Is Toppenish Middle School a good school?

Toppenish Middle School ranks in the bottom 4.3% of Washington middle schools.

How many students attend Toppenish Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 772 students attended Toppenish Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Toppenish Middle School?

Students at Toppenish Middle School are 88% Hispanic, 9% American Indian, 2% White, 1% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Toppenish Middle School attend?

Students who attend Toppenish Middle School usually go on to attend Toppenish High School

Toppenish Middle School

Summary:

Toppenish Middle School is a public middle school serving around 860 students in grades 6-8 in the predominantly Hispanic community of Toppenish, Washington. Despite the school's high spending per student, it consistently ranks among the lowest-performing middle schools in the state, with proficiency rates on state assessments significantly below the state and district averages.

Toppenish Middle School faces significant challenges, including an extremely high percentage of students from low-income families (93.49%) and a student population that is overwhelmingly Hispanic (88.14%) and Native American (8.84%). These demographic factors likely contribute to the school's persistent academic struggles, which stand in contrast to the generally better-performing nearby middle schools in the Yakima School District, Sunnyside School District, and other surrounding districts. The school's high poverty rates and racial/ethnic disparities suggest the need for targeted interventions and support services to address the unique needs of this student population.

Despite the school's high spending per student, which is significantly above the state average, Toppenish Middle School has shown no signs of significant improvement over the past decade. This persistent low performance raises questions about the underlying factors contributing to the school's struggles, such as school leadership, teaching quality, and resource allocation. Addressing these challenges will require a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach that addresses the root causes of the school's underperformance and provides the necessary support and resources to the students and community.

Detail:

Public 6-8

104 Goldendale Avenue
Toppenish, WA 98948-1280

(509) 865-2730

District: Toppenish School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
512^th of 535 Washington Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,386

Students who attend Toppenish Middle School usually attend:

High:

Toppenish High School

Feeder schools for Toppenish Middle School:

Elementary:	Garfield Elementary School
	Kirkwood Elementary School
	Lincoln Elementary School
	Valley View Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 17.6

Number of students: 772

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.3%

American Indian:

8.5%

White:

1.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 92.4%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Toppenish Middle School ranks worse than 95.7% of middle schools in Washington. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 8.19. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (88.3%), American Indian (8.5%), White (1.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 92.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Toppenish Middle School is 17.6. (See more...)

Compare Toppenish Middle School employs 43.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Toppenish Middle School is $15,386.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Toppenish Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Toppenish Middle School 512^th of 535 Washington public middle schools. (See Toppenish Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Migrant students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Native American students:

Toppenish School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Toppenish School District 237^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Toppenish Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Toppenish Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	10.39	402^nd	421	4.5%
2005	4.63	418^th	425	1.6%
2006	11.72	414^th	449	7.8%
2007	12.82	431^st	463	6.9%
2008	17.68	408^th	466	12.4%
2009	24.36	388^th	476	18.5%
2010	11.37	447^th	483	7.5%
2011	16.82	442^nd	492	10.2%
2012	14.13	459^th	497	7.6%
2013	9.70	470^th	498	5.6%
2015	2.54	440^th	445	1.1%
2016	1.80	441^st	443	0.5%
2017	3.34	429^th	435	1.4%
2018	2.86	433^rd	437	0.9%
2019	5.42	497^th	512	2.9%
2021	9.24	504^th	529	4.7%
2022	9.86	514^th	541	5.0%
2023	7.94	519^th	539	3.7%
2024	8.19	512^th	535	4.3%

See the entire list of Washington Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Toppenish Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	16.94	91^st	100	9.0%
2024	18.49	70^th	78	10.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Toppenish Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	4.65	347^th	349	0.6%
2019	11.20	428^th	448	4.5%
2021	18.15	418^th	458	8.7%
2022	18.74	427^th	475	10.1%
2023	12.16	438^th	463	5.4%
2024	12.92	425^th	455	6.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Migrant students at Toppenish Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	16.49	43^rd	43	0.0%
2019	20.61	37^th	39	5.1%
2021	25.64	33^rd	38	13.2%
2022	29.66	25^th	36	30.6%
2023	33.22	24^th	36	33.3%
2024	45.47	13^th	29	55.2%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Migrant Students!

Rank History for Female students at Toppenish Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	2.64	375^th	376	0.3%
2019	5.18	440^th	452	2.7%
2021	9.22	454^th	469	3.2%
2022	8.82	462^nd	479	3.5%
2023	6.12	460^th	464	0.9%
2024	8.29	444^th	464	4.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Toppenish Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	2.19	369^th	371	0.5%
2019	5.36	446^th	453	1.5%
2021	9.84	453^rd	476	4.8%
2022	10.95	450^th	480	6.3%
2023	8.79	448^th	470	4.7%
2024	7.96	449^th	466	3.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Toppenish Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	18.20	300^th	344	12.8%
2021	23.06	287^th	353	18.7%
2022	22.62	297^th	360	17.5%
2023	17.49	295^th	336	12.2%
2024	17.76	305^th	344	11.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Toppenish Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	9.50	15^th	15	0.0%
2021	33.92	9^th	11	18.2%
2022	34.40	5^th	9	44.4%
2023	53.83	4^th	5	20.0%
2024	37.35	2^nd	3	33.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Native American Students!

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Toppenish Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	158	2	1	328	78	n/a	n/a	0	567
1989	147	5	6	337	89	n/a	n/a	0	584
1990	130	2	6	379	89	n/a	n/a	0	606
1991	124	2	3	409	108	n/a	n/a	0	646
1992	122	1	1	436	125	n/a	n/a	0	685
1993	116	1	3	476	131	n/a	n/a	0	727
1994	106	2	4	492	141	n/a	n/a	0	745
1995	85	1	2	523	163	n/a	n/a	0	774
1996	85	1	2	523	163	n/a	n/a	0	774
1997	69	0	1	508	145	n/a	n/a	0	723
1998	71	0	1	535	145	n/a	n/a	0	752
1999	64	0	0	538	122	n/a	n/a	0	724
2000	59	0	0	578	147	n/a	n/a	0	784
2001	54	2	0	625	138	n/a	n/a	0	819
2002	60	1	4	648	123	n/a	n/a	0	836
2003	60	1	4	648	123	n/a	n/a	0	836
2004	58	2	5	659	138	n/a	n/a	0	862
2005	48	0	4	612	121	n/a	n/a	0	785
2006	37	0	3	603	111	n/a	n/a	0	754
2007	25	1	1	577	98	n/a	n/a	2	704
2008	20	1	1	563	92	n/a	n/a	1	678
2009	15	0	1	561	108	n/a	n/a	0	685
2010	23	1	2	578	83	n/a	n/a	0	687
2011	22	0	2	637	80	0	1	0	742
2012	19	0	1	609	92	0	3	0	724
2013	16	0	0	627	89	0	6	0	738
2014	51	0	0	669	98	0	2	0	820
2015	14	0	0	715	121	0	5	0	855
2016	18	2	0	705	123	0	5	0	853
2017	19	1	0	735	118	0	10	0	883
2018	19	2	0	737	127	0	12	0	897
2019	21	1	1	762	124	0	18	0	927
2020	15	2	2	738	112	0	13	0	882
2021	18	2	2	789	115	0	11	0	937
2022	11	2	1	751	91	0	10	0	866
2023	14	1	1	758	76	0	9	1	860
2024	15	0	1	682	66	0	8	0	772

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Toppenish Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	567	30.0	18.9	0
1989	584	32.0	18.2	n/a
1990	606	35.8	16.9	0
1991	646	39.0	16.5	n/a
1992	685	34.4	19.9	n/a
1993	727	38.0	19.1	n/a
1994	745	37.3	20.0	n/a
1995	774	38.5	20.1	n/a
1996	774	38.5	20.1	n/a
1997	723	39.5	18.3	n/a
1998	752	41.0	18.3	n/a
1999	724	41.0	17.7	n/a
2000	784	40.9	19.2	n/a
2001	819	44.0	18.6	n/a
2002	836	45.0	18.6	82.1
2003	836	45.0	18.6	82.1
2004	862	45.0	19.2	79.6
2005	785	45.1	17.4	87.4
2006	754	38.8	19.4	91
2007	704	34.8	20.2	86.8
2008	678	33.0	20.5	86.7
2009	685	33.0	20.8	86.3
2010	687	32.9	20.8	86.5
2011	742	35.5	20.9	97.4
2012	724	34.9	20.7	99.6
2013	738	37.0	19.9	99.6
2014	820	n/a	n/a	95.2
2015	855	41.0	20.8	98.6
2016	853	42.0	20.3	87.5
2017	883	43.5	20.2	83.7
2018	897	41.0	21.8	91
2019	927	42.8	21.6	91.6
2020	882	43.0	20.5	89.8
2021	937	42.7	21.9	89.8
2022	866	45.6	18.9	91.1
2023	860	43.0	20.0	93.5
2024	772	43.7	17.6	92.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Toppenish Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	567	30.0	18.9	0
1989	584	32.0	18.2	n/a
1990	606	35.8	16.9	0
1991	646	39.0	16.5	n/a
1992	685	34.4	19.9	n/a
1993	727	38.0	19.1	n/a
1994	745	37.3	20.0	n/a
1995	774	38.5	20.1	n/a
1996	774	38.5	20.1	n/a
1997	723	39.5	18.3	n/a
1998	752	41.0	18.3	n/a
1999	724	41.0	17.7	n/a
2000	784	40.9	19.2	n/a
2001	819	44.0	18.6	n/a
2002	836	45.0	18.6	82.1
2003	836	45.0	18.6	82.1
2004	862	45.0	19.2	79.6
2005	785	45.1	17.4	87.4
2006	754	38.8	19.4	91
2007	704	34.8	20.2	86.8
2008	678	33.0	20.5	86.7
2009	685	33.0	20.8	86.3
2010	687	32.9	20.8	86.5
2011	742	35.5	20.9	97.4
2012	724	34.9	20.7	99.6
2013	738	37.0	19.9	99.6
2014	820	n/a	n/a	95.2
2015	855	41.0	20.8	98.6
2016	853	42.0	20.3	87.5
2017	883	43.5	20.2	83.7
2018	897	41.0	21.8	91
2019	927	42.8	21.6	91.6
2020	882	43.0	20.5	89.8
2021	937	42.7	21.9	89.8
2022	866	45.6	18.9	91.1
2023	860	43.0	20.0	93.5
2024	772	43.7	17.6	92.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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