Nelsen Middle School, Renton WA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Nelsen Middle School

Nelsen Middle School is a regular public school in Renton, serving grades six through eight. It sits within the Renton School District, a system that covers a broad stretch of this inner-ring Seattle suburb. The school's enrollment is substantial for a middle school and draws from a diverse set of neighborhoods. A majority of students come from low-income households, based on the share who qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The student body itself is racially and ethnically varied: the largest groups are Asian students, followed by Hispanic, white, Black, and multiracial students, with smaller numbers of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in this profile, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those programs.

Academically, the school's state assessment results from the most recent testing year show that the portion of students meeting proficiency in math and English language arts falls below the levels typical across King County schools. In fact, Nelsen's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the lower quarter of the county's districts. In math, proficiency rates are roughly similar across grades, with about a quarter of students meeting the bar in sixth and eighth grades and a slightly higher share in seventh grade. In English language arts, around two-fifths of students score proficient in each grade. Science, tested only in eighth grade, shows about a third of students proficient. These are the only state assessment data points available; there is no multi-year trend because the reporting covers a single year. While the numbers are not strong compared with many other King County middle schools, they are also not at the very bottom — the school sits within a range that includes many other schools in the region. Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to consider, and data on chronic absenteeism and discipline was not reported in this profile, which means those aspects of school climate are not visible from the information here.

Renton itself is a city with a strong industrial and manufacturing identity, anchored by Boeing's final assembly plant for its 7-series aircraft. It also hosts corporate offices for Paccar, Wizards of the Coast, and several healthcare organizations, along with major retail such as IKEA. The downtown has been redeveloped with transit-oriented housing, a transit center, and a public library built over the Cedar River, but much of the city spreads out along three freeways, making auto travel common outside the core. Housing in Renton is expensive relative to national averages, with home values and rents in the range typical of the Puget Sound region, though somewhat below the most costly Seattle neighborhoods. For a family, the cost of housing here is a significant consideration when choosing a school.

The Renton School District has been active in facility and program changes. Voters approved a bond in early 2022 that funds construction and renovation at several high schools and elementary schools, including a new elementary school in the Fairwood area set to open in the coming year. That bond also affects property taxes. The district has also redesigned its high school experience through the RSD Academies, small learning communities grouped by career interests, which started at Hazen High School and have expanded to other high schools. While Nelsen Middle School feeds into those high schools, no information was available about the middle school's own course offerings, electives, or programs. A parent might want to investigate what pathways and support are available at Nelsen itself, particularly given the academic numbers and the upcoming high school transitions. The picture that emerges is of a middle school in a diverse, working-to-middle-class suburb, with academic performance that is below the county average but not isolated — part of a district that is investing in facilities and rethinking high school instruction, and a city that offers a mix of industrial jobs, suburban housing, and ongoing redevelopment.

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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% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 42% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 35% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 44% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 48% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 48% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Science

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 39% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

This schoolRenton 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-income48%17 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income52%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income56%30 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income55%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income14%Higher-income25%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income13%Higher-income39%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income22%Higher-income48%26 pp gap

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