Goodman Middle School, Gig Harbor WA

Original Research by School Decision on Goodman Middle School

Goodman Middle School serves grades six through eight in Gig Harbor, a waterfront city in Pierce County that balances a historic downtown with residential growth. It is part of the Peninsula School District. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up a notable share and smaller numbers of students who are Asian, Black, or of two or more races. Roughly one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that places the school in a moderate range for economic need in the area.

Academically, the most recent state assessment results show a clear picture. In English language arts, the school posts solid proficiency numbers across all three grades, with the strongest performance in seventh grade and slightly lower but still above-average results in sixth and eighth. In science, tested in eighth grade, the proficiency rate is also solid. Math is the weaker subject. Proficiency rates in math are lower across the board, falling below the English language arts marks by a meaningful margin in every grade. When the school’s overall performance across tested subjects is compared with other districts in Pierce County, it lands above the midpoint of the county’s districts. This suggests that the school’s academic profile is generally stronger than many of its county peers, though the math results are a soft spot a parent may want to ask about directly.

Only a single year of state assessment data was available for this school, so no trend is visible. There is no information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing ratios, which means a parent would need to follow up with the school or district for those details. The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate applies here.

Gig Harbor itself is a mix of residential neighborhoods and a tourism-driven historic waterfront downtown. The city grew substantially after the replacement Tacoma Narrows Bridge made it a bedroom community for Tacoma. That growth has pushed development west toward State Route 16, and the downtown has shifted toward boutiques and dining. The area has many parks and its maritime heritage is still present in commercial fishing. Housing costs in the area are high relative to national averages, and rents have been rising, consistent with the broader Puget Sound region. The Peninsula School District voters approved a replacement levy and a capital levy in 2022, funding classroom programs, technology, and facility improvements through 2025.

For a family considering this school, the academic picture is one of clear strengths in English language arts and science, with math being the area that needs attention. The school serves a middle-class to upper-middle-class community, with a moderate share of students from lower-income households. The setting is suburban and car-dependent outside the downtown core, with access to the amenities of Gig Harbor and a short commute to Tacoma. The school is large enough to offer a full middle school program but not so large that a student would get lost. A parent who values strong literacy and science instruction may find this school a good fit, while one concerned about math performance would want to understand what supports are in place for that subject.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 647%

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

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 51% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 52%

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

English language arts

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 63% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 778%

School 78% · District 68% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 65% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Science

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 62% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

This schoolPeninsula 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-income32%Higher-income72%41 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income44%Higher-income67%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income61%Higher-income83%22 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income55%Higher-income77%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income33%22 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income28%Higher-income51%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income54%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income28%Higher-income60%33 pp gap