Mirror Lake Elementary School, Federal Way WA

Original Research by School Decision on Mirror Lake Elementary School

Mirror Lake Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in Federal Way, part of the Federal Way School District. The school enrolls a student body that is diverse across racial and ethnic lines, with no single group forming a majority. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context that many families will want to factor into their understanding of the school’s resources and support needs.

State assessment results from the 2024–25 school year show that in both math and English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency standards was limited across grades three, four, and five. Science results for fifth graders followed a similar pattern. Compared with other elementary schools across King County, Mirror Lake’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quarter of the county’s districts. Because only a single year of data is available, no trend can be determined yet. A parent may want to ask the school about its academic improvement strategies and how it supports students who are working below grade-level expectations.

Information about some important student characteristics was missing from the available data. Counts and rates for students with individualized education programs (IEPs) and English learners were not reported, so a fuller picture of special education and language support services is not available from this source. Similarly, no data on discipline, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism was provided. Families who need these details should follow up with the school directly.

The school offers no magnet or charter designation, and Title I status was not stated in the data we had. No program offerings were listed, so it is unclear what enrichment or specialized classes are available beyond the core curriculum.

Mirror Lake sits within the city of Federal Way, a mid-sized suburban community that developed largely in the decades after Interstate 5 connected the area to Seattle and Tacoma. The city’s housing market, based on the school’s zip code, shows home values near the middle of the range for the broader King County area, though the county as a whole is an expensive region. Rent levels are also moderate relative to the county’s high cost of living. The housing market in King County has seen a slight softening in median listing prices, but demand remains steady. Federal Way itself has been investing in a planned City Center district, and a new light rail station opened at the Federal Way Downtown transit center in late 2025, which could reshape commuting patterns and neighborhood development over time. The city has a mix of residential neighborhoods, retail corridors, and some employment anchors such as the former Weyerhaeuser campus now redeveloped as an office and lab park.

The district brief found little in the way of recent parent-relevant changes, so we leave that area unaddressed rather than guess. Federal Way Public Schools operates all of the city’s public schools, and Mirror Lake is one of its elementary sites.

For a family evaluating Mirror Lake, the most salient points are the school’s high level of economic need and its low state test results relative to other King County elementary schools. The student body is racially and economically diverse. The surrounding city offers a suburban setting with improving transit access and a stable but not booming housing market. Because key data on special education, English learner services, and staffing are missing, any decision based solely on this profile would benefit from a direct conversation with the school’s administration.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 36% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 36 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 52% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 36 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 28% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 32% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 33% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 39% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Science

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 33% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

This schoolFederal Way 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-income27%Higher-income33%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income20%Higher-income50%30 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income42%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income22%Higher-income35%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income33%16 pp gap