Cascade Elementary, East Wenatchee WA

Original Research by School Decision on Cascade Elementary

Cascade Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in East Wenatchee, part of the Eastmont School District. It is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet. The student body is roughly evenly split between white and Hispanic students, with a small number of students from other racial backgrounds. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the broader economic mix of the community.

East Wenatchee sits on the east shore of the Columbia River, opposite Wenatchee, and blends residential neighborhoods, commercial shopping centers, and surrounding orchards that grow apples, cherries, and pears. The city has grown substantially in recent decades through annexation, and its housing market reflects that expansion. Home values in the area fall between the national median and the higher Washington state median. Rents are a noticeable share of local household income, something a family moving into the area would want to factor into their budget.

The school itself is one of several elementary campuses within the district, each located on its own site rather than clustered in a single central area. There is no traditional dense downtown core; retail is concentrated in malls and along highway corridors, and the city is largely car-oriented. Public transit through Link Transit connects East Wenatchee to surrounding communities, and the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail provides a pedestrian and cycling route along the river.

Academically, Cascade Elementary’s state assessment results show a varied picture by grade level and subject. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places the school in the top tier when compared to other schools in Douglas County. Fourth grade stands out as particularly strong in both math and reading, with a large majority of students meeting the state standard. Sixth grade reading also shows solid achievement. In contrast, third grade and fifth grade math are areas where about half of students reach the proficiency mark, and fifth grade reading sits at a similar level. Science, tested in fifth grade, follows the same pattern. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students in the grades where proficiency dips and whether there are targeted interventions for math in particular.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism, special education enrollment, and English learner counts were not available. That makes it harder to assess the full range of student support or disciplinary climate, but the absence of those figures is not unusual for schools in this grade band.

For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is that Cascade Elementary operates in a growing, car-dependent city with a strong agricultural and retail economy. Academically, it performs well overall compared to other schools in the county, with fourth grade as a high point and some softer spots in upper-elementary math. The student body is economically diverse, with a substantial low-income population, and the racial composition is nearly equal between white and Hispanic students. That mix may appeal to families looking for a setting that reflects the broader community.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 49% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 53% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 36% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 654%

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

▲ 17 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 49% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 471%

School 71% · District 56% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 49% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median

Science

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 46% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median

This schoolEastmont 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-income39%Higher-income77%38 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income53%Higher-income85%33 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income49%Higher-income69%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income83%42 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income45%Higher-income74%29 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income68%Higher-income85%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income62%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income34%Higher-income72%38 pp gap