Wind River Middle School, Carson WA

Original Research by School Decision on Wind River Middle School

Wind River Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in the small, rural community of Carson, Washington. It is a regular public school within the Stevenson-Carson School District. Carson sits inside the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, a landscape defined by forested terrain, the Wind River, and nearby Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The town has no traditional downtown core; its built environment is dispersed along highway-adjacent roads, and daily life is car-dependent. Outdoor recreation is a major draw, with hiking, hot springs, and river access close by. Home values in the area reflect its scenic location and limited supply, sitting above the national median but below Washington’s pricier markets. The community’s largest employment sectors are warehousing, construction, and transportation.

The school is small for a middle school. Its student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and a modest number of students who identify as two or more races. Roughly three out of five students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of economic circumstance that families may want to consider alongside the school’s academic picture.

State testing data for the 2024-25 school year, from Washington’s Smarter Balanced assessments, is available for all three subjects. In English language arts, results vary by grade: sixth and seventh graders scored below the midpoint of what is typical, while eighth graders reached a notably higher proficiency rate, with about three in five meeting the bar. In math, proficiency was lower across all grades, with roughly a quarter to a third of students meeting the standard depending on grade level. Eighth-grade science results, from a separate state assessment, show that just over two in five students were proficient. Because this is the only year of data in the available record, trend comparisons are not possible. When measured against other districts in Skamania County, Wind River Middle School’s overall proficiency index — a combined figure across tested subjects and grades — sits below the midpoint of the four-district set.

Several pieces of information that often help families evaluate a school are missing here. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline actions, staffing ratios, and course access are not present in the available records. The district did not report any recent changes such as referendums, curriculum shifts, or tax measures that would alter the educational landscape. Because the school serves only middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report. A parent looking to understand the full experience of the school — what electives are offered, whether there are advanced or intervention programs, how many students are identified for special education or English learner services — would need to follow up directly with the school or district.

For a family considering this area, Wind River Middle School offers a small, rural environment with the outdoor amenities of the Gorge. The academic results from the most recent testing year show room for growth, particularly in math. Families with particular concerns about student support or program breadth may want to explore those topics further with the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 725%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 6 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 11 pts above state median

Science

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 42%

even with state median

This schoolStevenson-Carson 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-income36%Higher-income77%40 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income46%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income55%32 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income55%Higher-income68%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income12%Higher-income69%57 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income36%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income12%Higher-income41%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income26%Higher-income57%31 pp gap