Shining Mountain Elementary, Spanaway WA

Original Research by School Decision on Shining Mountain Elementary

Shining Mountain Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the Bethel School District, a regular public school in the unincorporated community of Spanaway, Washington. This is a larger elementary school, and it draws its students from a mainly residential, car-dependent area that has seen substantial growth in recent decades and sits near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The community lacks a traditional downtown, with civic and commercial life strung along Pacific Avenue South.

The school’s student body is notably diverse. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial and ethnic composition reflects the broader south Pierce County population, with no single group forming an outright majority among the student community.

On the state’s academic assessments, administered in the 2024-25 school year, student performance in English language arts and math fell across a range. In third grade, fewer than a third of students met proficiency in English language arts. That figure rose for fourth graders, where just under half were proficient, and remained at a similar level for fifth graders. In math, proficiency rates were lower. About a third of third graders and just over a third of fourth graders met the bar, and that share dropped to roughly a quarter for fifth graders. Science, tested only in fifth grade, saw about two out of every five students reach proficiency.

When compared with other schools in Pierce County, Shining Mountain’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits in the bottom quartile among districts. This is the primary measure available for academic comparison, and it places the school’s results on the lower end of the county spectrum. Parents looking closely at these outcomes may want to discuss with the school how it supports students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks.

The school’s overall proficiency rate for the year in English language arts was just under two-fifths and in math was about a third. Because these results come from a single year of data, there is no trend line to examine improvement or decline over time.

The Bethel School District, which operates Shining Mountain, has recently navigated some financial and operational challenges. In early 2024, voters rejected a capital bond that would have funded a new elementary school and district-wide infrastructure upgrades, a gap that remains unaddressed. The district did pass both an Educational Programs & Operations Levy and a Technology Levy in 2023, restoring funding for programs like special education and transportation after those levies failed the previous year. For the 2024-25 school year, the district reduced its staff by dozens of full-time positions, citing declining enrollment and the loss of federal pandemic relief funding. These district-level pressures could influence conditions at the school, though the data available does not detail their direct effect on Shining Mountain’s classrooms.

Information on certain school-level details was not available in the data provided. No data was reported on the share of students with disabilities or those classified as English learners, nor on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or staffing levels. Parents seeking a fuller picture of the school’s climate and the support systems in place for different student populations would need to consult the school directly.

For families living in Spanaway, this is a school that reflects the broader community in its size and diversity. The academic results point to an area where many students are building foundational skills, with room for improvement. The district’s recent financial picture, including the failed bond and staff reductions, is a practical concern a family may want to explore further when considering the school.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 45% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 48% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 39% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 41% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 50% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 51% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 46% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below 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-income32%Higher-income24%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income45%Higher-income46%0 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income59%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income35%Higher-income36%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income41%5 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income20%Higher-income38%18 pp gap