Totem Middle School is a public middle school located in Marysville, Washington, serving grades 6-8 with a student population of 555. Despite its diverse student body, the school has consistently underperformed academically, ranking in the bottom half of Washington middle schools with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.
Totem Middle School faces significant challenges, with its students significantly underperforming the state and Marysville School District averages in standardized test scores across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2022-2023 school year, only 25.05% of Totem students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 52.86% and the district average of 38.74%. The math proficiency rate was even lower at 12.91%, compared to the state average of 41.04% and the district average of 26.24%. The school's student subgroups, such as Asian, Hispanic, Native American, and students with low socioeconomic status, consistently rank in the bottom 20% of Washington middle schools in terms of academic performance.
Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Cedarcrest School, 10th Street School, and Haller Middle School, generally outperform Totem Middle School in academic metrics, despite serving similar student populations. This suggests that factors beyond just student demographics may be contributing to Totem's poor performance. Additionally, Totem Middle School's high per-student spending of $19,520 in the 2021-2022 school year does not seem to translate into improved academic outcomes, raising questions about the effective use of resources and the need for a more targeted approach to address the school's challenges.
In the 2022-23 school year, 555 students attended Totem Middle School.
Totem Middle School ranks in the bottom 4.6% of Washington middle schools.
Students who attend Totem Middle School usually go on to attend Marysville Pilchuck High School
Marysville School District
Students at Totem Middle School are 35% White, 32% Hispanic, 17% American Indian, 10% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% Not Specified, 1% African American.