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Alumni: what's one memory from Desert Hills Middle School that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
906
Middle
DISTRICT 829 · STATE 577
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KENNEWICK SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530393000598
Desert Hills Middle School
1701 S Clodfelter Rd, KENNEWICK, WA 99338 · (509) 222-6600 · Benton County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL906 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
This school has no state test results for 2023-24 or 2024-25 to grade, which is common for schools that end before third grade. How grades work
Student : Teacher
22.5:1
40 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.1:1 · STATE 18.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
25%
223 students
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 51%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 292 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 292 | 32% |
| Grade 8 | 322 | 36% |
Student demographics
42%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · 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 2022-23 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
65.0%
WA avg 49.0% . +1.1pp since 2014
Math
46.1%
WA avg 39.2% . -0.5pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 65 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 49 and 39. Reading and writing scores are up about 1 points since 2014, while math scores have held steady.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 65.0% | 46.1% |
| 2021-22 | 63.6% | 40.3% |
| 2018-19 | 69.6% | 53.9% |
| 2017-18 | 68.7% | 51.3% |
| 2016-17 | 67.0% | 49.7% |
| 2015-16 | 64.9% | 44.2% |
| 2014-15 | 63.9% | 46.6% |
% Met or Exceeded Standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Smarter Balanced + WCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Schools most like Desert Hills Middle School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Hills Middle School this school | 906 | 24.6% | N/A |
| Centennial Middle School Snohomish | 734 | 28.2% | 39.3% |
| View Ridge Middle School RIDGEFIELD | 666 | 29.6% | N/A |
| Leona Libby Middle School West Richland | 805 | 20.6% | N/A |
| Tolt Middle School Carnation | 633 | 22.3% | 53.2% |
| Sunset Ridge Intermediate School Ridgefield | 616 | 27.3% | N/A |
Matched among Washington middle 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 Desert Hills Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In Benton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 46.1% | #98 of 357 ▲ 16 | #2 of 12 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 65.0% | #67 of 357 ▼ 3 | #2 of 12 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 906 | #32 of 377 | #2 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 22.5:1 | #322 of 340 | #12 of 12 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 41.7% | #285 of 340 | #12 of 12 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 24.6% | #311 of 359 | #10 of 12 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.7% | #89 of 130 | #6 of 7 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
906
+38 (+4%) vs 2020
+9% since 1990-91, when it was 833
Student : Teacher
22.5:1
was 20.2:1
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 | 906 | 40.3 | 22.5:1 | 25% (223) |
| 2023-24 | 897 | 41.5 | 21.6:1 | 27% (245) |
| 2022-23 | 889 | 42.7 | 20.8:1 | 29% (259) |
| 2020-21 | 868 | 43 | 20.2:1 | 27% (232) |
| 2017-18 | 865 | 38.8 | 22.3:1 | 26% (228) |
| 2015-16 | 988 | 44 | 22.4:1 | 27% (262) |
| 2010-11 | 919 | 42 | 21.9:1 | 18% (167) |
| 2000-01 | 816 | 33 | 24.7:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 833 | 38 | 21.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Desert Hills Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (865 to 906); teachers up 4% (38.8 to 40.3).
About Desert Hills Middle School
In KENNEWICK, Washington, Desert Hills Middle School is a large middle-grades school. Students in grades 6 through 8 attend, and enrollment is 906 students. The typical figure for middle schools in Washington is about 577 students.
Kennewick School District is the district for Desert Hills Middle School. It has 31 schools and 18,826 students.
White students are the majority at Desert Hills Middle School, with 74% of enrollment. It is also 16% Hispanic and 6% multiracial. Pick two students at random and there is a 42% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Desert Hills Middle School operates with 40.3 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 22.5:1. That is higher than the 18.9:1 average for middle schools in Washington. About 25% of students at the school meet free or reduced-price lunch income limits. Among public schools in Benton County, the average eligibility rate is 49%.
Within Benton County, the median household income is $89,874, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 33%, and about 8% of people live in poverty. Besides Desert Hills Middle School, Benton County has 68 other public schools.
The closest other public school is Cottonwood Elementary, about 1.1 miles away. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools.
Desert Hills Middle School is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000, a location NCES labels City: Small.
Federal data show a 4% enrollment rise, from 868 in 2020-21 to 906 in 2024-25. Students per teacher rose from 20.2 in 2020-21 to 22.5 in 2024-25.
The Desert Hills Middle School community page is open for posts about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Benton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
212,905
Census ACS
Median income
$89,874
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
69
38,191 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Kennewick School District
- Kamiakin High SchoolHigh · 1,956 students
- Kennewick High SchoolHigh · 1,921 students
- Southridge High SchoolHigh · 1,612 students
- Chinook Middle SchoolMiddle · 950 students
- Amistad Elementary SchoolElementary · 878 students
- Horse Heaven Hills Middle SchoolMiddle · 856 students
Other schools in KENNEWICK
- Kamiakin High SchoolHigh · 1,956 students
- Kennewick High SchoolHigh · 1,921 students
- Southridge High SchoolHigh · 1,612 students
- Chinook Middle SchoolMiddle · 950 students
- Amistad Elementary SchoolElementary · 878 students
- Horse Heaven Hills Middle SchoolMiddle · 856 students
Other Desert Hills Middle schools
One other US public school is named Desert Hills Middle. Desert Hills Middle School is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Desert Hills MiddleSAINT GEORGE, UT · 909 students
Nearby schools
- Cottonwood Elementary1.1 mi · 474
- Amon Creek Elementary1.1 mi · 594
- Ridge View Elementary School1.7 mi · 471
- Sunset View Elementary School1.8 mi · 411
- Fuerza Elementary2.2 mi · 629
- Mid-Columbia Parent Partnership2.3 mi · 503
Frequently asked questions
About Desert Hills Middle SchoolHow many students attend Desert Hills Middle School?
Desert Hills Middle School enrolls approximately 906 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Desert Hills Middle School serve?
Desert Hills Middle School serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Hills Middle School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Desert Hills Middle School is approximately 22.5:1 (40 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Desert Hills Middle School?
At Desert Hills Middle School, the student body is approximately 74% White, 16% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Desert Hills Middle School in?
Desert Hills Middle School is part of Kennewick School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.