The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Evergreen Elementary School
Evergreen Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade on Joint Base Lewis‑McChord, located on the Lewis Main cantonment area in Pierce County. It is part of the Clover Park School District. Because the school sits on a controlled-access military installation, its student body is drawn almost entirely from families connected to the base—active-duty service members, their dependents, civilian Department of Defense employees, and military retirees. Access to the installation requires a Department of Defense identification card or a visitor pass, so the school’s attendance zone is effectively the base itself.
The student population is diverse across multiple dimensions. Hispanic or Latino students make up the largest share, followed by white students, Black or African American students, students of two or more races, Asian students, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students. A very small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students are also enrolled. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals is substantial, reflecting the fact that many military families fall into income brackets that qualify for assistance. Information on the number of students with individualized education programs or who are English learners was not available in the data provided.
On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, the school’s proficiency rates across tested grades and subjects show a pattern that parents will want to examine. In English language arts, proficiency rates hovered around the midpoint among the school’s tested grades, with the highest rate seen in fifth grade. In mathematics, the rates were lower across the board, declining from third to fourth to fifth grade. Science, which is tested only in fifth grade, also came in at a rate that may give a parent pause. Overall, when the school’s performance is compared with other elementary schools across Pierce County’s districts, it places in the bottom quartile on an index of proficiency across all tested subjects and grades. This is a soft-spot signal; a parent considering the school would be wise to ask the school directly about its academic support structures and how it serves students who are not yet meeting the state standard.
Because the school serves only grades PK through five, there is no graduation rate to report, and the data set did not include chronic absenteeism rates or discipline information, so those dimensions of school environment are not available here. The district brief turned up no recent district-level changes—no referendums, curriculum shifts, or property tax measures—that would affect a family’s decision, though it is worth noting that the district serves a mix of base and off-base communities, including Lakewood and Tillicum, and conditions at Evergreen may differ from those at the district’s other elementary schools.
The setting is distinct from any civilian elementary school. JBLM Lewis Main is a controlled-access military installation, not a walkable neighborhood with street life. The built environment consists of barracks, family housing, administrative buildings, and training facilities organized around internal roads. The school itself is one of several on-base facilities serving the military community. For families living on base, the school is likely close at hand. For families living off base, gaining entry to the installation requires a DoD ID and passing through a visitor center; this adds a layer of logistics to the daily drop-off and pickup routine. The base has an on-base transportation system, but no civilian public transit serves the installation in the traditional sense.
For a military family stationed at JBLM, Evergreen Elementary offers the convenience of schooling within the installation, with a peer group made up of children from similar military and civilian defense community backgrounds. The school’s academic performance, particularly in math and science, is below the countywide median among districts, and that is the main factor for a parent to weigh. A parent who values the stability and logistics of on-base schooling above a higher proficiency profile may find this a comfortable fit. A parent who is looking for stronger academic outcomes on the state measures may want to explore options, keeping in mind that the Clover Park School District also operates off-base elementary schools and that Washington state offers open enrollment to some degree.
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