Ballou Jr High School
Puyallup, WA 98373
Phone: (253) 841-8725
District: Puyallup School District
GreatSchools Rating
public • Grades 7,8,9 • 823 students
Ballou Jr High School, a public school located in Puyallup, WA, serves grades 7-9 in the Puyallup School District.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 5 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.
Ballou Jr High School is a public school located in Puyallup, WA. 823 students attend Ballou Jr High School.
School Ratings
| Category | Rating | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Test Scores | 6/10 | The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Smarter Balanced Assessment data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and using 2025 Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. |
| Student Growth | 4/10 | The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. |
Posted: May 28, 2026
This school needs to be shut down or at least give the staff some education as it is clear they lack it. Your principle during the 2022-2023 school year (as i dont know if she has changed) Told my WISE counseling services that She didnt even try to act normal. I was treated like garbage by your staff, i was struggling to stay alive and all i got in return was hate. Please think about teaching your staff respect as that was completely unacceptable. She is a grown adult bullying a child. She needs to be held accountable for her actions.
Posted: May 28, 2026
Posted: May 28, 2026
Posted: May 28, 2026
Posted: May 28, 2026
Posted: May 28, 2026
Posted: May 28, 2026
Posted: May 28, 2026
Posted: June 4, 2023
While there are very beneficial classes for special needs students, there are below average, underneath decent academics, constant fights, and an inability to prevent unsafe behavior. Even simply from this semester, I happen to be a current seventh grader and other students have threatened to hurt me multiple times and I have seen even fellow classmates take drugs, smoke, and vape. I have known people around me who partake in sexual acts as 13, 14, and 15 with fellow schoolmates the same age. Fights and rumors of fights are constant, too. Instead of disciplining the students committing these acts, they rip on the other students to try and prevent them from becoming like misbehaving students (which is futile, must I announce). Students shout profanities at each other and the teachers and that isn't being talked about, yet students having a tardy or two gives them lunch detention, after-school detention, in-school suspension, and Saturday school? The most a student will receive for using e-cigarettes in the bathrooms is two days of ISS (in-school suspension). The school refuses to acknowledge students' well-beings, too. The principal herself will not care about students having anxiety attacks or other things affecting their ability to learn that is out of their control. A student has anxiety? They are written up and their phone, a safe place for that student, is taken. A student simply has a rumor going around? She physically searches the student's body and backpack. To conclude, Frank H. Ballou Junior High is not a good school because of lack of discipline, horrible student behavior, and an overall unsafe environment.
Posted: June 4, 2023
Posted: June 4, 2023
Posted: June 4, 2023
Posted: June 4, 2023
Posted: June 4, 2023
Posted: June 4, 2023
Posted: June 4, 2023
Posted: February 3, 2018
Ballou is such a great fit for our family!
Posted: February 3, 2018
Posted: February 3, 2018
I have never seen teachers who truly care for their students as much as the Ballou teachers.
Posted: February 3, 2018
Posted: February 3, 2018
Posted: February 3, 2018
Posted: February 3, 2018
Posted: September 5, 2015
Posted: September 5, 2015
Posted: September 5, 2015
Posted: September 5, 2015
We had a wonderful experience moving to the area to this new school. Our son was very nervous starting middle school, but after the first week he felt great!
Posted: March 8, 2011
I just transfered into this school after being bullied out of another and I couldn't be happier with the change. All of my teachers are great and the academics are molded to each individuals needs. The academics are challenging and ahead of private school standards. They enforce rules and discipline very well at Ballou. All the students are very nice and respectful to each other and to teachers. The principal, Ms. Bates, made sure she came to talk to me on my first day even though she had 800 kids to watch over. I could not be happier with Ballou Junior High.
Reviews provided by GreatSchools™
| # | Name | Type | City | State | Overall Rating | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gem Heights | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Puyallup | WA | 2 mi | |
| 2 | Silver Creek | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Puyallup | WA | 3.2 mi | |
| 3 | Lost Creek | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Graham | WA | 4.5 mi | |
| 4 | Stadium District | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Tacoma | WA | 11.8 mi | |
| 5 | Hawaiian Village | Apartment Complex | Lakewood | WA | 12.2 mi | |
| 6 | North End | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Tacoma | WA | 13 mi | |
| 7 | westridge apartments | Apartment Complex | Tacoma | WA | 14.3 mi | |
| 8 | Clocktower | Neighborhood/Subdivision | DuPont | WA | 16.5 mi | |
| 9 | Tahoma Meadows | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Yelm | WA | 20.1 mi | |
| 10 | The Carriages at Fairwood Downs | Apartment Complex | Renton | WA | 22.7 mi | |
| 11 | Avonlea | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Lacey | WA | 26.5 mi | |
| 12 | Woodsmuir | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Olympia | WA | 27.1 mi | |
| 13 | McCormick Woods | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Port Orchard | WA | 31.5 mi | |
| 14 | The Ridge at McCormick Woods | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Port Orchard | WA | 31.8 mi | |
| 15 | Manette | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Bremerton | WA | 33.7 mi | |
| 16 | Kitsap Lake | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Bremerton | WA | 35.8 mi | |
| 17 | Blueberry Meadows | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Bremerton | WA | 37 mi | |
| 18 | Fairway Lane | Apartment Complex | Bremerton | WA | 37.3 mi |
| # | Name | City | State | Overall Rating | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Diamond | Black Diamond | WA | 18.4 mi | |
| 2 | Maple Valley | Maple Valley | WA | 19.9 mi | |
| 3 | Stonegate | Olympia | WA | 26.4 mi | |
| 4 | Port Orchard | Port Orchard | WA | 32.4 mi | |
| 5 | Downtown Seattle | Seattle | WA | 32.7 mi | |
| 6 | Bainbridge Island | Bainbridge Island | WA | 35.7 mi | |
| 7 | East Bremerton | Bremerton | WA | 37.9 mi |
| Base | Distance |
|---|---|
| McChord AFB | 9.4 mi. |
| Fort Lewis | 12.9 mi. |
| Coast Guard Seattle | 31.7 mi. |
| Naval Base Kitsap - Bremerton | 34 mi. |
| Naval Base Kitsap Bangor | 44.9 mi. |
Refine Search
National Ad
