Is Surprise Lake Middle School a good school?

Surprise Lake Middle School ranks 383 rd of 535 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Surprise Lake Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 667 students attended Surprise Lake Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Surprise Lake Middle School?

Students at Surprise Lake Middle School are 36% White, 24% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 9% Asian, 8% Pacific Islander, 7% African American.

What high school do graduates of Surprise Lake Middle School attend?

Students who attend Surprise Lake Middle School usually go on to attend Fife High School

Surprise Lake Middle School

Summary:

Surprise Lake Middle School is a public middle school located in Milton, Washington, serving grades 6-7 with a total enrollment of 650 students. The school is part of the Fife School District, which is ranked 146 out of 247 districts in Washington and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Surprise Lake Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Washington middle schools, ranking between 383-439 out of 535-541 schools in recent years. It has maintained a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years, indicating it is performing below average compared to other middle schools in the state. The school has a more diverse student population compared to some nearby schools, with 40.46% White, 10.31% African American, 21.69% Hispanic, 8.46% Asian, and 19.08% other races/ethnicities. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by SBAC/WCAS test scores, is consistently lower than the state and district averages, with only 39.51% of all students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 27.27% in math.

Surprise Lake Middle School's performance has declined over the past decade, dropping from a high ranking of 186 out of 443 schools in 2015-2016 to its current ranking of 383 out of 535 schools. When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Sumner Middle School and Kalles Junior High, Surprise Lake Middle School generally performs worse academically. This may be due in part to the school's relatively high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with over 50% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Detail:

Public 6-7

2001 Milton Way
Milton, WA 98354-9443

(253) 517-1300

District: Fife School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
383^rd of 535 Washington Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,985

Students who attend Surprise Lake Middle School usually attend:

High:

Fife High School

Feeder schools for Surprise Lake Middle School:

Elementary:	Discovery Primary School
	Hedden Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 23.7

Number of students: 667

Racial breakdown:

White:

36.1%

Hispanic:

24.4%

Two or more races:

14.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 56.8%

See top rated Washington middle schools

Compare Surprise Lake Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Surprise Lake Middle School ranks worse than 71.6% of middle schools in Washington. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 28.19. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Surprise Lake Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (36.1%), Hispanic (24.4%), two or more races (14.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 56.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Surprise Lake Middle School is 23.7. (See more...)

Compare Surprise Lake Middle School employs 28 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Surprise Lake Middle School is $14,985.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Surprise Lake Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Surprise Lake Middle School 383^rd of 535 Washington public middle schools. (See Surprise Lake Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Fife School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Fife School District 146^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Surprise Lake Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	61.55	164^th	421	61.0%
2005	56.68	185^th	425	56.5%
2006	51.07	214^th	449	52.3%
2007	43.09	281^st	463	39.3%
2008	56.81	187^th	466	59.9%
2009	45.36	266^th	476	44.1%
2010	31.24	358^th	483	25.9%
2011	37.17	334^th	492	32.1%
2012	30.20	377^th	497	24.1%
2013	43.42	297^th	498	40.4%
2016	56.65	186^th	443	58.0%
2017	41.34	254^th	435	41.6%
2018	45.75	237^th	437	45.8%
2019	39.35	316^th	512	38.3%
2021	23.93	405^th	529	23.4%
2022	21.08	439^th	541	18.9%
2023	21.66	434^th	539	19.5%
2024	28.19	383^rd	535	28.4%

See the entire list of Washington Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	39.48	105^th	166	36.7%
2019	36.68	164^th	246	33.3%
2021	17.99	220^th	250	12.0%
2022	20.34	217^th	257	15.6%
2023	14.53	220^th	244	9.8%
2024	30.38	173^rd	243	28.8%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	52.13	40^th	135	70.4%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	45.38	112^th	268	58.2%
2019	21.31	207^th	231	10.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	44.14	189^th	349	45.8%
2019	37.19	295^th	448	34.2%
2021	19.76	408^th	458	10.9%
2022	15.15	440^th	475	7.4%
2023	19.75	395^th	463	14.7%
2024	25.88	355^th	455	22.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	45.89	201^st	376	46.5%
2019	37.77	285^th	452	36.9%
2021	27.51	348^th	469	25.8%
2022	25.02	366^th	479	23.6%
2023	24.34	362^nd	464	22.0%
2024	29.21	335^th	464	27.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	41.36	215^th	371	42.0%
2019	40.05	267^th	453	41.1%
2021	20.96	378^th	476	20.6%
2022	16.76	410^th	480	14.6%
2023	18.09	402^nd	470	14.5%
2024	25.94	348^th	466	25.3%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	52.76	59^th	123	52.0%
2019	44.05	81^st	152	46.7%
2021	13.15	140^th	149	6.0%
2022	5.68	161^st	161	0.0%
2023	11.93	133^rd	145	8.3%
2024	33.67	97^th	148	34.5%

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

Rank History for African American students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	42.44	57^th	111	48.6%
2021	38.27	65^th	106	38.7%
2023	45.42	51^st	96	46.9%
2024	33.47	59^th	90	34.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	41.98	152^nd	259	41.3%
2019	37.12	215^th	344	37.5%
2021	23.35	281^st	353	20.4%
2022	19.30	312^th	360	13.3%
2023	27.92	244^th	336	27.4%
2024	30.61	238^th	344	30.8%

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

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	21.39	30^th	31	3.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Surprise Lake Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	36.88	209^th	325	35.7%
2019	41.73	295^th	470	37.2%
2021	35.97	306^th	480	36.3%
2022	31.22	348^th	488	28.7%
2023	25.80	372^nd	488	23.8%
2024	25.45	382^nd	486	21.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for White 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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Sunday, May 19, 2013

This school is absolutely amazing! It's got excellent staff and wonderful students. The environment is always calm and quiet. The students are almost never disrespectful and are very intelligent. I recommend this school to everyone. :) Close Quote

Enrollment information for Surprise Lake Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	389	5	6	9	14	n/a	n/a	0	423
1989	358	9	8	11	18	n/a	n/a	0	404
1990	409	13	14	10	15	n/a	n/a	0	461
1991	442	14	15	11	17	n/a	n/a	0	499
1992	473	14	18	16	16	n/a	n/a	0	537
1993	512	11	16	18	24	n/a	n/a	0	581
1994	491	18	18	25	28	n/a	n/a	0	580
1995	496	15	20	29	35	n/a	n/a	0	595
1996	496	15	20	29	35	n/a	n/a	0	595
1997	497	13	19	30	35	n/a	n/a	0	594
1998	521	16	24	34	33	n/a	n/a	0	628
1999	508	19	30	37	38	n/a	n/a	0	632
2000	525	26	31	28	24	n/a	n/a	0	634
2001	532	23	29	41	30	n/a	n/a	0	655
2002	582	25	51	62	29	n/a	n/a	0	749
2003	582	25	51	62	29	n/a	n/a	0	749
2004	376	20	35	55	15	n/a	n/a	0	501
2005	376	21	45	42	22	n/a	n/a	1	507
2006	345	30	57	58	15	n/a	n/a	4	509
2007	343	27	60	66	15	n/a	n/a	7	518
2008	313	23	71	67	14	n/a	n/a	16	504
2009	312	26	66	67	13	n/a	n/a	25	509
2010	330	40	65	93	12	n/a	n/a	2	542
2011	297	14	41	99	8	12	56	0	527
2012	305	13	33	91	8	15	67	0	532
2013	315	16	44	94	7	19	64	0	559
2014	289	15	38	84	8	13	68	0	515
2015	311	21	40	101	6	22	58	0	559
2016	298	25	44	124	5	21	60	0	577
2017	258	23	53	115	3	30	69	0	551
2018	280	29	55	120	4	32	80	0	600
2019	274	33	52	128	5	29	78	0	599
2020	252	42	53	136	5	31	72	0	591
2021	235	30	58	139	5	37	82	0	586
2022	214	33	47	137	4	52	105	1	593
2023	263	67	55	141	6	54	64	0	650
2024	241	48	58	163	5	55	94	3	667

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 Surprise Lake Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	423	19.0	22.2	0
1989	404	19.0	21.2	n/a
1990	461	18.8	24.5	0
1991	499	21.0	23.7	n/a
1992	537	24.1	22.2	n/a
1993	581	24.9	23.3	n/a
1994	580	25.9	22.4	n/a
1995	595	26.7	22.3	n/a
1996	595	26.7	22.3	n/a
1997	594	27.4	21.7	n/a
1998	628	28.0	22.4	n/a
1999	632	28.3	22.3	n/a
2000	634	30.4	20.9	n/a
2001	655	30.4	21.5	n/a
2002	749	34.2	21.9	27.8
2003	749	34.2	21.9	27.8
2004	501	22.0	22.8	32.7
2005	507	21.5	23.6	31.8
2006	509	21.3	23.9	37.2
2007	518	23.3	22.2	41.1
2008	504	22.4	22.5	35
2009	509	22.4	22.7	38.8
2010	542	23.3	23.2	44.8
2011	527	23.3	22.5	46.1
2012	532	23.3	22.7	46.1
2013	559	25.1	22.2	46.3
2014	515	n/a	n/a	45
2015	559	24.0	23.2	49
2016	577	26.0	22.1	48
2017	551	24.5	22.4	44.1
2018	600	26.7	22.4	41.5
2019	599	28.4	21.0	46.6
2020	591	28.4	20.8	50.4
2021	586	28.5	20.5	45.6
2022	593	29.4	20.1	46.5
2023	650	29.6	21.9	53.7
2024	667	28.0	23.7	56.8

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 Surprise Lake Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	423	19.0	22.2	0
1989	404	19.0	21.2	n/a
1990	461	18.8	24.5	0
1991	499	21.0	23.7	n/a
1992	537	24.1	22.2	n/a
1993	581	24.9	23.3	n/a
1994	580	25.9	22.4	n/a
1995	595	26.7	22.3	n/a
1996	595	26.7	22.3	n/a
1997	594	27.4	21.7	n/a
1998	628	28.0	22.4	n/a
1999	632	28.3	22.3	n/a
2000	634	30.4	20.9	n/a
2001	655	30.4	21.5	n/a
2002	749	34.2	21.9	27.8
2003	749	34.2	21.9	27.8
2004	501	22.0	22.8	32.7
2005	507	21.5	23.6	31.8
2006	509	21.3	23.9	37.2
2007	518	23.3	22.2	41.1
2008	504	22.4	22.5	35
2009	509	22.4	22.7	38.8
2010	542	23.3	23.2	44.8
2011	527	23.3	22.5	46.1
2012	532	23.3	22.7	46.1
2013	559	25.1	22.2	46.3
2014	515	n/a	n/a	45
2015	559	24.0	23.2	49
2016	577	26.0	22.1	48
2017	551	24.5	22.4	44.1
2018	600	26.7	22.4	41.5
2019	599	28.4	21.0	46.6
2020	591	28.4	20.8	50.4
2021	586	28.5	20.5	45.6
2022	593	29.4	20.1	46.5
2023	650	29.6	21.9	53.7
2024	667	28.0	23.7	56.8

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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