The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Science. The lowest is 74% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Maple Hills Elementary
Maple Hills Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Issaquah School District, located in the city of Renton. Renton itself is a large, diverse inner-ring suburb of Seattle with a strong industrial and corporate base, anchored by Boeing’s final assembly plant. The city also hosts major employers such as Paccar, Providence Health & Services, and Wizards of the Coast. The community has seen significant redevelopment in its downtown core over the past few decades, with new transit-oriented housing, a transit center, and mixed-use developments like The Landing. While much of Renton is auto-dependent, given its spread across more than 25 square miles and its position where three major freeways meet, downtown offers a more walkable pocket with a library, park, and farmers’ market. Housing values in the area are high, reflecting the broader King County market, and the district itself has seen notable enrollment fluctuations in recent years. The Issaquah School District placed a large capital bond measure on the ballot in early 2024 to address school construction and renovations, a signal of both growth pressures and aging infrastructure.
Maple Hills is a regular public school with a student body that is predominantly white, with a substantial share of students identifying as two or more races and smaller shares of Hispanic and Asian students. A relatively low percentage of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community with generally higher household incomes. The school is on the smaller side for an elementary, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across grades kindergarten through five.
On academic performance, Maple Hills Elementary posted strong results on Washington’s state assessments. In math, the school’s proficiency rates were solid across grade levels, with the third and fourth grades particularly strong and the fifth grade showing a softer result, though still above typical state averages. In English language arts, all three tested grades scored well, with the fourth and fifth grades performing at a high level. Science, tested only in fifth grade, also showed a strong proficiency rate. When compared to other school districts across King County, the school’s overall proficiency across subjects and grades places it in the top quartile. This is a clear strength, and a parent can expect a generally high-performing academic environment here.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, special education enrollment, and English learner populations were not available in the provided records, so a parent who wants a fuller picture of student support and equity would want to ask the school directly about these areas. The school has no charter or magnet designation, and its Title I status was not provided, which is consistent with a school serving a relatively low proportion of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
The Issaquah School District’s enrollment has declined from prior years, which can affect school capacity, class size, and staffing decisions. For a family considering this school, the immediate academic picture is reassuring: test scores are strong across the board and notably high in math and English language arts. The setting is a comfortable, mid-sized suburban elementary school with a relatively affluent and demographically less diverse student body compared to the broader Renton area. A parent who values a consistently high-performing elementary within a well-regarded district will find Maple Hills a strong fit, though they may want to explore student support services and the recent district-level planning around facilities and enrollment to understand the longer-term context.
See more original research from School Decision →