Enrollment
613
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Milton, WA
Surprise Lake Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Surprise Lake Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 530288000467
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Surprise Lake Middle School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Washington schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Washington schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.1:1
- large classes for Washington
- 42.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 613
- students enrolled
Surprise Lake Middle School has class sizes larger than 84% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Fife School District · Washington
NCES ID 530288000467 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.1:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.3%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Surprise Lake Middle School compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Surprise Lake Middle School
Surprise Lake Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Milton, Washington, enrolling 613 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 21.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 42.3% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 613 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 452 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #233.
Its student body is led by White (38%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 76/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 307 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 51 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Fife School District also operates Fife High School (885 students) and Fife Elementary School (866 students) alongside Surprise Lake 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 Surprise Lake Middle School compares
Surprise Lake 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 | 21.1:1 | ▲ 20% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.3% | ▼ 6% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 613 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.1:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
613
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% below the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.1:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 84% in Washington - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
21.4%
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
$16,780
per pupil, district-wide
- below Washington avg of $19,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 307 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 94 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 51 expulsions.
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 38.3%
Hispanic or Latino 25.0%
Two or More 12.5%
Asian 8.7%
African American 7.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 7.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 38.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 75.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 75.6, Surprise Lake Middle School is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fife School District, which includes Surprise Lake Middle School.
$16,780
Per student
-14%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.2%
State 59.8%
Federal 8.0%
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 Surprise Lake Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fife High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fife Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Columbia Junior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Discovery Primary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hedden Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Surprise Lake Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 885
- Students per teacher
- 22.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 866
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 619
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 506
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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 (~613 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Surprise Lake Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Surprise Lake Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Fife 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 Surprise Lake Middle School
How many students attend Surprise Lake Middle School?
Surprise Lake Middle School has 613 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Milton, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Surprise Lake Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Surprise Lake Middle School is 21.1:1, which is 20% higher than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 34% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Surprise Lake Middle School?
42.3% of students at Surprise Lake Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Surprise Lake Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Surprise Lake Middle School is White at 38.3% of enrollment, in Milton, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 75.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Surprise Lake Middle School?
Surprise Lake Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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).
Is Surprise Lake Middle School a good school?
Surprise Lake Middle School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Washington schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Fife School District?
Besides Surprise Lake Middle School, Fife School District also operates Fife High School (885 students), Fife Elementary School (866 students), and Columbia Junior High School (619 students). See the Fife 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.