergency room that opened recently. Interstate 5 bisects the city, and the school is located on College Street SE near the civic campus that includes city hall and the library.

The student body at Komachin is diverse. White students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students and students of two or more races. Asian, Black, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students each account for smaller shares, and American Indian or Alaska Native students represent a very small portion of the enrollment. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school about how those populations are served and what supports are in place.

On state assessments for the most recent school year, Komachin’s results show a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates varied by grade, with seventh graders reaching a level that stands above the others while sixth and eighth graders posted lower rates. In math, proficiency was consistent across all three grade levels but at a lower level than English language arts. In science, which is tested only in eighth grade, the proficiency rate was modest. When compared to other schools in Thurston County, Komachin’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls below the midpoint among districts in the county. A parent looking at these results may want to consider how the school supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks, and what programs exist for those who are.

The school’s academic trend data covers only a single year, so there is no basis to assess whether performance is improving or declining. That gap means a parent cannot tell from this data alone whether the school is on a trajectory of change. Given that this is a middle school serving grades where state testing is standard, the lack of multi-year data is simply a limitation of the reporting available, not an indication that the school does not test.

Komachin is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet school. Title I status was not reported. No information was available on discipline rates, course access, staffing ratios, or attendance patterns. A parent interested in those areas would need to follow up directly with the school or the district for specifics.

The parent district, North Thurston Public Schools, is the largest in Thurston County and operates schools across Lacey and surrounding areas. No district-level levy or bond information was available from the research conducted, so a parent may want to check with the district office about current funding measures, facility plans, or any recent changes that could affect the middle school experience.

For a family considering Komachin, the most concrete picture comes from its student demographics and its state test results. The school serves a diverse middle school population in a growing suburban setting, and its academic performance on state measures is uneven, with English language arts showing stronger results than math, and with overall proficiency sitting below the midpoint relative to other Thurston County districts. The absence of data on special education and English learner populations, staffing, discipline, and attendance means there are several open questions a family would want to explore before making a decision.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 34% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 37% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 33% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 646%

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

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 53% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 33% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 43% · ▼ 1 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolNorth Thurston Public Schools, 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-income39%Higher-income57%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income57%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income49%Higher-income77%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income61%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income16%Higher-income28%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income24%Higher-income50%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income48%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income44%16 pp gap