Bethel School District

516 176th St E
Spanaway, WA 98387
(District boundaries shown in map)
6/
10
Top 50%

Top Rankings

Bethel School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Washington for:

Category
Attribute
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026 school year, there are 9 public middle schools serving 5,951 students in Bethel School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 5/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in Washington.
Public Middle Schools in Bethel School District have an average math proficiency score of 31% (versus the Washington public middle school average of 37%), and reading proficiency score of 47% (versus the 51% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 56% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the Washington public middle school average of 50% (majority Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (WA)
# Schools
39 Schools
797 Schools
# Students
21,539 Students
302,322 Students
# Teachers
1,128 Teachers
16,182 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
19:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Bethel School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 306 school districts in Washington (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2022-2023 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 78% has decreased from 88% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (WA)
#150 out of 307 school districts
(Top 50%)
36%
41%
49%
53%
41%
49%
78%
84%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.75
0.68
% American Indian
1%
2%
% Asian
4%
8%
% Hispanic
22%
25%
% Black
9%
5%
% White
41%
50%
% Hawaiian
6%
1%
% Two or more races
17%
9%
All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $16,209 in this school district is less than the state median of $18,800. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $16,805 is less than the state median of $19,251. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (WA)
Total Revenue
$349 MM
$20,715 MM
Spending
$362 MM
$21,212 MM
Revenue / Student
$16,209
$18,800
Spending / Student
$16,805
$19,251

Best Bethel School District Public Middle Schools (2026)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Elk Plain School Of Choice
(Math: 52% | Reading: 54%)
Rank:
7/
10
Top 50%
22015 22nd Avenue East
Longmire, WA 98397
(253) 800-7900
Gr: K-8 | 575 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 44%
Rank: #22.
Cougar Mountain Middle School
(Math: 33% | Reading: 51%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
5108 260th St. East
Graham, WA 98338
(253) 800-8000
Gr: 6-8 | 605 students Student-teacher ratio: 21:1 Minority enrollment: 38%
Rank: #33.
Frontier Middle School
(Math: 36% | Reading: 49%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
22110 108th Avenue East
Graham, WA 98338
(253) 800-8300
Gr: 6-8 | 624 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 41%
Rank: #44.
Spanaway Middle School
(Math: 35% | Reading: 49%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
15701 B Street East
Tacoma, WA 98445
(253) 800-5400
Gr: 6-8 | 750 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 73%
Rank: #55.
Liberty Middle School
(Math: 32% | Reading: 49%)
Rank:
5/
10
Bottom 50%
7319 Eustis-hunt Rd E
Spanaway, WA 98387
(253) 800-6500
Gr: 6-8 | 898 students Student-teacher ratio: 22:1 Minority enrollment: 63%
Rank: #66.
Challenger High School
Alternative School
(Math: 10-14% | Reading: 50-59%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
18117 A Street South
Spanaway, WA 98387
(253) 800-6800
Gr: 7-12 | 366 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 48%
Rank: #77.
Bethel Middle School
(Math: 29% | Reading: 40%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
22201 38th Avenue East
Spanaway, WA 98387
(253) 800-7200
Gr: 6-8 | 668 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 67%
Rank: #88.
Cedarcrest Middle School
(Math: 20% | Reading: 38%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
191201 13th Avenue Crt. E.
Spanaway, WA 98387
(253) 800-7500
Gr: 6-8 | 706 students Student-teacher ratio: 20:1 Minority enrollment: 74%
Rank: n/an/a
Pierce County Skills Center
Vocational School
16117 Canyon Rd E
Puyallup, WA 98375
(253) 800-5950
Gr: 8-12 | 315 students Student-teacher ratio: 26:1 Minority enrollment: 39%

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Quick Facts (2026)

  • District size: 39 schools
  • Grades: PK-12
  • Enrollment: 21,539 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 19:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 59%
  • : 78% (Top 50% in WA)
  • : Top 50%
  • : 36% (Top 50%)
  • : 49% (Top 50%)
  • : 41% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), WA Dept. of Education

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