Westgate Elementary, Edmonds WA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Westgate Elementary

Westgate Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in the Edmonds School District, and it sits in an unassuming but practical position within the district. The school draws from the Westgate neighborhood, an outlying suburban pocket of Edmonds with its own small commercial center, distinct from the walkable arts-and-waterfront core downtown. For a family looking at this school, the immediate context is a standard public elementary that serves a mixed-income attendance zone, not a magnet or a program of choice.

Academically, Westgate presents a picture of a school that is solid in some areas and uneven in others. On state assessments, performance in English language arts varied considerably by grade level. In one grade, a large majority of students met the bar, while in other grades the share was closer to half. Math scores followed a similar pattern, with one grade level showing a clear strength and others landing in a range that a parent would want to understand better. The school's science results, measured in fifth grade, were also mixed. Overall, when all tested subjects and grades are combined into a single proficiency index, Westgate sits above the midpoint among elementary schools within Snohomish County. That is a helpful directional signal: it is not at the top of the county, but it is not lagging behind many of its neighbors either. There is no prior-year data available to show whether performance is improving or declining, so the snapshot is all there is.

The student body is of moderate size, with a demographic mix that is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who are Asian, Black, or of two or more races. Roughly two-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which indicates that the school serves a significant number of families with lower household incomes. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available state data, so a parent with a child in either of those groups would want to ask the school directly about supports and staffing ratios.

The housing context in the immediate area is expensive. Home values in the ZIP code that includes Westgate are well above state and national averages, and rents are high relative to incomes. The typical rent consumes about a third of a median household's income, meaning that families moving into this area should expect a significant housing cost commitment. The broader Edmonds housing market showed a very slight year-over-year decline in home values recently, but prices remain elevated.

A parent considering Westgate should note a few district-level developments that will affect the school experience. The district recently passed a major construction bond that will fund facility upgrades and replacements at several schools. Whether Westgate is directly on that list matters; a family should check the specific projects. The district is also in the process of adopting a new K-3 literacy curriculum grounded in the science of reading, with new materials expected in classrooms in a coming school year. That represents a meaningful shift in how early reading instruction will be delivered across all elementary schools in the district, including Westgate.

What is missing from the available data is also worth noting. There was no information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, class sizes, or staffing ratios for Westgate. These are all areas a prospective parent would want to explore in a school visit or conversation with the principal. The school does not offer any specialized magnet or alternative programs; it is a regular neighborhood elementary. For a family that values a straightforward, neighborhood-based school with some academic strengths and some variability, and who is prepared for the area's high housing costs, Westgate is a reasonable option to investigate further.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 54% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 40% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 42% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 48% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 351%

School 51% · District 54% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 53% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 56% · ▼ 2 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 675%

School 75% · District 57% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Science

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 54% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolEdmonds 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-income29%Higher-income61%32 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income37%Higher-income68%32 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income40%Higher-income64%24 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income46%Higher-income86%40 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income57%37 pp gap