Nisqually Middle School, Lacey WA

Original Research by School Decision on Nisqually Middle School

Nisqually Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in the North Thurston Public Schools district in Lacey, Washington. Lacey is a suburban community that grew as a bedroom town for Olympia, Fort Lewis, and Tacoma, and it remains primarily residential with significant retail areas and a growing warehouse and distribution sector. The city has been experiencing steady growth, with new industrial development in the Hawks Prairie area, a planned casino resort by the Nisqually Tribe, and new healthcare facilities. Nisqually Middle School sits within this expanding suburban landscape, where housing values and rents are in line with a mid-range Washington market, and a substantial share of households have children under 18.

The school is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet school. Enrollment is sizable for a middle school, drawing from the surrounding neighborhoods. The student body is diverse: white students make up the largest share, followed by a notable population of Hispanic students, and smaller groups of students who are Asian, Black, multiracial, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native. Just over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which points to a moderate level of economic need across the school community. Data on the share of students with disabilities and the share classified as English learners was not available in the source material.

On state assessments, the school's proficiency rates fall below the midpoint of schools in Thurston County. In English language arts, across the three tested grades, a little more than two out of every five students met the proficiency standard. In math, just over a quarter of students were proficient, with similar results across the three grade levels. In science, which is tested only in eighth grade, about a third of students were proficient. When compared with other schools across the county, Nisqually Middle School’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile. These are the reported results from the most recent testing year, and no multi-year trend data was available to show whether performance has been moving in any direction.

Because this school serves only middle grades, there is no graduation rate to consider, and no data on chronic absenteeism was available. A family looking at these scores will want to discuss the school’s academic supports and curriculum approach with the staff, especially in math and English language arts, where proficiency rates are below what many county peers report. The school’s program offerings were not included in the data, so it is not possible to say whether advanced coursework, electives, or intervention programs are available.

Nisqually Middle School is part of North Thurston Public Schools, the largest district in Thurston County. The district operates schools across Lacey and the surrounding area. Information on recent district-level referenda, bonds, or strategic priorities was not found in the available research, so a parent may want to look into that directly with the district office.

The school’s location in Lacey means that families are in a car-dependent environment with no traditional walkable downtown. The civic campus near City Hall and the library is the closest thing to a gathering place. Interstate 5 bisects the city, and transit connections include a bus rapid transit line and an Amtrak station near the southern boundary. For a family moving to the area, the school sits in a growing part of Thurston County where new housing and commercial development are active, and where the broader context includes public land like Tolmie State Park and the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. The character of the community is suburban and family-oriented, with a notable retirement population as well.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 34% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 734%

School 34% · District 37% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 33% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 32% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 53% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 33% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 43% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 18 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-income27%Higher-income42%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income53%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income42%Higher-income51%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income53%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income25%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income14%Higher-income37%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income43%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income17%Higher-income32%16 pp gap