Is North Thurston High School a good school?

North Thurston High School ranks 175 th of 437 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend North Thurston High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,412 students attended North Thurston High School.

What is the racial makeup of North Thurston High School?

Students at North Thurston High School are 41% White, 26% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 10% Asian, 5% African American, 4% Pacific Islander.

What schools feed into North Thurston High School?

North Thurston High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Lacey Elementary Elementary : Mountain View Elementary Elementary : Pleasant Glade Elementary Elementary : South Bay Elementary Middle : Chinook Middle School

North Thurston High School

Summary:

North Thurston High School is a diverse public high school serving 1,440 students in grades 9-12 in Lacey, Washington, part of the North Thurston Public Schools district. The school stands out for its strong academic performance, high graduation rates, and diverse student population, though it faces some challenges in addressing disparities among student subgroups.

Academically, North Thurston High School has shown impressive results, with 10th-grade students scoring above the state average in English Language Arts proficiency for the past three years. The school also maintains a relatively high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 85.6% to 90.3% over the past five years, and a lower dropout rate than the state average. Additionally, the school has demonstrated strong performance for certain student subgroups, such as African American and Hispanic students, who have consistently ranked in the top quartile of Washington high schools in terms of academic achievement. However, the school faces disparities in the performance of other subgroups, such as Asian and Special Education students, who have performed relatively lower compared to their peers.

North Thurston High School's diverse student population, with a racial makeup of 43.75% White, 24.17% Hispanic, and 10.62% Asian, sets it apart from nearby schools like Tumwater High School and Capital High School. However, the school's ranking has fluctuated over the years, suggesting that factors beyond just academic achievement, such as changes in the student population or district-level policies, may influence its performance. Additionally, the school's proximity to other high-performing schools, such as Avanti High School and Olympia High School, means that North Thurston High School must continuously improve to maintain its position.

Detail:

Public 9-12

600 Sleater Kinney Rd NE
Lacey, WA 98506-5257

(360) 412-4800

District: North Thurston Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
175^th of 437 Washington High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,917

Feeder schools for North Thurston High School:

Elementary:	Lacey Elementary
	Mountain View Elementary
	Pleasant Glade Elementary
	South Bay Elementary
Middle:	Chinook Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 21.3

Number of students: 1,412

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.1%

Hispanic:

25.6%

Two or more races:

14.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 50.5%

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Compare North Thurston High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details North Thurston High School ranks better than 60% of high schools in Washington. It also ranks 2^nd among 4 ranked high schools in the North Thurston Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 56.6. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at North Thurston 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 Student population at North Thurston High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (41.1%), Hispanic (25.6%), two or more races (14%). (See more...)

Compare Details 50.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at North Thurston High School is 21.3. 2 high schools in the North Thurston Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare North Thurston High School employs 66.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at North Thurston High School is $15,917, which is the highest among 4 high schools in the North Thurston Public Schools District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

North Thurston High School:

SchoolDigger ranks North Thurston High School 175^th of 437 Washington public high schools. (See North Thurston High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

North Thurston Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks North Thurston Public Schools 118^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for North Thurston High School

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Rank History for all students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	77.98	75^th	390	80.8%
2005	67.35	131^st	394	66.8%
2006	68.25	125^th	395	68.4%
2007	64.09	152^nd	399	61.9%
2008	70.07	113^th	396	71.5%
2009	69.82	123^rd	402	69.4%
2010	64.29	166^th	423	60.8%
2011	56.77	171^st	440	61.1%
2012	64.61	126^th	450	72.0%
2013	68.27	108^th	454	76.2%
2015	58.99	116^th	341	66.0%
2016	54.28	158^th	306	48.4%
2017	59.85	135^th	301	55.1%
2018	62.02	122^nd	315	61.3%
2019	67.58	122^nd	417	70.7%
2021	57.15	170^th	455	62.6%
2022	70.11	117^th	434	73.0%
2023	68.85	113^th	442	74.4%
2024	56.60	175^th	437	60.0%

See the entire list of Washington High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	35.96	107^th	163	34.4%
2021	33.64	137^th	195	29.7%
2022	61.26	65^th	179	63.7%
2023	60.13	57^th	166	65.7%
2024	43.59	89^th	161	44.7%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	56.50	20^th	65	69.2%
2019	77.20	10^th	69	85.5%
2021	36.15	54^th	102	47.1%
2022	54.34	24^th	70	65.7%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	31.24	95^th	128	25.8%
2021	29.88	150^th	212	29.2%
2023	58.44	30^th	110	72.7%
2024	27.54	77^th	110	30.0%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	69.10	55^th	227	75.8%
2019	74.46	59^th	344	82.8%
2021	55.14	142^nd	392	63.8%
2022	79.79	50^th	370	86.5%
2023	64.72	101^st	362	72.1%
2024	39.21	226^th	356	36.5%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	95.16	1^st	43	97.7%
2022	90.18	1^st	27	96.3%
2023	80.59	2^nd	19	89.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	64.68	92^nd	243	62.1%
2019	65.29	111^th	358	69.0%
2021	54.92	144^th	390	63.1%
2022	71.17	88^th	368	76.1%
2023	61.00	131^st	357	63.3%
2024	53.14	151^st	347	56.5%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	82.47	5^th	31	83.9%
2021	57.78	17^th	47	63.8%
2022	60.22	13^th	38	65.8%
2023	70.14	5^th	31	83.9%
2024	47.44	20^th	34	41.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	68.19	96^th	355	73.0%
2021	58.10	142^nd	395	64.1%
2022	63.91	122^nd	363	66.4%
2023	71.62	81^st	358	77.4%
2024	52.96	163^rd	362	55.0%

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

Rank History for Asian students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	60.57	40^th	87	54.0%
2019	41.20	78^th	121	35.5%
2021	14.59	124^th	136	8.8%
2022	25.53	99^th	124	20.2%
2023	13.51	109^th	118	7.6%
2024	31.87	78^th	113	31.0%

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

Rank History for African American students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	69.08	14^th	54	74.1%
2019	71.11	16^th	86	81.4%
2021	68.86	26^th	111	76.6%
2022	72.32	19^th	89	78.7%
2023	71.81	13^th	78	83.3%
2024	69.99	17^th	70	75.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	66.11	42^nd	156	73.1%
2019	60.33	80^th	241	66.8%
2021	68.02	62^nd	278	77.7%
2022	81.13	35^th	261	86.6%
2023	86.12	21^st	249	91.6%
2024	48.30	118^th	248	52.4%

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

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	55.61	13^th	33	60.6%
2022	48.11	12^th	17	29.4%

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

Rank History for White students at North Thurston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	56.65	106^th	222	52.3%
2019	68.85	102^nd	382	73.3%
2021	63.03	126^th	413	69.5%
2022	69.79	111^th	390	71.5%
2023	68.64	100^th	379	73.6%
2024	64.09	116^th	374	69.0%

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

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Enrollment information for North Thurston High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	1362	29	144	40	38	n/a	n/a	0	1613
1989	1265	40	144	45	33	n/a	n/a	0	1527
1990	1214	55	158	55	32	n/a	n/a	0	1514
1991	1217	54	174	47	20	n/a	n/a	0	1512
1992	1286	56	186	61	23	n/a	n/a	0	1612
1993	1325	68	186	74	19	n/a	n/a	0	1672
1994	1132	61	171	56	9	n/a	n/a	0	1429
1995	1026	55	219	55	2	n/a	n/a	0	1357
1996	1026	55	219	55	2	n/a	n/a	0	1357
1997	1015	56	183	76	11	n/a	n/a	0	1341
1998	1054	68	188	63	13	n/a	n/a	0	1386
1999	1092	68	208	60	16	n/a	n/a	0	1444
2000	1036	68	191	51	17	n/a	n/a	0	1363
2001	993	60	199	74	23	n/a	n/a	0	1349
2002	999	71	212	80	20	n/a	n/a	0	1382
2003	999	71	212	80	20	n/a	n/a	0	1382
2004	1037	64	223	93	29	n/a	n/a	0	1446
2005	1050	65	224	97	33	n/a	n/a	2	1471
2006	1033	79	224	91	34	n/a	n/a	11	1472
2007	1018	81	236	119	47	n/a	n/a	20	1521
2008	940	85	232	144	50	n/a	n/a	23	1474
2009	913	86	229	163	52	n/a	n/a	35	1478
2010	883	96	228	159	40	n/a	n/a	28	1434
2011	870	70	219	188	22	6	53	0	1428
2012	863	78	198	190	21	3	76	0	1429
2013	848	87	200	218	19	9	95	0	1476
2014	853	75	192	224	18	19	113	0	1494
2015	842	73	165	237	22	22	116	0	1477
2016	842	68	159	260	18	18	139	0	1504
2017	810	57	135	262	16	16	138	0	1434
2018	792	62	139	271	17	19	142	0	1442
2019	725	51	156	255	13	27	167	0	1394
2020	730	54	174	281	15	37	183	1	1475
2021	685	53	163	283	11	36	183	1	1415
2022	664	57	153	292	13	46	195	4	1424
2023	630	54	153	348	15	44	187	9	1440
2024	580	64	139	362	10	51	198	8	1412

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 North Thurston High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1613	80.0	20.1	0
1989	1527	82.0	18.6	n/a
1990	1514	82.5	18.3	0
1991	1512	83.5	18.1	n/a
1992	1612	86.3	18.6	n/a
1993	1672	102.2	16.4	n/a
1994	1429	76.1	18.8	n/a
1995	1357	70.8	19.2	n/a
1996	1357	70.8	19.2	n/a
1997	1341	72.6	18.5	n/a
1998	1386	73.2	18.9	n/a
1999	1444	71.4	20.2	n/a
2000	1363	71.2	19.1	n/a
2001	1349	68.1	19.8	n/a
2002	1382	72.5	19.1	31.8
2003	1382	72.5	19.1	31.8
2004	1446	73.0	19.8	24.1
2005	1471	73.0	20.2	23.8
2006	1472	76.0	19.4	24.8
2007	1521	75.1	20.3	26.2
2008	1474	74.6	19.8	25.2
2009	1478	74.6	19.8	25.6
2010	1434	70.7	20.2	28
2011	1428	74.5	19.1	21.6
2012	1429	68.2	20.9	32.8
2013	1476	67.8	21.7	31.5
2014	1494	n/a	n/a	34.3
2015	1477	70.0	21.1	37
2016	1504	69.0	21.7	36.2
2017	1434	70.4	20.3	38.5
2018	1442	65.7	21.9	38
2019	1394	69.4	20.0	39.5
2020	1475	66.1	22.3	41.4
2021	1415	66.4	21.2	39.9
2022	1424	70.7	20.1	45.4
2023	1440	71.8	20.0	46.9
2024	1412	66.2	21.3	50.5

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 North Thurston High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1613	80.0	20.1	0
1989	1527	82.0	18.6	n/a
1990	1514	82.5	18.3	0
1991	1512	83.5	18.1	n/a
1992	1612	86.3	18.6	n/a
1993	1672	102.2	16.4	n/a
1994	1429	76.1	18.8	n/a
1995	1357	70.8	19.2	n/a
1996	1357	70.8	19.2	n/a
1997	1341	72.6	18.5	n/a
1998	1386	73.2	18.9	n/a
1999	1444	71.4	20.2	n/a
2000	1363	71.2	19.1	n/a
2001	1349	68.1	19.8	n/a
2002	1382	72.5	19.1	31.8
2003	1382	72.5	19.1	31.8
2004	1446	73.0	19.8	24.1
2005	1471	73.0	20.2	23.8
2006	1472	76.0	19.4	24.8
2007	1521	75.1	20.3	26.2
2008	1474	74.6	19.8	25.2
2009	1478	74.6	19.8	25.6
2010	1434	70.7	20.2	28
2011	1428	74.5	19.1	21.6
2012	1429	68.2	20.9	32.8
2013	1476	67.8	21.7	31.5
2014	1494	n/a	n/a	34.3
2015	1477	70.0	21.1	37
2016	1504	69.0	21.7	36.2
2017	1434	70.4	20.3	38.5
2018	1442	65.7	21.9	38
2019	1394	69.4	20.0	39.5
2020	1475	66.1	22.3	41.4
2021	1415	66.4	21.2	39.9
2022	1424	70.7	20.1	45.4
2023	1440	71.8	20.0	46.9
2024	1412	66.2	21.3	50.5

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