Catalyst Public Schools, Bremerton WA

Original Research by School Decision on Catalyst Public Schools

Catalyst Public Schools is a small charter school in Bremerton serving kindergarten through eighth grade, though according to the charter district's own public reporting, a high school program launched with ninth grade in fall 2024, with plans to add one grade each year until reaching full K-12. The school sits within a single-district charter system that is itself named Catalyst Public Schools, meaning the school and the district are essentially the same entity.

The school enrolls a modest-sized student body for its grade band. The student population is diverse, with a majority of students identifying as white, a substantial share as Hispanic, and smaller shares as two or more races, Black, and Asian. A notable portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is an indicator of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available for this school, which is a gap a prospective parent may want to clarify directly with the school.

On state assessments in the 2024-25 school year, the school's results show a mixed profile. In English language arts, proficiency rates across tested grades sat mostly in the middle range, with seventh grade reaching a notably higher level than the other grades. Math proficiency was lower, with rates declining in the upper grades and reaching a particularly soft point in eighth grade. Science results, tested in fifth and eighth grades, were also on the lower side, especially for eighth graders. When compared to other school districts in Kitsap County overall, Catalyst's combined proficiency across all tested subjects and grades fell below the midpoint of the group. Because this is the only year of state testing data available, there is no trend to examine yet.

The school setting is an important part of the picture. Bremerton is the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula, shaped by the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Naval Base Kitsap, which dominate the local economy. The downtown waterfront has seen significant reinvestment over the past decade, with new apartments and restored buildings, breweries and restaurants, and civic anchors like the ferry terminal, Harborside Fountain Park, the Admiral Theatre, and naval museums. The city spans a wide area divided by the Port Washington Narrows, so while the downtown core near the ferry is walkable, much of the rest of the city is car-dependent and requires bridge crossings between east and west sides. Housing values in the area are below the state average but above the national average, and rents follow a similar pattern.

The school building is located on Ironsides Avenue, in the downtown area within walking distance of the waterfront and transit hub. For a family considering this school, one of the most consequential facts is that the high school program is brand new. The first ninth grade class started in fall 2024, and the school has not yet produced a graduation rate, nor will it for several years. A parent with an elementary-age child may be weighing whether they want to commit to a pathway that is still being built at the secondary level, or whether they would plan to transition to a different high school later. For a middle school family, the question is whether the new high school will be mature enough by the time their child reaches ninth grade to meet their expectations. Because the school is a charter, it operates with some autonomy from the larger Bremerton School District, which serves most of the city's public school students. This means the program may differ in approach and curriculum, and families who value that independence may find it appealing, while those who prefer a more established, traditional district structure may want to compare carefully.

Overall, Catalyst offers a small, relatively new charter option in a city with a strong military and industrial base, a revitalizing downtown, and a housing market that is expensive but less so than the Seattle area. The academic picture so far shows stronger reading results than math and science, with eighth grade performance in particular being an area a family would want to explore further. The school's trajectory is still unfolding, and the addition of high school grades will define what it becomes.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 46%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 44%

▲ 6 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 47%

even with state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 49%

even with state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 654%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 7 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Science

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

This schoolCatalyst Public Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income35%Higher-income59%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income60%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income48%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income45%Higher-income59%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income76%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income39%Higher-income48%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income67%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income54%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income35%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income50%25 pp gap