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Morris Ford Middle School

Tacoma, WA 98445

Phone: (253) 298-3605
District: Franklin Pierce School District

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public • Grades 6,7,8 • 843 students

Morris Ford Middle School, a public school located in Tacoma, WA, serves grades 6-8 in the Franklin Pierce School District.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 4 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.

Morris Ford Middle School is a public school located in Tacoma, WA. 843 students attend Morris Ford Middle School.

School Ratings

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	3/10	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	5/10	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.

Worrisome patterns of chronic student absenteeism have been identified.

Posted: May 2, 2026

I do like and dislike the school only because they do let parents engage and their things. But Im concerned why they dont have microwaves for students who dont want the school lunch and they should have juice and bottle of water options instead of milk at lunch

Posted: May 2, 2026

Posted: February 4, 2025

I used to have my son goes here and almost every day my son told me there fights and mostly are girls fighting each other. The teachers are rude and will not pay attention to the students' academic. They blend in with the students using cuss words. There was a video my son shows me that someone record and a my told me that my teacher uses cuss words. Really bad school. I feel bad for the people who has them as a neighborhood school. Well, mine was too but i transfer my son out of there. I rather drive and pick him from school every day instead of hearing fights and cussing teachers.

Posted: February 4, 2025

Posted: February 21, 2024

This school is so horrible please don't enroll your kids here. The teachers yell and cuss at kids they lie to parents and the food has make kids vomit kids have been seriously injured at this school one kid has actually died after a fight that happened at this school. The staff doesn't care about students or their mental health at all. Teachers put their hands on students and some more please don't put your kids into this school.

Posted: February 21, 2024

Posted: September 19, 2023

horrible school horrible staff bad food that makes you vomit

Posted: September 19, 2023

Posted: September 4, 2023

This school was the single worst place i've ever had to be enrolled in. The system is set up against kids with ADHD, and learning disabilities. They humiliate you and make you stand against the wall like you're a small small child.

Posted: September 4, 2023

Posted: October 24, 2020

Absolutely horrifying. The teachers there are overwhelmingly great human beings who have one of the hardest jobs on the planet. They aren't given the opportunity to be better for the students, and I feel bad for any student who has no other choice but to attend. Students, families and teachers alike: stay away. You can get a better experience just about anywhere else.

Posted: October 24, 2020

Teacher teams were give the professional judgement about homework and whether it served students' success. My former colleagues and I felt that we could make decisions about homework freely.

Posted: October 24, 2020

As a former teacher from this school, I didn't feel like I could be the teacher I wanted to be. We were constantly tracking data that neither we nor the students were really attached to, because of the "Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum" within the Franklin-Pierce School District. While I agreed with the intent of equity, the expectation of six English and Language Arts teachers to teach identical content, and within 2 days of each other, meant there were nothing but concessions, at the students' expense. My students felt no connection to the scripted curriculum that was unrelated to their life experience in Tacoma. Their engagement was minimal, and they were encouraged to do rote memorization to get the "good score" on their tests rather than care about learning the skills. Because I would be reprimanded for changing anything-- anything at all-- in the curriculum, even if it were in the best interests for my students, I had my hands tied and had to do the scripted canned curriculum. This, paired with the Make Your Day Program that led to daily power struggles with students, made me feel like I could never be a good teacher in that school.

Posted: October 24, 2020

When students' lives are hyper controlled on a daily basis, with only negative feedback, the sense of apathy they feel and powerlessness in their lives is overwhelming. I literally had most of my Advisory express that they felt unwelcome and unloved by the adults in their school. That should be enough to explain the effectiveness in helping students feel compassionate and have integrity about themselves and others.

Posted: October 24, 2020

My colleagues who were in the SPED field at Ford were always overwhelmed, always scrutinized about how their work was not enough, and never given the tools to help them support their students with the highest needs. I had a coworker who spent the better part of the school year on her own lunches with a student who bolted from the classroom and was disrupting lessons daily. The Principals gave her no other choice but to use her lunch time to keep said student in her room so she wouldn't disrupt other students' learning. There was little to no support about how to find solutions for this student to be in her classroom she belonged in, nor for my coworker to get her state mandated break.

Posted: October 24, 2020

There are very scripted, very cookie cutter lessons in Advisory that occasionally got some traction with good conversations. However, let's be frank: when the Principals bully the teachers of the school, the families of the students... and the very discipline system is about how teachers see students' behavior as the problem without any autonomy of their own, bullying and lashing out can't be attended to. Students regularly were cutting each other down, and it was exhausting to find ways to individually put out fires since the system didn't allow for actually fixing the issue.

Posted: May 24, 2019

There is supposed to be a Pre-AP track at this school for the students who came from the Excel program and other advanced kids. In math and language arts, it seems to be the case. Not in science, though. Why not? Where's the advanced science course? My kids begged for it at first and now are losing interest in what was their favorite subject. It is a shame. I can only afford so many after-school and summer programs.
Plus the fact that students aren't allowed to use lockers and must drag their full backpacks from class to class is ridiculous. If your kid has PE, this will include taking a stinky pair of sneakers along with every book and a giant 3-inch binder that never gets used but is required. At least the band teacher lets them store their instruments this year. That's one major improvement.
The school bus even sits them 3 to a seat, which can't be legal. Have you seen the size of these kids?

Posted: September 11, 2015

Ford is an excellent school with a fantastic staff who truly care about the students. I have always found the teachers and staff to be eager to help the students and wiling to put in lots of extra time to ensure a quality education for each child. The general school climate is very positive and encouraging.

Posted: September 11, 2015

Posted: March 25, 2014

This school is horrible my son is special trying to take normal classes now but kids picking on him doing nothing about it calling him names don't pick this school horrible should go on strike

Posted: November 28, 2013

I actually purposely transferred both my children into Ford. Both my girls have been honor students, thanks to staff, curriculum and after-school activities (tutoring, beading, sports). I've heard a complaint about a teacher from my children but always seems to be on behalf of another student. I personally have been given all the support I've needed to help my children be a success toward their futures. Thank you Morris Ford, GO Thunderbirds!!!!

Posted: June 13, 2013

Very Poor school. With a principle 2 assistant principles and a Dean of students they are poorly managed and self congratulatory even when faced with huge problems of violence and bullying in their school.

Reviews provided by GreatSchools^™

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10	Avonlea	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lacey	WA	22.4 mi
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12	The Carriages at Fairwood Downs	Apartment Complex	Renton	WA	23.2 mi
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1	Black Diamond	Black Diamond	WA	21.6 mi
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4	Port Orchard	Port Orchard	WA	28.3 mi
5	Downtown Seattle	Seattle	WA	30.8 mi
6	Bainbridge Island	Bainbridge Island	WA	32.6 mi
7	East Bremerton	Bremerton	WA	34.1 mi

Base	Distance
McChord AFB	4.9 mi.
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Morris Ford Middle School

Tacoma, WA 98445

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