The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 43% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Centennial Elementary
Centennial Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the unincorporated Pierce County community of Graham, a fast-growing, car-dependent suburban and exurban area southeast of Tacoma. It is one of several elementary schools in the Bethel School District. The school building sits on a campus-style lot along Mathias Road, and like the community around it, there is no walkable downtown or centralized commercial core; families rely on driving for nearly every errand and school function.
The school’s student body is sizable for an elementary school in this area. Enrollment draws from the surrounding subdivisions and rural-acreage properties, and it reflects the broader demographic shifts in Pierce County. White students form the largest single group, followed by a substantial share of Hispanic students and a notable proportion of students who identify as two or more races. Small but present populations of Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian students round out the enrollment. A significant majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a metric that places Centennial above the district’s overall economic need level. Data on special education classification and English learner status were not available; a parent may want to ask the school directly about the support structures for those populations.
On state assessments administered in the most recent testing year, Centennial’s results present a mixed picture. In English language arts, performance across grades three through five shows that a bit more than half of students met the state bar, though the share dips notably in fourth grade before recovering somewhat in fifth grade. Math proficiency is lower across all three tested grades, with just over two-fifths of students meeting the standard. In fifth-grade science, about half of students tested proficient. When the school’s overall performance across subjects is compared with other school districts in Pierce County, Centennial places above the midpoint of the cohort. That contextualizes the scores: the school is not at the top of the county, but it is performing better than the median district-level proficiency index.
Because Centennial serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not provided. The school does not offer high-school-level programs like Advanced Placement or career and technical education pathways, which is typical for its grade band. No information on course access, staffing ratios, or discipline rates was available, so a reader should consider those as open questions when evaluating fit.
Graham itself has been growing rapidly for years. The population has increased substantially over the past two decades, and new single-family subdivisions continue to expand the suburban footprint. Housing values in the area are near the state benchmark, and rents have been rising slightly. For a family moving into the area, the local housing market reflects the demand of a commuter region with limited rental inventory and prices that have edged up. The median household income in Graham has climbed, but the area remains a mix of working and middle-class households.
The Bethel School District has faced recent financial pressures. In a February 2024 vote, a capital bond that would have funded a new elementary school, HVAC replacements, and safety upgrades failed with less than the required supermajority. That leaves the district without a funding plan for capacity in growing areas where some schools remain over capacity. A year earlier, voters approved both an Educational Programs and Operations levy and a Technology levy, reversing a 2022 rejection and providing annual funding for programs the state does not fully cover, including special education and extracurriculars. More recently, the district reduced staffing by a notable number of full-time equivalent positions due to declining enrollment and the end of federal COVID-relief money. Those reductions could affect class sizes and program availability going forward.
For a family considering Centennial Elementary, the school offers a relatively strong academic position within the county, though math and some English language arts scores leave room for improvement. The economic need level is high, and the community context is one of rapid growth, car-dependent living, and a district working through funding and capacity challenges. Parents who value a suburban-rural setting, a diverse student body, and a school that performs above the Pierce County midpoint may find Centennial a reasonable fit, but they will want to look into current staffing levels, special education and English learner support, and how the district’s financial picture affects day-to-day operations at this campus.
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