Spanaway Middle School

Spanaway Middle School, an average-sized middle-grades school in Tacoma, Washington, run under Bethel School District, hosts 766 students, covering grades 6 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 33% bigger than the state mean of about 577.

Bethel School District runs 39 schools in total, collectively educating 21,732 students. Spanaway Middle School is one of those campuses.

On the student-mix side, Spanaway Middle School lists that the largest single group is Hispanic at 32%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 27% White, 17% multiracial, 9% Black, 9% Pacific Islander. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 13%.

On the income-and-resources front, The school reports having 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 22.5:1. The state averages around 18.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 68% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is above Pierce County's rate of about 50%.

With demographic context factored in, Spanaway Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 34.7%; this one delivers 41.5%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Pierce County shows median household income runs about $99,564, about 31% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. In all, Pierce County runs 287 public schools (combined enrollment of about 138,462 students), of which Spanaway Middle School is one.

The closest other public school is Thompson Preschool, roughly 0.1 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Spanaway Middle School at 2nd of 5; the average score across the group is 38.2%.

Spanaway Middle School operates from an outer-ring location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Spanaway Middle School's enrollment has edged up 11% since 2018, when it stood at 687 (now 766). Over the same period, the White share ticked down from 39% to 27%. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 20.5:1 in 2018 to 22.5:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.