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What clubs or activities at Nelsen Middle School are worth joining?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
913
Middle
DISTRICT 770 · STATE 577
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·RENTON SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530723001070
Nelsen Middle School
2403 Jones Ave S, Renton, WA 98055 · (425) 204-3000 · King County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL913 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 29% of Washington public middle schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Washington public middle schools
Student : Teacher
21.6:1
42 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.6:1 · STATE 18.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
58%
534 students
DISTRICT 52% · 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 | 301 | 33% |
| Grade 7 | 317 | 35% |
| Grade 8 | 295 | 32% |
Student demographics
79%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 78% · 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
37.7%
WA avg 58.4% . -15.3pp since 2014
Math
26.1%
WA avg 51.2% . -20.1pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 38 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 26 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 58 and 51. Reading and writing scores are down about 15 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 20 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 37.7% | 26.1% |
| 2023-24 | 40.3% | 25.9% |
| 2022-23 | 36.4% | 21.9% |
| 2021-22 | 37.5% | 21.7% |
| 2018-19 | 47.3% | 36.3% |
| 2017-18 | 49.5% | 41.5% |
| 2016-17 | 52.2% | 40.9% |
| 2015-16 | 51.0% | 44.7% |
| 2014-15 | 53.0% | 46.1% |
% 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
33.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
41.0%
based on WA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 41% 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 Nelsen Middle School
Nelsen Middle School's state test result (33.1% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelsen Middle School this school | 913 | 58.5% | 33.1% |
| Meridian Middle School Kent | 647 | 55.6% | 45.6% |
| Meeker Middle School Renton | 779 | 58.8% | 34.6% |
| Rainier Middle School AUBURN | 907 | 60.6% | 27.4% |
| Mercer International Middle School SEATTLE | 753 | 59.8% | 50.8% |
| Alderwood Middle School LYNNWOOD | 679 | 54.8% | 39.0% |
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 Nelsen Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In King County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.1% | #204 of 294 | #58 of 76 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.1% | #248 of 357 ▼ 10 | #59 of 76 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 37.7% | #268 of 357 ▼ 38 | #61 of 76 ▼ 5 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.3pp | #139 of 290 | #39 of 75 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 913 | #28 of 377 | #16 of 80 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.6:1 | #292 of 340 | #61 of 76 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 78.7% | #9 of 340 | #4 of 76 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 58.5% | #127 of 359 | #22 of 77 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -9.5% | #109 of 192 | #22 of 37 |
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
913
-116 (-11%) vs 2020
+3% since 1990-91, when it was 890
Student : Teacher
21.6:1
was 20.6:1
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 | 913 | 42.3 | 21.6:1 | 58% (534) |
| 2023-24 | 882 | 41.2 | 21.4:1 | 60% (526) |
| 2022-23 | 904 | 44.9 | 20.1:1 | 61% (547) |
| 2020-21 | 1,029 | 50 | 20.6:1 | 56% (578) |
| 2017-18 | 1,009 | 46.6 | 21.6:1 | 57% (573) |
| 2015-16 | 992 | 47 | 21.1:1 | 61% (602) |
| 2010-11 | 1,038 | 51 | 20.4:1 | 55% (576) |
| 2000-01 | 1,003 | 47 | 21.3:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 890 | 42 | 21.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Nelsen Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 10% (1,009 to 913); teachers down 9% (46.6 to 42.3).
About Nelsen Middle School
Nelsen Middle School is a large middle school in Renton, Washington, (ZIP code 98055). Students in grades 6 through 8 make up the school's enrollment of 913 students. Middle schools in Washington have about 577 students on average; enrollment here is 58% higher.
Nelsen Middle School is among 29 schools run by Renton School District, which serves 14,873 students.
Of every 100 students at Nelsen Middle School, about 27 are Hispanic, the largest group. The school is also 27% Asian, 20% White, 16% Black, and 9% multiracial. That is higher than the 11% Hispanic share among all King County residents. A diversity index of 79% means there is a 79% chance two randomly chosen students at Nelsen Middle School are from different groups.
A staff of 42.3 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 21.6:1. Across middle schools in Washington, the average ratio is 18.9:1. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 58%. The 38% average for public schools in King County is 20 points lower.
Nelsen Middle School holds a C allk12 Grade, placing it above 29% of Washington public middle schools.
Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the BeatsExpectations model predicts an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 41.0% for Nelsen Middle School. The school posts 33.1%, 7.9 points below the prediction.
In King County, home to about 2,287,171 people, the median household earns about $124,746 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 57% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 5%. Public schools in King County number 544, with about 278,492 students.
H.O.M.E. Program, about 0.1 miles away, is the closest public school. In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of Nelsen Middle School. By average proficiency, Nelsen Middle School is 4th among 6 schools close by.
Nelsen Middle School is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000, a location NCES labels City: Mid-size.
In 2020-21, Nelsen Middle School enrolled 1,029 students. By 2024-25, that number had fallen to 913. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 20.6:1 to 21.6:1.
This page collects posts and questions about Nelsen Middle School, such as open houses, carpools, and field trips. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
King County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
2,287,171
Census ACS
Median income
$124,746
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
57%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
544
278,492 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Renton School District
- Hazen Senior High SchoolHigh · 1,796 students
- Renton Senior High SchoolHigh · 1,208 students
- Lindbergh Senior High SchoolHigh · 1,201 students
- McKnight Middle SchoolMiddle · 811 students
- Vera Risdon Middle SchoolMiddle · 751 students
- Dimmitt Middle SchoolMiddle · 605 students
Other schools in Renton
- Hazen Senior High SchoolHigh · 1,796 students
- Liberty Sr High SchoolHigh · 1,495 students
- Renton Senior High SchoolHigh · 1,208 students
- Lindbergh Senior High SchoolHigh · 1,201 students
- Northwood Middle SchoolMiddle · 911 students
- Maywood Middle SchoolMiddle · 826 students
Nearby schools
- H.O.M.E. Program0.1 mi · 136
- Open Door Youth Reengagement0.1 mi · 50
- Renton Academy0.1 mi · 24
- Talbot Hill Elementary School0.6 mi · 445
- Cascade Elementary School0.6 mi · 434
- Impact | Black River Elementary0.8 mi · 209
Frequently asked questions
About Nelsen Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Nelsen Middle School?
Nelsen Middle School enrolls approximately 913 students in grades 06-08.
Is Nelsen Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Nelsen Middle School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at Nelsen Middle School?
Approximately 21.6:1 students per teacher at Nelsen Middle School.
What is the student diversity at Nelsen Middle School?
Student demographics at Nelsen Middle School are roughly 20% White, 27% Hispanic, 16% Black, 27% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is Nelsen Middle School in?
Nelsen Middle School is part of Renton School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.