Sparks Middle School

Summary:

Sparks Middle School is a public middle school in Sparks, Nevada, serving 655 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Washoe County School District, which is ranked 5 out of 13 in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite being part of a relatively high-performing district, Sparks Middle School consistently underperforms compared to the county and state averages in standardized test scores for mathematics, reading, and science. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 11.4% of Sparks Middle School students were proficient or better in SBAC Mathematics, compared to 33.9% in Washoe County and 32.6% in Nevada. The school's reading proficiency rate of 16.9% was also significantly lower than the county (41.1%) and state (41.3%) averages. As a result, Sparks Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom third of Nevada middle schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The data also shows that Sparks Middle School's academic performance is significantly lower than that of nearby schools, such as Sky Ranch Middle School, Darrel Swope Middle School, and Coral Academy Middle School, which are also part of the Washoe County School District. These schools have much higher proficiency rates in core subjects and higher overall rankings within the state. The reasons for Sparks Middle School's challenges are likely multifaceted, involving factors such as resource allocation, instructional strategies, and the needs of the student population.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 2275 18th Street
       Sparks, NV  89431


(775) 353-5770

District: Washoe County

SchoolDigger Rank:
134th of 153 Nevada Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,374 Help


Feeder schools for Sparks Middle School:

Elementary:    Agnes Risley Elementary
    Alice Maxwell Elementary
    Sun Valley Elementary
    Virginia Palmer Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  21.4 Help
Number of students:  655

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
73.6%
White:
15.0%
Asian:
3.5%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  100% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Sparks Middle School ranks worse than 87.6% of middle schools in Nevada. It also ranks 15th among 18 ranked middle schools in the Washoe County School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.85. (See more...)
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Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Sparks Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Washoe County School District.  (See more...)
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sparks Middle School is $10,374, which is the 5th highest among 18 middle schools in the Washoe County School District.
Schooldigger Rankings:

Sparks Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.
SchoolDigger ranks Sparks Middle School 134th of 153 Nevada public middle schools. (See Sparks Middle School in the ranking list.)

Washoe County:

SchoolDigger ranks Washoe County 5th of 13 Nevada school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Sparks Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Sparks Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NV State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 27.16 50th 71 29.6%
2008 32.33 53rd 82 35.4%
2009 25.80 61st 83 26.5%
2010 15.63 56th 70 20.0%
2011 14.33 66th 82 19.5%
2012 17.96 67th 84 20.2%
2013 31.65 85th 121 29.8%
2014 32.07 85th 117 27.4%
2016 18.58 100th 122 18.0%
2017 24.92 94th 126 25.4%
2018 23.94 86th 114 24.6%
2019 23.67 122nd 159 23.3%
2021 11.82 129th 145 11.0%
2022 8.41 145th 151 4.0%
2023 6.13 152nd 152 0.0%
2024 11.85 134th 153 12.4%
See the entire list of Nevada Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Sparks Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NV State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 33.15 45th 60 25.0%
See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sparks Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NV State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 31.35 60th 75 20.0%
See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sparks Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NV State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 30.21 65th 84 22.6%
See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

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

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NV State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 32.52 70th 100 30.0%
See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sparks Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NV State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 24.94 80th 106 24.5%
See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sparks Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NV State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 22.35 86th 108 20.4%
See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sparks Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NV State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 28.88 71st 95 25.3%
See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Sparks Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools NV State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 14.54 96th 105 8.6%
See the entire list of Best Nevada Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Nevada Department of Education, 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.

Sparks Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
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Data source: Nevada Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Sparks Middle School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 671 15 21 28 19 n/a n/a 0 754
1989 661 17 23 38 20 n/a n/a 0 759
1990 739 25 31 41 21 n/a n/a 0 857
1991 668 27 26 42 9 n/a n/a 0 772
1992 658 25 32 54 12 n/a n/a 0 781
1993 686 28 41 59 12 n/a n/a 0 826
1994 748 30 39 62 17 n/a n/a 0 896
1995 496 46 18 117 35 n/a n/a 0 712
1996 496 46 18 117 35 n/a n/a 0 712
1997 532 43 31 145 35 n/a n/a 0 786
1998 523 44 43 161 42 n/a n/a 0 813
1999 511 28 42 176 39 n/a n/a 0 796
2000 555 26 30 187 43 n/a n/a 0 841
2001 611 29 33 233 46 n/a n/a 0 952
2002 614 39 43 232 40 n/a n/a 0 968
2003 614 39 43 232 40 n/a n/a 0 968
2004 582 20 48 235 45 n/a n/a 0 930
2005 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 598 598
2006 254 32 36 377 21 n/a n/a 0 720
2007 238 37 38 406 15 n/a n/a 0 734
2008 231 24 39 423 21 n/a n/a 0 738
2009 234 26 34 413 14 n/a n/a 0 721
2010 221 18 32 424 15 n/a n/a 0 710
2011 201 12 25 511 7 9 13 0 778
2012 134 11 25 452 5 9 5 0 641
2013 145 15 27 466 6 7 18 0 684
2014 146 13 26 501 4 9 22 0 721
2015 122 17 18 543 4 10 18 0 732
2016 110 16 16 579 7 9 22 0 759
2017 113 15 14 562 6 16 29 0 755
2018 110 10 12 561 5 12 26 0 736
2019 117 12 16 588 7 9 20 0 769
2020 92 30 31 591 8 15 21 0 788
2021 91 19 22 558 6 18 28 0 742
2022 101 12 19 511 3 13 13 1 673
2023 98 16 23 482 1 13 22 0 655

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 Sparks Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 754 34.0 22.1 n/a
1989 759 34.0 22.3 5
1990 857 35.0 24.4 4.9
1991 772 33.0 23.3 4.4
1992 781 35.0 22.3 7.8
1993 826 37.0 22.3 10.2
1994 896 42.0 21.3 9.6
1995 712 34.5 20.6 25.3
1996 712 34.5 20.6 25.3
1997 786 37.5 21.0 14.9
1998 813 42.4 19.2 25
1999 796 41.0 19.4 34.2
2000 841 38.5 21.8 30.1
2001 952 43.5 21.9 28.4
2002 968 45.0 21.5 23.2
2003 968 45.0 21.5 23.2
2004 930 51.5 18.1 23.9
2005 598 n/a n/a n/a
2006 720 38.0 18.9 n/a
2007 734 39.0 18.8 n/a
2008 738 38.0 19.4 61.8
2009 721 39.0 18.5 65.5
2010 710 37.0 19.1 68.6
2011 778 40.0 19.4 77.2
2012 641 36.5 17.5 78.9
2013 684 33.5 20.4 75.6
2014 721 35.0 20.6 74.6
2015 732 32.0 22.8 76.5
2016 759 29.0 26.1 73.3
2017 755 37.0 20.4 68.2
2018 736 40.0 18.4 65.5
2019 769 42.0 18.3 65.4
2020 788 50.0 15.7 100
2021 742 45.0 16.4 100
2022 673 n/a n/a 99.9
2023 655 30.5 21.4 100

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 Sparks Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 754 34.0 22.1 n/a
1989 759 34.0 22.3 5
1990 857 35.0 24.4 4.9
1991 772 33.0 23.3 4.4
1992 781 35.0 22.3 7.8
1993 826 37.0 22.3 10.2
1994 896 42.0 21.3 9.6
1995 712 34.5 20.6 25.3
1996 712 34.5 20.6 25.3
1997 786 37.5 21.0 14.9
1998 813 42.4 19.2 25
1999 796 41.0 19.4 34.2
2000 841 38.5 21.8 30.1
2001 952 43.5 21.9 28.4
2002 968 45.0 21.5 23.2
2003 968 45.0 21.5 23.2
2004 930 51.5 18.1 23.9
2005 598 n/a n/a n/a
2006 720 38.0 18.9 n/a
2007 734 39.0 18.8 n/a
2008 738 38.0 19.4 61.8
2009 721 39.0 18.5 65.5
2010 710 37.0 19.1 68.6
2011 778 40.0 19.4 77.2
2012 641 36.5 17.5 78.9
2013 684 33.5 20.4 75.6
2014 721 35.0 20.6 74.6
2015 732 32.0 22.8 76.5
2016 759 29.0 26.1 73.3
2017 755 37.0 20.4 68.2
2018 736 40.0 18.4 65.5
2019 769 42.0 18.3 65.4
2020 788 50.0 15.7 100
2021 742 45.0 16.4 100
2022 673 n/a n/a 99.9
2023 655 30.5 21.4 100

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.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sparks Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $751 (8.7%) $7,888 (91.3%) $8,639
2020 $655 (7.7%) $7,854 (92.3%) $8,509
2021 $959 (10.2%) $8,450 (89.8%) $9,409
2022 $1,504 (14.5%) $8,870 (85.5%) $10,374

Data source: Nevada Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sparks Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 122nd of 159 Middle schoolsRanks 152nd of 152 Middle schools
 23.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
7th Grade Mathematics (Sparks Middle School)24.26.3
 17.9%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Washoe County)36.429
 7.4%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Nevada)32.427.6
 4.8%
7th Grade Reading (Sparks Middle School)39.116.7
 22.4%
   7th Grade Reading (Washoe County)51.340.3
 11%
   7th Grade Reading (Nevada)49.942.1
 7.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Sparks Middle School)17.45.6
 11.8%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Washoe County)35.125.1
 10%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Nevada)30.322.2
 8.1%
8th Grade Reading (Sparks Middle School)37.714.1
 23.6%
   8th Grade Reading (Washoe County)51.240.5
 10.7%
   8th Grade Reading (Nevada)47.539.4
 8.1%
8th Grade Science (Sparks Middle School)25.510.8
 14.7%
   8th Grade Science (Washoe County)44.436.3
 8.1%
   8th Grade Science (Nevada)36.832.7
 4.1%
All Grades Mathematics (Sparks Middle School)217.9
 13.1%
   All Grades Mathematics (Washoe County)40.833.6
 7.2%
   All Grades Mathematics (Nevada)37.529.8
 7.7%
All Grades Reading (Sparks Middle School)38.415.1
 23.3%
   All Grades Reading (Washoe County)49.341.2
 8.1%
   All Grades Reading (Nevada)48.541
 7.5%
All Grades Science (Sparks Middle School)25.510.8
 14.7%
   All Grades Science (Washoe County)36.429.5
 6.9%
   All Grades Science (Nevada)30.526
 4.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students769655
 14.8%
African American1216
 33.3%
American Indian71
 85.7%
Asian1623
 43.8%
Hispanic588482
 18%
Pacific Islander913
 44.4%
White11798
 16.2%
Two or More Races2022
 10%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients65.4%100%
 34.6%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Sparks Middle School

In the 2022-23 school year, 655 students attended Sparks Middle School.

Students at Sparks Middle School are 74% Hispanic, 15% White, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Pacific Islander.

Sparks Middle School ranks in the bottom 12.4% of Nevada middle schools.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Nevada Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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