Madison Middle School, Seattle WA

Original Research by School Decision on Madison Middle School

Madison Middle School, a regular public school in the Seattle Public Schools system, serves grades six through eight in the city’s West Seattle neighborhood. It is a large school for a middle school, drawing from a part of the city that sits across an inlet from the downtown core. The school’s academic performance on the state assessments places it among the stronger middle schools in King County. On the Smarter Balanced assessments, English language arts proficiency rates were high across all three grade levels, with roughly three-quarters of students meeting the bar. Math proficiency was also solid, though slightly lower, and on the eighth-grade science test just over three-fifths of students reached the proficient mark. When combined into an overall index, the school’s performance landed in the top quartile relative to all districts in King County. Because this is a single year of data, there is no trend to compare against.

The student body reflects the broader demographic patterns of West Seattle and of the district. A substantial majority of students are white, with a notable share identifying as two or more races. Hispanic students make up about one in ten, and Asian and Black students each account for a smaller but present share. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch sits at roughly one in six, a rate that is low compared with many urban districts and signals a student population with relatively concentrated economic advantage. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the source material. The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate is reported, and no chronic absenteeism figures were provided.

The housing market around the school is expensive by national standards, with typical home values well above the national median. Rents are also high, and the broader King County market has seen active listing inventory grow while prices have softened slightly. For families moving into the area, affordability will be a primary consideration. The school sits within the city of Seattle, a major technology and manufacturing hub that continues to grow, though at a slower pace than the rapid increases of the previous decade. The district has faced recent financial pressures, including a projected operating deficit driven by declining enrollment and the expiration of federal relief funds. That has led to proposals for school closures and staffing reductions, though the district scaled back closure plans after community opposition. Families enrolling now should be aware that the district is in a period of budget restructuring that may affect resource levels in the coming years.

The locale is thoroughly urban. Seattle’s downtown core with its office towers, Pike Place Market, and civic institutions is a short drive or bus ride from West Seattle. The area around the school is a mix of single-family homes and apartment buildings, with neighborhood commercial streets and parks. The city’s public transit system, including buses and light rail, connects West Seattle to other parts of the city, though the neighborhood’s peninsula geography means routes can be more limited than in central areas. Parks and waterfront access are abundant.

We looked for information on elective programs, advanced coursework, extracurricular offerings, or special academic pathways at Madison Middle School but found none in the supplied data. Similarly, no civil rights or discipline data were available. The school’s overall academic picture is strong, especially in literacy, and the student body is predominantly higher-income relative to the district as a whole. Families who value strong baseline test performance and a large, diverse-by-race-more-than-by-income peer environment will find it a good match. Those seeking information on specialized programs or on the school’s approach to supporting students with disabilities or language needs will need to follow up directly with the school or district.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 674%

School 74% · District 60% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 56% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 54% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 679%

School 79% · District 67% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 780%

School 80% · District 38% · ▲ 42 pts above district

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

Grade 878%

School 78% · District 66% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 60% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolSeattle School District No. 1, 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-income52%Higher-income88%36 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income43%Higher-income86%43 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income46%Higher-income85%40 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income49%Higher-income84%35 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income65%37 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income81%44 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income78%44 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income42%Higher-income73%31 pp gap