River Ridge High School

River Ridge High School, an expansive four-year high school in Lacey, Washington, run under North Thurston Public Schools, hosts 1,547 students, covering grades 9 through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 170% larger than the state mean of about 573.

North Thurston Public Schools runs 24 schools in total, collectively educating 15,167 students. River Ridge High School is one of those campuses.

Demographically, River Ridge High School records that the most-represented group is White (34%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. The remainder reads as 27% Hispanic, 15% multiracial, 11% Asian, 6% Black. By comparison, Thurston County as a whole is about 72% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, The school reports having 77 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 20.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 21.6:1, putting River Ridge High School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 47% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, River Ridge High School falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 48.8%; this one comes in at 36.3%, -12.4 points off the demographic line.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Thurston County indicate median household earnings sit near $96,563, about 39% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. River Ridge High School is one of 86 public schools in Thurston County (combined enrollment of about 44,412 students).

The closest other public school is Meadows Elementary, roughly 0.8 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), River Ridge High School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 43.4%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Trend over the last 7 years. River Ridge High School's enrollment has rose 13% since 2018, when it stood at 1,363 (now 1,547). Over the same period, the White share shrank from 44% to 34%.

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