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What do students at Bethel High School actually talk about outside of class?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,688
High
DISTRICT 963 · STATE 573
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BETHEL SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530048000119
Bethel High School
22215 38th Avenue East, Spanaway, WA 98387 · (253) 800-7000 · Pierce County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,688 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
21.6:1
78 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 27.4:1 · STATE 21.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
51%
858 students
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 51%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 481 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 463 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 405 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 339 | 20% |
Student demographics
72%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 75% · STATE 68% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
Smarter Balanced + WCAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
62.4%
WA avg 58.4% . +19.4pp since 2014
Math
24.4%
WA avg 51.2% . +13.3pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 24 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 58 and 51. Reading and writing scores are up about 19 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 13 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 62.4% | 24.4% |
| 2023-24 | 62.3% | 20.8% |
| 2022-23 | 58.1% | 22.8% |
| 2021-22 | 57.1% | 20.1% |
| 2018-19 | 59.1% | 28.4% |
| 2017-18 | 63.6% | 30.1% |
| 2016-17 | 43.5% | 15.8% |
| 2015-16 | 29.1% | 27.9% |
| 2014-15 | 43.1% | 11.1% |
% Met or Exceeded Standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Smarter Balanced + WCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
42.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
46.1%
based on WA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% typical for Washington schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Washington's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Bethel High School
Bethel High School's state test result (42.9% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel High School this school | 1,688 | 50.8% | 42.9% |
| Graham Kapowsin High School Graham | 2,087 | 47.9% | 35.4% |
| Evergreen High School Vancouver | 1,427 | 50.6% | N/A |
| Heritage High School Vancouver | 1,569 | 51.9% | N/A |
| Bremerton High School Bremerton | 1,263 | 55.9% | 25.6% |
| North Thurston High School Lacey | 1,378 | 50.2% | 43.8% |
Matched among Washington high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Bethel High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In Pierce County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 42.9% | #137 of 271 | #14 of 32 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 24.4% | #202 of 321 ▲ 14 | #17 of 32 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.4% | #126 of 327 ▲ 22 | #14 of 33 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +4.8pp | #44 of 259 | #5 of 32 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,688 | #51 of 570 | #7 of 51 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.6:1 | #207 of 311 | #18 of 34 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 72.3% | #45 of 316 | #14 of 35 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 50.8% | #185 of 386 | #18 of 39 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.4% | #122 of 164 | #11 of 15 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,688
+9 (+1%) vs 2020
+26% since 1990-91, when it was 1,341
Student : Teacher
21.6:1
was 22.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,688 | 78.3 | 21.6:1 | 51% (858) |
| 2023-24 | 1,651 | 80.8 | 20.4:1 | 50% (822) |
| 2022-23 | 1,739 | 79.7 | 21.8:1 | 53% (915) |
| 2020-21 | 1,679 | 75 | 22.4:1 | 46% (772) |
| 2017-18 | 1,765 | 74.4 | 23.7:1 | 43% (765) |
| 2015-16 | 1,689 | 66 | 25.6:1 | 45% (767) |
| 2010-11 | 1,117 | 49 | 22.8:1 | 21% (239) |
| 2000-01 | 1,650 | 69 | 23.9:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 1,341 | 59 | 22.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Bethel High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (1,765 to 1,688); teachers up 5% (74.4 to 78.3).
About Bethel High School
Spanaway, Washington, is home to Bethel High School, a high-enrollment high school. It teaches 1,688 students in grades 9 through 12. That is 195% bigger than the average of about 573 students for high schools in Washington.
District-wide, Bethel School District has 39 schools and 21,732 students.
The student body at Bethel High School has no majority group. White students lead at 42%. Other groups make up 23% Hispanic, 18% multiracial, 6% Black, and 5% Pacific Islander. Pierce County as a whole is about 64% White, so the school's share is lower. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 72, compared with 70 nationally.
The school lists 78.3 full-time-equivalent teachers and a student-to-teacher ratio of 21.6:1. That is in line with the 21.6:1 average for high schools in Washington. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 51% of the student body. The average for public schools in Pierce County is similar, at 50%.
Bethel High School sits between the top and bottom 10% of Washington schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 42.9% and a predicted 46.1%.
Five-year Census Bureau estimates for Pierce County show that the median household earns about $99,564 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 31%, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. Across Pierce County, 287 public schools serve about 138,462 students.
Measured in a straight line, Bethel Middle School is about 0.3 miles from Bethel High School. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. In a group of 8 nearby schools with scores, Bethel High School ranks 5th on average proficiency.
NCES lists the school's locale as Suburb: Large. That means it sits in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment in 2024-25 was 1,688, close to the 1,679 recorded in 2020-21.
This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures at Bethel High School. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Pierce County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
930,319
Census ACS
Median income
$99,564
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
287
138,462 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Bethel School District
- Graham Kapowsin High SchoolHigh · 2,087 students
- Spanaway Lake High SchoolHigh · 1,787 students
- Liberty Middle SchoolMiddle · 857 students
- Spanaway Middle SchoolMiddle · 766 students
- Cedarcrest Middle SchoolMiddle · 765 students
- Chester H Thompson ElementaryElementary · 688 students
Other schools in Spanaway
- Spanaway Lake High SchoolHigh · 1,787 students
- Liberty Middle SchoolMiddle · 857 students
- Cedarcrest Middle SchoolMiddle · 765 students
- Bethel Middle SchoolMiddle · 661 students
- Shining Mountain ElementaryElementary · 613 students
- Elk Plain School of ChoiceElementary · 574 students
Other Bethel High schools
4 other US public schools in 5 states are named Bethel High. Bethel High School is the 2nd largest of the 5.
- Bethel HighHampton, VA · 1,769 students
- Bethel High SchoolBethel, CT · 1,097 students
- Bethel High SchoolTipp City, OH · 521 students
- Bethel High SchoolShawnee, OK · 349 students
Nearby schools
- Bethel Middle School0.3 mi · 661
- Shining Mountain Elementary0.4 mi · 613
- Elk Plain School of Choice1.0 mi · 574
- Centennial Elementary1.7 mi · 540
- North Star Elementary2.3 mi · 446
- Liberty Middle School2.5 mi · 857
Frequently asked questions
About Bethel High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Bethel High School?
Bethel High School enrolls approximately 1,688 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Bethel High School serve?
Bethel High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bethel High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Bethel High School is approximately 21.6:1 (78 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Bethel High School?
At Bethel High School, the student body is approximately 42% White, 23% Hispanic, 6% Black, 4% Asian, 18% Two or more.
Who oversees Bethel High School?
Bethel High School is overseen by Bethel School District in Pierce County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.