Medina Elementary School, Medina WA

Original Research by School Decision on Medina Elementary School

Medina Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Bellevue School District, located in the affluent lakefront community of Medina, Washington. The school sits in a mostly residential peninsula on Lake Washington, a place often called Washington’s “Gold Coast” for its large waterfront estates and roster of high-profile residents. There is no commercial downtown; the built environment is low-density, tree-canopied residential streets. The city has been a Tree City USA for years and enforces one of the region’s most extensive tree codes. Public schools beyond Medina Elementary are Chinook Middle School and Bellevue High School, both in neighboring Bellevue. Two private schools also operate within Medina.

State testing results from the 2024-25 school year place Medina Elementary’s academic performance at a very high level. In mathematics, proficiency rates across third, fourth, and fifth grades were uniformly strong. English language arts results were similarly high at every tested grade. The fifth-grade science proficiency rate was also very strong. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages performance across all tested subjects and grades, lands in the top quartile when compared against districts across King County. This is a single year of data, so no trend is available, but the level reported is exceptional.

The student body of roughly elementary-size enrollment is predominantly Asian, with a smaller share of white students and a modest number of students identifying as two or more races. Shares of Hispanic and Black students are very small. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is extremely low, consistent with the community’s wealth. The data did not include counts or rates for students with disabilities or English learners; families who need those supports may wish to ask the school directly. No information on discipline, staffing, chronic absenteeism, or course access was available in the data provided.

Medina itself is a small city with a population that has been stable to slightly declining in recent decades. Housing values are very high; the zip code’s typical home value is in the millions, making this one of the most expensive areas in the region. The city has no significant commercial district or major employers; residents commute to nearby Bellevue or Seattle. The municipal government is small and has faced budget constraints despite residents’ wealth. No recent parent-relevant changes or strategic priorities were reported for the Bellevue School District in the research available.

This school fits families who want a top-performing elementary school in a setting of high socioeconomic advantage. The academic outcomes are among the strongest in the county. The peer environment is one of very low poverty and a predominantly Asian enrollment. The housing market is a major consideration: buying or renting here requires a very high budget. The community is quiet, residential, and heavily wooded, with no walkable retail core. For those who can afford the area and value the academic results, Medina Elementary delivers a strong foundation, though data gaps on special populations and school climate mean a parent should still reach out to confirm that the school’s supports match their child’s needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 395%

School 95% · District 40% · ▲ 55 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 497%

School 97% · District 50% · ▲ 47 pts above district

▲ 49 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 589%

School 89% · District 46% · ▲ 43 pts above district

▲ 48 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 390%

School 90% · District 47% · ▲ 43 pts above district

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 495%

School 95% · District 64% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 592%

School 92% · District 73% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Science

Grade 591%

School 91% · District 73% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

This schoolBellevue School District, 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

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income73%Higher-income90%18 pp gap