The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 31% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Cascade Middle School
Cascade Middle School serves seven hundred seventh and eighth graders in Sedro-Woolley, a small city in Skagit County that has shifted from its logging and coal-mining past into a mix of aerospace, robotics, and light industry. The school is situated a short distance from the downtown core, near the intersection of two state routes, and sits within the Sedro-Woolley School District, which operates one high school, this middle school, and several elementary schools scattered across the city and nearby communities like Big Lake and Clear Lake. The setting is auto-oriented outside of downtown, and the school campus is separate from both the city center and the high school.
The student body is diverse in socioeconomic terms. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places the school in a middle position relative to others in the area. The racial and ethnic composition is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population, smaller numbers of students who identify as two or more races, and very few Asian, Black, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Data on special populations, such as students with disabilities or English learners, was not available in the enrollment figures.
Academically, the school’s performance on Washington’s state assessments is mixed. In seventh-grade English language arts, somewhat more than two out of every five students met the proficiency standard. In eighth-grade ELA, the rate was lower, landing around one in three. Math results were weaker in both grades, with roughly one in three seventh graders and just under one in three eighth graders scoring proficient. Science, tested only in eighth grade, showed results similar to that grade’s math level. When compared across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among the eight districts in Skagit County. This relative placement suggests the school is performing in line with or slightly better than many of its county peers, but the absolute rates, particularly in math, mean many students are not meeting the state standard. A single year of assessment data was available, so there is no trend to review; a parent may want to ask the school directly about how these results compare with prior years and what interventions are in place for students who are not yet proficient.
Because Cascade Middle School serves only grades seven and eight, it has no graduation rate to report. That is simply a function of the grade band, not a measure of performance. The school is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet.
The Sedro-Woolley School District has been active with recent facility and financial decisions. Voters approved a capital bond that is funding construction of a new elementary school expected to open soon, which will address overcrowding at the lower grades, plus security upgrades and athletic improvements at the high school. A replacement educational programs and operations levy was also approved, covering special education, transportation, athletics, and extracurriculars through a property-tax obligation. The district has adopted a new literacy curriculum for elementary grades aligned with the science of reading, though Cascade Middle School’s instruction may reflect those shifts as students move through the system.
For families considering the area, housing values in Sedro-Woolley’s zip code are moderate by Washington standards but still high relative to national figures, and the median rent also reflects a significant share of household income. The local economy includes a range of employers from aerospace composites and engineering to healthcare, a Job Corps center, and tribal governance, giving the community a broad employment base. The city has grown in recent years, and new industrial development north of town points to continued expansion.
This is a school that serves a majority low-income student body, with academic results that are about average for its county. A family moving into the district will want to understand what academic supports are available at the middle school level, particularly for students who are below grade level in math and reading, and how the district’s elementary curriculum changes are feeding into the middle school experience. The school itself is a straightforward public middle school in a growing small city, with no special programs or pathways listed in the available data.
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