The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Garrison Middle School
Garrison Middle School is a regular public school in Walla Walla, Washington, serving grades six through eight as part of Walla Walla Public Schools. It is one of the district’s two middle schools, drawing from the city’s residential neighborhoods and the wider agricultural region that surrounds this southeastern Washington hub. The school’s student body is large-enrollment for its grade band, reflecting Walla Walla’s role as the county seat and commercial center for the surrounding wheat, onion, and wine country.
The student population breaks roughly evenly between Hispanic students and white students, with small numbers of students who identify with other racial or ethnic groups. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing Garrison squarely in the range of a high-needs school. This economic profile, combined with the school’s size, shapes the peer environment as one where many families share similar economic realities, and where the district’s broader challenges around poverty and opportunity are concentrated.
On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Garrison’s results fell below the midpoint among districts in Walla Walla County for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, across the three middle grades, roughly two-fifths to just under half of students met the proficiency bar. In math, proficiency rates were lower across all three grades, clustering in the range of a third to just over two-fifths of students meeting the standard. In eighth-grade science, about two-fifths of students scored proficient. These numbers give a clear picture: the school is working to raise achievement, and a parent choosing Garrison should expect that a significant share of students are still developing foundational academic skills. This is a school district where the community recently renewed a local levy to fund honors classes, arts, and other programs not covered by state money, signaling an ongoing investment in enrichment.
The city of Walla Walla itself provides a distinctive setting. It is a historic downtown with brick buildings, tasting rooms, and the Marcus Whitman Hotel, all within a compact, walkable core, though much of the residential area outside downtown is car-dependent. Whitman College sits adjacent to downtown, and Walla Walla Community College operates on a separate campus. Major employers include the state penitentiary, a regional medical center, the school district itself, the colleges, and the wine industry, which has driven tourism and fine dining growth over the past three decades. The population has been relatively stable, and the area has seen infrastructure investment including highway widening along the US Route 12 corridor. Housing costs in the zip code covering Garrison are below the Washington state benchmark by a clear margin, and renting is more common and affordable than owning, with rents running below the national average for a typical monthly mortgage.
The district’s website confirms that the Educational Programs and Operations Levy, approved by voters in 2024, funds honors classes, band, and arts — programs that directly serve a middle school like Garrison. The levy must be renewed again in 2028.
What is not available in the data is also worth noting. There are no reported figures on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing ratios for this school. Information on English learner and special education enrollment is missing as well, which limits a full picture of the support services in place. A parent may want to ask the school or district directly about class sizes, the availability of intervention programs for students who are below grade level in math and reading, and how the school addresses the high poverty rate among its families. The school’s website was listed in the data but did not return additional research material to fill those gaps.
For a family considering Garrison, the school offers a clear trade: a large, diverse middle school in a stable but economically challenged community, where academic proficiency is an area of active work rather than a finished product, and where the district has invested locally in programs that go beyond the basics. It sits in a town with genuine cultural and civic anchors — a walkable downtown, a college presence, a free local bus system — that may appeal to families who value a regional hub with a small-city feel. The housing market is accessible relative to the rest of the state, which can make settling in Walla Walla more attainable than in many Washington communities.
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