The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in English language arts. The lowest is 45% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Gregory Heights Elementary
Gregory Heights Elementary sits in the Gregory Heights neighborhood of Burien, a city that blends residential streets with a walkable downtown center. The school is part of Highline Public Schools, a district that has been working through a multi-year modernization and construction program, rebuilding and relocating several schools. Gregory Heights itself is noted in district materials with an interim location or expected relocation, so families should expect that the physical school building may change in the coming years as the district reshapes its facilities.
The school serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and is a regular public school. Its enrollment is large enough to fill multiple classes at each grade level but still middle-sized for an elementary school. The student body is diverse. The largest racial or ethnic groups are white students and Hispanic or Latino students, each making up a substantial share of enrollment, followed by students who identify with two or more races, Asian students, Black students, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that indicates the school serves a community with many families facing economic need. Data on the share of students with disabilities or English learner status was not available; a parent may want to ask the school directly about special education and language support services.
On state assessments administered in spring 2025, Gregory Heights posted results that were below the midpoint among districts in King County when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The school’s combined proficiency index places it in the lower half of the county’s districts, though it is worth noting that index compares elementary results against districts that include older students, so the picture is not a direct one-to-one match. In math, proficiency rates moved downward as students got older: third and fourth graders had proficiency rates around the halfway mark, but fifth graders had a noticeably lower rate. In English language arts, third graders again had a rate around the halfway mark, while fourth and fifth graders came in just below that level. Science, tested only in fifth grade, had a result modestly below the halfway mark. There is only one year of data available for this assessment, so there is no trend line to examine yet. A parent with a child heading into fifth grade might want to ask the school how it supports math and science learning in the upper elementary grades.
The school offers no data on chronic absenteeism or on high school outcomes such as graduation rates, which is expected since Gregory Heights serves only elementary grades. No information on course access, staffing ratios, or discipline rates was available in the data reviewed. The district brief notes that Highline Public Schools has been expanding its portfolio of choice schools, including Innovation Heights Academy and Maritime High School, which could be relevant for families looking ahead to middle and high school options.
Burien itself has a small-town atmosphere with established neighborhoods and a diverse population. The city has been designated a Regional Growth Center by the Puget Sound Regional Council, and it has seen steady population growth, including a significant annexation of the North Highline area. Housing in Burien’s ZIP code has a median home value that is well above the national median but slightly below the state median, with rents that are high relative to incomes. The local housing market has seen a modest dip in listing prices recently, while the number of active listings has increased, giving buyers more options than a year ago. The city has a walkable downtown with a farmers market, art walks, and a performing arts center. Highline College is nearby, and the Highline School District is a significant local employer, alongside healthcare providers such as CHI Franciscan and Kaiser Permanente.
For a family considering Gregory Heights Elementary, the school offers a diverse student body in a growing community with a walkable downtown, set within a district that is actively modernizing its schools and expanding program options. The academic results suggest that the school is working from a foundation where many students reach proficiency in the earlier elementary grades but face greater challenges in fifth grade, particularly in math and science. A parent whose child needs strong academic support in the upper elementary years may want to look into how the school addresses that gap.
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