Elk Plain School of Choice, Spanaway WA

Original Research by School Decision on Elk Plain School of Choice

Elk Plain School of Choice serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade and is part of the Bethel School District in Spanaway, Washington. The school operates as a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet school. Spanaway is an unincorporated community in Pierce County, with a car-oriented, suburban feel and no traditional downtown. Its economy is heavily influenced by Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where many residents work, and by the Bethel School District itself. Commercial life runs along Pacific Avenue South, and the primary recreational space is Spanaway Lake Park. The area has seen substantial residential growth in recent decades, though a proposed capital bond for the district to fund a new elementary school and infrastructure upgrades failed to pass in early 2024. Families considering Elk Plain should be aware that the district reduced staffing by roughly the equivalent of 50 full-time positions for the 2024-25 school year, citing declining enrollment and the end of federal COVID-relief funding.

Academically, the school’s state testing results from the 2024-25 school year show a mixed picture. In math, proficiency rates across the tested grades ranged from the mid-forties to the low-sixties, with third graders at the highest end. English language arts results were similar, with the strongest performance in seventh grade, where roughly two-thirds of students met proficiency; other grades fell in the forty to fifty percent range. Science results, tested only in fifth and eighth grades, showed around half of fifth graders proficient and just under half of eighth graders. Across all subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in Pierce County. This means that while Elk Plain’s results are not at the top of the county, they are stronger than those of many nearby districts. Parents will want to note that these numbers represent a single year of data, so no trend is yet visible.

The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller but notable share of students who identify as two or more races. Hispanic, Black, and Asian students each make up a modest portion of enrollment. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a middle-income peer environment on average, with a significant minority of families facing economic strain. The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade, so there is no high school graduation rate to report. Civil rights data, such as discipline rates or access to advanced coursework, was not available in the provided information, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those areas.

Given the school’s name, “School of Choice,” it is worth understanding what that designation means locally. The data does not clarify whether this is a magnet, alternative, or simply a neighborhood school with an open-enrollment option. A parent should confirm with the Bethel School District whether any particular program or admission process is attached. Without that detail, the school presents as a solidly performing K-8 option in a growing but financially cautious district, with proficiency results that run a bit above the county’s middle range and a student population that tilts toward economic stability. The staffing reductions in the district are a real consideration for a family weighing class sizes and program breadth, but they are not unique to Elk Plain.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 45% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 48% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 39% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 33% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 747%

School 47% · District 69% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 29% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 41% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 50% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 51% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 44% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 65% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 48% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 46% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 35% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolBethel 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

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income54%4 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income46%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income52%Higher-income58%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income49%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income68%18 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income35%Higher-income63%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income50%Higher-income69%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income46%2 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income45%Higher-income46%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income49%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income50%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income22%Higher-income56%35 pp gap