The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Mcloughlin Middle School
Mcloughlin Middle School is a regular public school in Pasco, Washington, serving grades six through eight. Its enrollment is large for a middle school, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of white students and smaller representations of students who are Asian, Black, multiracial, Native American, or Pacific Islander. About two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a signal that the school serves a community with significant economic need.
On the state's Smarter Balanced assessments, English language arts proficiency rates fall in the low-to-mid forties across grades six, seven, and eight. Math proficiency rates are lower, ranging in the mid-twenties across those same grades. Eighth-grade science proficiency, measured by the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science, is just over a quarter of students. When comparing overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades against other middle schools in Franklin County, the school sits above the midpoint of the small cohort that had reported data. Because this is the only year of available assessment data, there is no trend to describe. A parent looking at these results may want to discuss with the school how it supports students who are not yet meeting the state bar in math and science, and what interventions are in place for the significant number of students who are learning English—though the share of English learners is not reported in the available data.
The school sits within the Pasco School District, which is in the middle of a dramatic growth cycle. Pasco itself is one of the fast-growing cities in Washington, part of the Tri-Cities region along with Kennewick and Richland. Historically driven by agriculture and rail, Pasco still hosts a concentration of food-processing employers such as Lamb Weston and Reser's, while West Pasco has seen an explosion of new housing tracts and shopping centers. Downtown Pasco retains a civic core with a farmers market and the Sacagawea Heritage Trail, but the city's overall built environment is sprawling and car-oriented. Home values and rents in the area are moderately below statewide medians, reflecting the broader affordability of the region relative to much of Washington.
The district has been responding to enrollment pressure. Voters approved a bond measure a few years ago that funded a third comprehensive high school, Sageview High, which opened recently. The district also purchased land near that site for a future elementary or middle school, a clear sign that boundary adjustments and further construction are ahead. A career and college center called Orion High School is planned to open soon, and a Digital Learning Academy that consolidates the district's online programs began in a recent year. For families living in West Pasco attendance zones, the opening of Sageview High and the planned new elementary or middle school will have direct implications for where their children attend school; families elsewhere in the district may see less immediate change but are part of a system that is still building capacity.
What Mcloughlin Middle School offers is a large, diverse middle school experience in a fast-growing, economically mixed city. The academic picture shows room for growth, particularly in math and science, and the district is investing heavily in new infrastructure to accommodate its rising enrollment. A parent moving into Pasco or evaluating schools here should weigh the school's current performance levels against the broader context of a district that is still expanding and will continue to evolve in the years ahead.
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