Enrollment
222
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Port Townsend, WA
Blue Heron Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Blue Heron Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 530684001305
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Blue Heron Middle School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Washington schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Port Townsend · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- small classes for Washington
- 38.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Blue Heron Middle School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Blue Heron Middle School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Port Townsend, WA.
School address
District: Port Townsend School District · Washington
NCES ID 530684001305 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.1%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Blue Heron Middle School compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Blue Heron Middle School
Blue Heron Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Port Townsend, Washington, enrolling 222 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.3:1, Blue Heron Middle School is leaner than roughly 88% of Washington schools and 30% under the state's 17.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 38.1% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 222 puts it in the smaller third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 163 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #89.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 222 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Port Townsend School District also operates Salish Coast Elementary (528 students) and Port Townsend High School (383 students) alongside Blue Heron Middle School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Blue Heron Middle School compares
Blue Heron Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 30% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.1% | ▼ 15% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 222 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
222
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 12% in Washington - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,962
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 222 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 76.1%
Hispanic or Latino 11.3%
Two or More 5.9%
Asian 3.6%
African American 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 76.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.3, Blue Heron Middle School is less mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Port Townsend School District, which includes Blue Heron Middle School.
$17,962
Per student
-8%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.3%
State 54.3%
Federal 16.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Blue Heron Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salish Coast Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Port Townsend High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ocean | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Blue Heron Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 528
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 144
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Washington, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~222 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Blue Heron Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Blue Heron Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Port Townsend School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Blue Heron Middle School
How many students attend Blue Heron Middle School?
Blue Heron Middle School has 222 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Port Townsend, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Blue Heron Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Blue Heron Middle School is 12.3:1, which is 30% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Blue Heron Middle School?
38.1% of students at Blue Heron Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Blue Heron Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Blue Heron Middle School is White at 76.1% of enrollment, in Port Townsend, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Blue Heron Middle School?
Blue Heron Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Blue Heron Middle School rank among public schools in Port Townsend?
By Resource Investment Index, Blue Heron Middle School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Port Townsend, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Port Townsend on the city page.
Is Blue Heron Middle School a good school?
Blue Heron Middle School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Washington schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Port Townsend School District?
Besides Blue Heron Middle School, Port Townsend School District also operates Salish Coast Elementary (528 students), Port Townsend High School (383 students), and Ocean (144 students). See the Port Townsend School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.