Is Kent-Meridian High School a good school?

Kent-Meridian High School ranks in the bottom 16.0% of Washington high schools.

How many students attend Kent-Meridian High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 2,128 students attended Kent-Meridian High School.

What is the racial makeup of Kent-Meridian High School?

Students at Kent-Meridian High School are 37% Hispanic, 18% Asian, 17% African American, 15% White, 7% Two or more races, 6% Pacific Islander.

What schools feed into Kent-Meridian High School?

Kent-Meridian High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : East Hill Elementary School Elementary : George T. Daniel Elementary School Elementary : Kent Elementary School Elementary : Meadow Ridge Elementary School Elementary : Neely O Brien Elementary School Elementary : Scenic Hill Elementary School Middle : Mill Creek Middle School

Kent-Meridian High School

Summary:

Kent-Meridian High School is a public high school serving 2,128 students in grades 9-12 in Kent, Washington, which is part of the Kent School District. The school stands out for its highly diverse student population, lower academic performance compared to nearby schools, and higher rates of poverty among its students.

Kent-Meridian High School has a significantly more diverse student body than nearby schools like Kentwood High School and Kentridge High School. However, this diversity is not reflected in the school's academic outcomes, as Kent-Meridian consistently ranks in the bottom quarter of Washington high schools and has lower standardized test scores, graduation rates, and higher dropout rates than its neighbors. This suggests the need for targeted interventions to address the underlying factors contributing to these achievement gaps.

Another key differentiator is the socioeconomic status of Kent-Meridian's student population, with 76.6% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch - significantly higher than the nearby schools. Despite this higher level of need, Kent-Meridian's per-student spending is also higher, indicating that the school may need to re-evaluate its resource allocation and focus on evidence-based strategies to better support its diverse learners and improve overall student outcomes.

Detail:

Public 9-12

10020 SE 256th ST
Kent, WA 98030-6408

(253) 373-7405

District: Kent School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
367^th of 437 Washington High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,628

Feeder schools for Kent-Meridian High School:

Elementary:	East Hill Elementary School
	George T. Daniel Elementary School
	Kent Elementary School
	Meadow Ridge Elementary School
	More...
	Neely O Brien Elementary School
	Scenic Hill Elementary School
Middle:	Mill Creek Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 20.9

Number of students: 2,128

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

36.6%

Asian:

17.6%

African American:

17.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 76.6%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Kent-Meridian High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Kent-Meridian High School ranks worse than 84% of high schools in Washington. It also ranks last among 4 ranked high schools in the Kent School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 19.27. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Kent-Meridian High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Kent-Meridian High School has the largest high school student body size in the Kent School District. Student population at Kent-Meridian High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (36.6%), Asian (17.6%), African American (17.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 76.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Kent School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Kent-Meridian High School is 20.9, which is the lowest among 8 high schools in the Kent School District! (See more...)

Compare Kent-Meridian High School employs 101.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Kent-Meridian High School is $16,628, which is the 4^th highest among 4 high schools in the Kent School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Kent-Meridian High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Kent-Meridian High School 367^th of 437 Washington public high schools. (See Kent-Meridian High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Kent School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Kent School District 145^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Kent-Meridian High School

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Rank History for all students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	34.66	273^rd	390	30.0%
2005	37.62	278^th	394	29.4%
2006	28.53	307^th	395	22.3%
2007	29.15	312^th	399	21.8%
2008	29.33	312^th	396	21.2%
2009	29.39	310^th	402	22.9%
2010	28.75	324^th	423	23.4%
2011	34.20	302^nd	440	31.4%
2012	29.86	337^th	450	25.1%
2013	34.47	332^nd	454	26.9%
2015	15.19	314^th	341	7.9%
2016	30.95	238^th	306	22.2%
2017	23.74	248^th	301	17.6%
2018	18.89	273^rd	315	13.3%
2019	24.58	329^th	417	21.1%
2021	19.26	384^th	455	15.6%
2022	17.25	375^th	434	13.6%
2023	17.03	389^th	442	12.0%
2024	19.27	367^th	437	16.0%

See the entire list of Washington High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	46.77	85^th	163	47.9%
2021	31.12	142^nd	195	27.2%
2022	25.20	143^rd	179	20.1%
2023	20.77	141^st	166	15.1%
2024	24.64	131^st	161	18.6%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	25.82	56^th	69	18.8%
2021	22.89	90^th	102	11.8%
2022	20.68	60^th	70	14.3%
2023	14.14	42^nd	44	4.5%
2024	19.67	58^th	68	14.7%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	20.63	118^th	128	7.8%
2021	23.77	177^th	212	16.5%
2024	40.01	57^th	110	48.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	15.32	215^th	227	5.3%
2019	24.76	281^st	344	18.3%
2021	24.85	320^th	392	18.4%
2022	20.41	322^nd	370	13.0%
2023	18.11	324^th	362	10.5%
2024	19.26	320^th	356	10.1%

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

Rank History for Female students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	16.81	218^th	243	10.3%
2019	22.05	294^th	358	17.9%
2021	18.63	333^rd	390	14.6%
2022	14.13	333^rd	368	9.5%
2023	10.93	343^rd	357	3.9%
2024	15.25	311^th	347	10.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	14.62	233^rd	254	8.3%
2019	23.93	286^th	355	19.4%
2021	18.58	340^th	395	13.9%
2022	15.79	322^nd	363	11.3%
2023	17.98	304^th	358	15.1%
2024	17.24	313^th	362	13.5%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	10.69	82^nd	87	5.7%
2019	14.97	110^th	121	9.1%
2021	13.58	127^th	136	6.6%
2022	18.44	109^th	124	12.1%
2023	9.89	115^th	118	2.5%
2024	12.76	105^th	113	7.1%

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

Rank History for African American students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	18.29	50^th	54	7.4%
2019	24.76	73^rd	86	15.1%
2021	29.49	85^th	111	23.4%
2022	16.23	79^th	89	11.2%
2023	17.63	68^th	78	12.8%
2024	21.73	56^th	70	20.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	19.06	143^rd	156	8.3%
2019	24.20	196^th	241	18.7%
2021	26.19	219^th	278	21.2%
2022	18.91	234^th	261	10.3%
2023	22.81	202^nd	249	18.9%
2024	22.35	211^th	248	14.9%

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

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	36.65	14^th	18	22.2%
2021	34.32	24^th	33	27.3%

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

Rank History for White students at Kent-Meridian High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	20.38	194^th	222	12.6%
2019	29.23	302^nd	382	20.9%
2021	16.75	373^rd	413	9.7%
2022	25.36	320^th	390	17.9%
2023	20.82	317^th	379	16.4%
2024	14.21	339^th	374	9.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington High 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: 2.3)

33%

67%

Reviews:

by a student
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Lots of people (Students and Parents) talk about KM being "GHETTO" how students are "BAD" and how KM's sports teams don't win anything. The problem with the people is that they judge the school by its cover. Kent-Meridian looks ghetto but is not ghetto at all. The school looks ghetto because it was built in 1951 and the only real upgrade it has received was the renovation of the East Wing and Gym. The main and art building has not been renovated or upgraded since it was built. When it comes to the administration and staff, they care a lot about their students and the school. They are doing everything that they can to improve the school. The school has been gradually improving when it comes to test scores. Sports in KM is doing good. It has really been improving, especially this year. The Boys Track & Field Team were STATE CHAMPIONS of 2011. The Boys basketball reached the playoffs. The Football team has improved from 0 wins to 3 wins. KM Sports is not the greatest, and not as good as KW is, but they do win and are persevered to getting better for the next couple of years. Overall, KM is a really good school so, "DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER!" Close Quote

by a student
Saturday, May 7, 2011

Kent Meridian is to ghetto and way to many people who should be failing. People obviously don't care about these students. It's hard when you have to lose every game you play. That's how it's like playing sports. I have never ever seen KM win a thing. Look at KW they win almost everything. Rarely lose. I think I've made my point. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Kent-Meridian High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	1066	45	98	27	18	n/a	n/a	0	1254
1989	1025	44	105	21	17	n/a	n/a	0	1212
1990	1044	53	126	32	15	n/a	n/a	0	1270
1991	1050	68	136	32	19	n/a	n/a	0	1305
1992	1096	60	126	43	23	n/a	n/a	0	1348
1993	1107	83	128	50	20	n/a	n/a	0	1388
1994	1117	104	149	70	17	n/a	n/a	0	1457
1995	1017	141	130	89	20	n/a	n/a	0	1397
1996	1017	141	130	89	20	n/a	n/a	0	1397
1997	1038	163	154	91	19	n/a	n/a	0	1465
1998	1008	199	182	125	20	n/a	n/a	0	1534
1999	858	202	190	105	13	n/a	n/a	0	1368
2000	813	220	198	118	13	n/a	n/a	0	1362
2001	763	222	218	133	16	n/a	n/a	0	1352
2002	694	250	263	164	20	n/a	n/a	0	1391
2003	694	250	263	164	20	n/a	n/a	0	1391
2004	634	249	265	156	22	n/a	n/a	0	1326
2005	828	376	402	271	31	n/a	n/a	10	1918
2006	681	316	400	304	26	n/a	n/a	56	1783
2007	659	363	400	264	26	n/a	n/a	94	1806
2008	623	376	418	294	30	n/a	n/a	111	1852
2009	571	360	453	315	34	n/a	n/a	135	1868
2010	556	362	491	342	32	n/a	n/a	154	1937
2011	581	400	450	434	21	49	89	0	2024
2012	563	410	445	483	24	79	113	0	2117
2013	570	391	435	483	24	87	137	0	2127
2014	509	393	447	552	16	92	127	0	2136
2015	489	421	470	575	11	93	129	0	2188
2016	473	417	446	575	3	102	153	0	2169
2017	406	397	438	633	5	86	119	0	2084
2018	372	393	431	618	3	94	118	0	2029
2019	321	393	415	616	2	83	130	0	1960
2020	326	363	409	641	3	91	128	0	1961
2021	325	378	422	677	1	90	149	1	2043
2022	295	389	366	740	4	131	148	2	2075
2023	321	365	375	779	3	138	141	6	2128

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 Kent-Meridian High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1254	58.0	21.6	0
1989	1212	58.0	20.8	n/a
1990	1270	56.5	22.4	0
1991	1305	58.0	22.5	n/a
1992	1348	59.1	22.8	n/a
1993	1388	59.2	23.4	n/a
1994	1457	61.5	23.7	n/a
1995	1397	58.3	24.0	n/a
1996	1397	58.3	24.0	n/a
1997	1465	59.5	24.6	n/a
1998	1534	55.2	27.8	n/a
1999	1368	60.0	22.8	n/a
2000	1362	61.0	22.3	n/a
2001	1352	61.8	21.9	n/a
2002	1391	62.3	22.3	41.7
2003	1391	62.3	22.3	41.7
2004	1326	60.0	22.1	47.4
2005	1918	60.4	31.8	54.2
2006	1783	85.9	20.8	59.5
2007	1806	87.8	20.6	60.2
2008	1852	87.6	21.1	68.9
2009	1868	87.6	21.3	64.6
2010	1937	94.7	20.4	69.2
2011	2024	90.6	22.3	39.5
2012	2117	88.9	23.7	62.2
2013	2127	92.0	23.1	66
2014	2136	n/a	n/a	72.4
2015	2188	92.0	23.7	71.5
2016	2169	94.0	23.0	71.9
2017	2084	94.2	22.1	70
2018	2029	90.7	22.3	69.2
2019	1960	89.6	21.8	69.5
2020	1961	90.1	21.7	68.2
2021	2043	95.1	21.4	71.1
2022	2075	104.4	19.8	72.4
2023	2128	101.4	20.9	76.6

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 Kent-Meridian High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1254	58.0	21.6	0
1989	1212	58.0	20.8	n/a
1990	1270	56.5	22.4	0
1991	1305	58.0	22.5	n/a
1992	1348	59.1	22.8	n/a
1993	1388	59.2	23.4	n/a
1994	1457	61.5	23.7	n/a
1995	1397	58.3	24.0	n/a
1996	1397	58.3	24.0	n/a
1997	1465	59.5	24.6	n/a
1998	1534	55.2	27.8	n/a
1999	1368	60.0	22.8	n/a
2000	1362	61.0	22.3	n/a
2001	1352	61.8	21.9	n/a
2002	1391	62.3	22.3	41.7
2003	1391	62.3	22.3	41.7
2004	1326	60.0	22.1	47.4
2005	1918	60.4	31.8	54.2
2006	1783	85.9	20.8	59.5
2007	1806	87.8	20.6	60.2
2008	1852	87.6	21.1	68.9
2009	1868	87.6	21.3	64.6
2010	1937	94.7	20.4	69.2
2011	2024	90.6	22.3	39.5
2012	2117	88.9	23.7	62.2
2013	2127	92.0	23.1	66
2014	2136	n/a	n/a	72.4
2015	2188	92.0	23.7	71.5
2016	2169	94.0	23.0	71.9
2017	2084	94.2	22.1	70
2018	2029	90.7	22.3	69.2
2019	1960	89.6	21.8	69.5
2020	1961	90.1	21.7	68.2
2021	2043	95.1	21.4	71.1
2022	2075	104.4	19.8	72.4
2023	2128	101.4	20.9	76.6

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.

Immunization Rates