Rainier Elementary School, Jblm Lewis Main WA

Original Research by School Decision on Rainier Elementary School

Rainier Elementary School serves students in prekindergarten through fifth grade on Joint Base Lewis‑McChord’s Lewis Main, a controlled‑access military installation in Pierce County. It is a regular public school within the Clover Park School District. Because the school serves only early and elementary grades, there is no graduation rate or postsecondary data to report—this is a straightforward elementary setting with no high school outcomes.

The school’s overall proficiency, when averaged across tested subjects and grades, places it above the midpoint relative to districts in Pierce County. In English language arts, results climb across grades, with the strongest showing in fifth grade. Mathematics proficiency stays relatively steady from third through fifth grade, and science, which is tested only at grade five, follows a pattern similar to the top end of the school’s ELA results. These are single‑year figures; trend data is available only for the latest year, so there is no basis to gauge improvement or decline over time.

Rainier Elementary enrolls a student body that is diverse by race and ethnicity. White students make up the largest single group, followed by students who identify as Hispanic, Black, Asian, two or more races, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native. Roughly two‑thirds of students qualify for free or reduced‑price lunch, a metric that often signals a high share of families with lower incomes. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available; a parent who wants a complete picture of special education and language support programs may wish to follow up directly with the school.

Joint Base Lewis‑McChord is not a civilian town. Lewis Main is the primary cantonment area of a major military installation that is home to I Corps and the 62nd Airlift Wing. Entry requires a Department of Defense identification card or a visitor pass. The base employs a large active‑duty military population, a substantial civilian workforce, and supports many military families, veterans, and retirees. Everyday life on Lewis Main revolves around military operations, training, and base support functions rather than a walkable downtown or civilian street life. The installation has its own transportation system and recreational facilities, and it sits close to Interstate 5, providing access to Tacoma and the broader Puget Sound region.

The Clover Park School District oversees Rainier Elementary. The district brief turned up little in the way of recent referendums, curriculum shifts, or property tax changes that would be of immediate note to a newly arriving family. Families moving to Lewis Main as part of a military transfer will find an elementary school that serves their children directly on the installation, with a peer environment shaped by the military community. The school’s academic results are solid relative to other Pierce County districts, and the student body reflects the diversity of the families stationed here. A parent considering this school should confirm that they can access the base and should be prepared for an elementary‑only experience that ends at grade five, after which students would move on to a Clover Park secondary school elsewhere.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 42% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 34% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 32% · ▲ 21 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 354%

School 54% · District 39% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 40% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 48% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Science

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 38% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

This schoolClover Park 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-income43%Higher-income71%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income45%Higher-income69%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income61%Higher-income82%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income68%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income45%Higher-income64%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income46%Higher-income61%14 pp gap