The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Science. The lowest is 56% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Garfield Elementary School
Garfield Elementary School is a regular public elementary school in Everett, Washington, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Everett School District and sits within Snohomish County Mits. The school offers a full elementary program, and because its grades are not tested until third grade, state assessment data is available for grades three through five.
On the state’s annual assessments, Garfield Elementary’s overall proficiency across math, English language arts, and science, when averaged together, sits above the midpoint relative to districts across Snohomish County. This is a solid showing for an elementary school and suggests that a majority of students are meeting grade-level expectations. In English language arts, proficiency rates were close to the same level across grades three, four, and five, with slightly more than half of students meeting the bar in each grade. Math proficiency was somewhat uneven: it was highest in third grade but declined by fifth grade, where it was lower than the ELA results. Science, which is tested only in fifth grade, showed a similar rate to fifth-grade ELA. The data covers only a single year, so there is no trend to judge whether performance is improving or declining.
The student body is economically diverse, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the school is predominantly white, with a sizeable Hispanic population and smaller numbers of students who identify as two or more races, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available in the records, so a parent interested in those areas may want to ask the school directly about the programs and staffing it offers for those populations.
Garfield Elementary is located in Everett, a city that functions as both the Snohomish County seat and a major employment hub in its own right, while also serving as a bedroom community for Seattle. The local economy is anchored by Boeing, the U.S. Navy at Naval Station Everett, and the Port of Everett. Downtown Everett has a compact core with high-rise buildings, a transit station connecting commuters to Seattle via Sounder and Amtrak, and entertainment venues that contribute to street life. The city has seen steady population growth over time, with new residential neighborhoods annexed to the south and west of the original peninsula. Housing in the immediate area is relatively expensive, a pattern common across the Puget Sound region.
The Everett School District has gone through several recent shifts relevant to families. In 2024, voters approved a replacement levy for school programs and operations after an earlier version had failed by a narrow margin earlier that year. The levy funds teachers, special education, athletics, music, and arts. In 2022, voters also approved a construction and facilities bond after a prior bond measure failed, financing safety upgrades, roof and HVAC replacements, classroom additions, and a new elementary school to address overcrowding. The district has also been adjusting attendance boundaries at both the elementary and high school levels over the past several years, with additional elementary boundary changes set for the 2025-26 school year to balance enrollment between over- and under-capacity schools. A parent moving into the area should confirm which elementary school their address serves and check whether future boundary shifts are planned.
Garfield Elementary offers a typical elementary curriculum without any specialized program emphasis noted in the available records. For a family weighing this school, the key takeaway is that academic proficiency is above the midpoint among Snohomish County districts, the student body reflects a mix of economic backgrounds, and the school sits within a larger district that has made recent investments in facilities and operating levies. The absence of data on special education and English learner services means a parent with a child who may need those supports should verify availability directly with the school.
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