Cougar Mountain Middle School

Cougar Mountain Middle School operates as a mid-tier middle-grades school in Graham, Washington, one of the schools within Bethel School District. Current enrollment sits at 605 students spanning grades 6 through 8.

Across the 39 schools in Bethel School District (21,732 students total), Cougar Mountain Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Cougar Mountain Middle School records that White students make up the majority at 61%. Beyond that, the school shows 21% Hispanic, 12% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 20.7:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 18.9:1 average. An estimated 50% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Cougar Mountain Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 46.4%, the actual is 43.9%, a residual of -2.5 points.

Across the wider county, Pierce County reports that median household income runs about $99,564, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Cougar Mountain Middle School is one of 287 public schools in Pierce County (combined enrollment of about 138,462 students).

The closest other public school is Rocky Ridge Elementary, roughly 0.8 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Cougar Mountain Middle School comes 5th of 9 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 45.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Looking at the recent track record. Cougar Mountain Middle School's enrollment has remained close to its prior level since 2018, when it stood at 620 (now 605). Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 69% to 61%.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Cougar Mountain Middle School typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.