The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Science. The lowest is 42% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Fife Elementary School
Fife Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the Tacoma area, part of the Fife School District. The school sits within a sprawling mid-sized port city that blends working waterfront, industrial port, and distinct residential neighborhoods, with healthcare, retail, and education as the largest employment sectors. Housing values in the school’s zip code are roughly in line with the state average, though affordability is a real consideration: the area’s median home value and rents reflect a market that is more expensive than the national norm, and recent year-over-year values have held relatively steady.
The student body is diverse in composition. Roughly a quarter of students are white, with substantial shares who are Hispanic, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Asian, Black, and multiracial. About six in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that signals a significant concentration of economic need. The school population is sizable for an elementary building, with enrollment spread across the grade levels.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show a mixed picture. In English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency was below the midpoint among elementary schools in Pierce County. Math proficiency also fell below the county midpoint for the same comparison set. Looking by grade, fourth graders outperformed third and fifth graders in both reading and math, but across all grades and subjects, the school’s overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint of the county’s districts. Science results for fifth graders—the only tested science grade—showed a similar pattern: about two in five students met the bar. Single-year data does not reveal a trend, so families should treat this as a baseline read rather than a direction. A parent may want to discuss with the school how it approaches core instruction and whether interventions target the early grades, where proficiency was lowest.
Because this is an elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, there are no graduation rate or college readiness metrics to report. That is standard for the grade band.
The Fife School District has recently invested in new facilities. Fife Elementary itself was built in 2023 and completed without bond financing, a notable achievement that means the school occupies a newer building. The district also opened a new early learning center the following year. In late 2024, voters renewed two levies: an Educational Programs & Operations levy and a Capital Technology levy, both passing with strong approval. The capital levy funds facility improvements including security upgrades, HVAC work, and student technology, while the operations levy supports athletics, activities, and special education services. These funding measures provide a stable baseline for programs and infrastructure through the end of the decade, which matters for planning ahead.
The school does not have publicly reported data on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or course access, so those areas cannot be characterized. The community context of Tacoma provides a wide range of civic and cultural anchors—museums, performing arts venues, parks, and a growing downtown—but the school itself is part of the Fife system rather than the larger Tacoma Public Schools district, so families should orient to the Fife district’s boundaries and programming.
For a family considering Fife Elementary, the main considerations are a newly built school facility, a district that has secured strong local levy support, and a student body that reflects a wide range of backgrounds. Academic performance, based on the most recent state assessments, sits below the county midpoint, which is a factor worth exploring directly with the school to understand its improvement plans and instructional approach. The economic profile of the student population is one of higher need, which often correlates with the level of support services a school prioritizes.
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