Enrollment
582
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Burien, WA
Sylvester Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Sylvester Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 530354000554
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sylvester Middle School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median.
- #2 of 10
- public schools in Burien · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.1:1
- students per teacher
- 42.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Sylvester Middle School has class sizes near the Washington median. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sylvester Middle School ranks #2 of 10 public schools in Burien, WA.
School address
District: Highline School District · Washington
NCES ID 530354000554 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.1:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.0%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sylvester Middle School compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sylvester Middle School
Sylvester Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Burien, Washington, enrolling 582 students.
At 17.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Washington median, within a few percentage points of the 17.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 42.0% lands close to the Washington typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 582 puts it in the larger third of Washington schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 2,394 Washington schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 458 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Washington schools statewide, it ranks #10, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (37%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 194 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Highline School District also operates Mount Rainier High School (1,846 students) and Highline High School (1,423 students) alongside Sylvester 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 Sylvester Middle School compares
Sylvester 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 | 17.1:1 | ▼ 3% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.0% | ▼ 7% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 582 | top 22% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.1:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
582
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
17.1:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 57% in Washington - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$19,077
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 194 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
63
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 37.4%
Hispanic or Latino 32.6%
Two or More 9.8%
African American 8.4%
Asian 8.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
Largest group: White at 37.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.0, Sylvester 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 Highline School District, which includes Sylvester Middle School.
$19,077
Per student
-2%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.7%
State 55.7%
Federal 14.6%
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 Sylvester Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Rainier High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highline High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Evergreen High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Glacier Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cascade Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sylvester Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,846
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,423
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,080
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 803
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
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 (~582 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sylvester Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Sylvester Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Highline 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 Sylvester Middle School
How many students attend Sylvester Middle School?
Sylvester Middle School has 582 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Burien, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sylvester Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sylvester Middle School is 17.1:1, which is 3% lower than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 9% higher 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 Sylvester Middle School?
42.0% of students at Sylvester Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sylvester Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sylvester Middle School is White at 37.4% of enrollment, in Burien, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sylvester Middle School?
Sylvester Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher 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 Sylvester Middle School rank among public schools in Burien?
By Resource Investment Index, Sylvester Middle School ranks #2 of 10 public schools in Burien, 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 Burien on the city page.
Is Sylvester Middle School a good school?
Sylvester Middle School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Washington median. 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 Highline School District?
Besides Sylvester Middle School, Highline School District also operates Mount Rainier High School (1,846 students), Highline High School (1,423 students), and Evergreen High School (1,080 students). See the Highline 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.