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What's the one class at North Thurston High School every student should take?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,378
High
DISTRICT 1,116 · STATE 573
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTH THURSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS·NCES 530585000869
North Thurston High School
600 Sleater Kinney Rd NE, Lacey, WA 98506 · (360) 412-4800 · Thurston County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,378 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 55% of Washington public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- CThree-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 high schools
Student : Teacher
21.5:1
64 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.9:1 · STATE 21.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
50%
692 students
DISTRICT 48% · 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 | 325 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 343 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 330 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 380 | 28% |
Student demographics
72%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 73% · 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
63.7%
WA avg 58.4% . +15.7pp since 2014
Math
30.2%
WA avg 51.2% . +18.2pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 30 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 16 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 18 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 63.7% | 30.2% |
| 2023-24 | 62.5% | 28.8% |
| 2022-23 | 67.0% | 29.0% |
| 2021-22 | 65.9% | 33.4% |
| 2018-19 | 77.1% | 47.1% |
| 2017-18 | 73.5% | 43.3% |
| 2016-17 | 20.3% | 12.3% |
| 2015-16 | 17.6% | 14.3% |
| 2014-15 | 48.0% | 12.0% |
% 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
43.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
46.5%
based on WA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 47% 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 North Thurston High School
North Thurston High School's state test result (43.8% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Thurston High School this school | 1,378 | 50.2% | 43.8% |
| Evergreen High School Vancouver | 1,427 | 50.6% | N/A |
| River Ridge High School Lacey | 1,547 | 46.9% | 36.3% |
| Heritage High School Vancouver | 1,569 | 51.9% | N/A |
| Fife High School Tacoma | 885 | 49.9% | 41.8% |
| Marysville Getchell High School Marysville | 1,381 | 44.2% | 35.6% |
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 North Thurston High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In Thurston County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.8% | #131 of 271 | #7 of 11 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 30.2% | #150 of 321 ▲ 8 | #7 of 11 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.7% | #118 of 327 ▲ 29 | #6 of 11 ▲ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -2.7pp | #94 of 259 | #4 of 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,378 | #111 of 570 | #5 of 20 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.5:1 | #202 of 311 | #7 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 72.1% | #49 of 316 | #2 of 12 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 50.2% | #191 of 386 | #5 of 15 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.4% | #123 of 164 | #7 of 7 |
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
1,378
-37 (-3%) vs 2020
-9% since 1990-91, when it was 1,512
Student : Teacher
21.5:1
was 21.4:1
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 | 1,378 | 64.2 | 21.5:1 | 50% (692) |
| 2023-24 | 1,412 | 66.2 | 21.3:1 | 50% (713) |
| 2022-23 | 1,440 | 71.8 | 20.1:1 | 47% (676) |
| 2020-21 | 1,415 | 66 | 21.4:1 | 40% (564) |
| 2017-18 | 1,442 | 65.7 | 21.9:1 | 38% (548) |
| 2015-16 | 1,504 | 68 | 22.1:1 | 36% (545) |
| 2010-11 | 1,428 | 74 | 19.3:1 | 22% (309) |
| 2000-01 | 1,349 | 68 | 19.8:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 1,512 | 83 | 18.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for North Thurston High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (1,442 to 1,378); teachers down 2% (65.7 to 64.2).
About North Thurston High School
North Thurston High School is a large high school in Lacey, Washington, one of the schools in North Thurston Public Schools. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend the school, which enrolls 1,378 students. The average among high schools in Washington is roughly 573 students; this school is 140% bigger than that.
District-wide, North Thurston Public Schools has 24 schools and 15,167 students.
North Thurston High School's enrollment has no majority group, and White students are the largest at 42%. It is also 27% Hispanic, 13% multiracial, 9% Asian, and 4% Black. Thurston County's residents are about 72% White, 30 points above the school's share. By the diversity index, North Thurston High School comes in at 72%.
Teacher staffing is 64.2 full-time equivalents, or about 21.5 students per teacher. High schools in Washington have a similar average ratio of 21.6:1. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 50%.
Measured against Washington public high schools, North Thurston High School receives a B. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Test results at North Thurston High School are 2.8 points below what its free or reduced-price lunch share predicts (43.8% actual, 46.5% predicted).
North Thurston High School is located in Thurston County, where median household income is about $96,563, about 39% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. North Thurston High School is one of 86 public schools in Thurston County, which together enroll about 44,412 students.
The shortest distance from North Thurston High School to another public school is about 0.1 miles, to Ignite Family Academy. The five-mile area around North Thurston High School holds at least 8 other public schools. Among 5 nearby schools that report test results, North Thurston High School ranks 2nd on proficiency.
The federal government classifies North Thurston High School's location as City: Small.
Enrollment was 1,415 in 2020-21 and 1,378 in 2024-25, a decrease of 37 students.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for North Thurston High School covering things like school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Thurston County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
299,067
Census ACS
Median income
$96,563
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
86
44,412 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in North Thurston Public Schools
- River Ridge High SchoolHigh · 1,547 students
- Timberline High SchoolHigh · 1,401 students
- Nisqually Middle SchoolMiddle · 789 students
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 776 students
- Meadows ElementaryElementary · 765 students
- Chinook Middle SchoolMiddle · 746 students
Other schools in Lacey
- River Ridge High SchoolHigh · 1,547 students
- Timberline High SchoolHigh · 1,401 students
- Nisqually Middle SchoolMiddle · 789 students
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 776 students
- Meadows ElementaryElementary · 765 students
- Chinook Middle SchoolMiddle · 746 students
Nearby schools
- Ignite Family Academy0.1 mi · 100
- Chinook Middle School0.3 mi · 746
- Envision Career Academy0.4 mi · 139
- Summit VIrtual Academy0.4 mi · 355
- Pleasant Glade Elementary0.8 mi · 559
- Mountain View Elementary1.7 mi · 776
Frequently asked questions
About North Thurston High SchoolHow many students attend North Thurston High School?
North Thurston High School enrolls approximately 1,378 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does North Thurston High School serve?
North Thurston High School serves grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at North Thurston High School?
Approximately 21.5:1 students per teacher at North Thurston High School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at North Thurston High School?
At North Thurston High School, the student body is approximately 42% White, 27% Hispanic, 4% Black, 9% Asian, 13% Two or more.
Who oversees North Thurston High School?
North Thurston High School is overseen by North Thurston Public Schools in Thurston County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.