The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Science. The lowest is 68% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Penny Creek Elementary
Penny Creek Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Everett School District, located in the southeastern part of the city near the Mill Creek border. The school sits in a residential section of Everett, a city that functions as both a major employment center for Snohomish County and a bedroom community for Seattle. Boeing’s aircraft assembly plant at Paine Field and Naval Station Everett anchor the local economy, and the Port of Everett adds maritime and commercial activity. The area has seen steady population growth, with new residential neighborhoods annexed to the south and west over time. Housing in this ZIP code carries a value well above the Washington state benchmark, reflecting the desirability of this pocket of Everett, though recent trends show a modest pullback in both home prices and rents relative to a year ago. That price level makes this a relatively expensive entry point for families buying into the district, and the local rent-to-income ratio suggests housing costs consume a sizable share of household earnings.
The school itself is large for an elementary, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across kindergarten through fifth grade. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse. White students make up the largest share, followed closely by Asian students, with smaller but notable populations of Hispanic students, students who identify as two or more races, and Black students. Roughly a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a common measure of economic need. Data on the share of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners was not reported, so a family with a child in either category would want to ask the school directly about how those programs are staffed and structured.
On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Penny Creek’s students posted results that place the school among the stronger performers in Snohomish County. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades landed in the top quartile relative to districts countywide. In math, the share of students meeting the state bar was above the midpoint in grades three and five, and somewhat lower in grade four. English language arts results followed a similar pattern, with third and fifth graders turning in a higher share of proficient scores than fourth graders did. Science, tested only at grade five, showed a strong outcome. Because this is the first year of data available for this metric, there is no trend line yet to show whether performance is improving or declining. Still, the single snapshot paints a picture of a school where a solid majority of students are meeting state standards, with a dip in the fourth-grade year that a parent may want to ask about, particularly if their child is approaching that grade.
The Everett School District has been through a stretch of notable changes that bear on Penny Creek families. In April 2024, voters approved a replacement levy after a February 2024 attempt failed by a narrow margin. That levy funds teachers, special education, athletics, music, and arts programs, and the district had warned that a second failure would mean layoffs, larger class sizes, and program cuts. The successful passage stabilizes those offerings for the near term. Voters also approved a construction and facility improvements bond in November 2022 after a similar bond failed earlier that year. That bond funds safety and security upgrades, roof and HVAC replacements, classroom additions at overcrowded schools, and a new elementary school somewhere in the district. Additionally, the district has been adjusting attendance boundaries to balance enrollment across schools. High school boundaries were redrawn in phases from 2020 to 2023, and in late 2024 the board approved elementary boundary changes for the 2025-26 school year. It is not clear from the available information whether Penny Creek’s attendance zone will be affected by those changes, so a family considering a home purchase in the area would be wise to confirm the current boundary lines and ask about forthcoming adjustments.
The school does not have a program focus or theme listed in the available data, so it operates as a general elementary school. There is no information on course access, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism that would allow a fuller assessment of the day-to-day environment. Families who value knowing those details would need to visit, talk with the principal, or reach out to the Everett School District office for more specifics.
Penny Creek offers the profile of a large, diverse elementary school with academic results that place it comfortably above many of its county peers. It sits in a high-cost housing market attached to a city with a strong industrial and aerospace employment base and a district that has recently secured funding for both operations and facilities. The main open questions for a prospective family will revolve around any upcoming boundary changes and the specific support structures for students with special needs or those learning English.
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