Southgate Elementary School, Kennewick WA

Original Research by School Decision on Southgate Elementary School

Southgate Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Kennewick School District. It sits in a residential part of Kennewick, the most populous of Washington State’s Tri-Cities, a community that has grown steadily alongside a diversified economy in manufacturing, food processing, retail, and services. Kennewick’s population has been rising, described publicly as the fastest-growing city in the state, and the district itself has responded with a structured bond-and-levy process to fund new buildings and capital projects tied to enrollment growth. Families moving into this part of the city will find housing values that sit somewhat below the state benchmark, which is a common pattern for an inland Washington city outside the Seattle orbit; the area offers a lower cost of entry compared to the western part of the state.

The school’s student body is diverse in composition. White students and Hispanic students each make up a substantial share of the enrollment, with students who identify as two or more races also present in a meaningful number. Smaller shares of Asian, Black, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students are also enrolled. A significant portion of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that the school serves many families with lower household incomes. The school is neither a charter nor a magnet, and data on Title I status and on special populations such as students with disabilities and English learners was not provided, so those dimensions of support are not part of this account.

On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Southgate’s results showed a mixed picture. In English language arts, across grades three through five, roughly two out of five to half of students met the state’s proficiency bar. In mathematics, the share of proficient students ranged from roughly two out of five in third grade to a higher share in fourth grade, with fifth grade dropping back a bit. In science, which is tested only in fifth grade, about half of students were proficient. Measured as a combined index across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency sits above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Benton County. That tells a parent that among the six Benton County districts, Southgate’s performance is neither at the very top nor at the bottom, but in the upper half of the local field.

Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available in the provided information. The broader district context includes an active process for funding school facilities and operations through local voter-approved measures, which can be a signal to a resident or parent that the community is engaged in supporting its schools and that capacity planning is a live issue given the area’s growth.

For a family considering this school, the picture is of an elementary school in a growing mid-sized city, with a student body that reflects the area’s demographic breadth and a sizable share of families navigating economic constraints. Academic results are moderate, with the school performing solidly relative to other districts in the same county but not at the top of that group. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how instruction and intervention are structured, particularly in math where the results varied across grade levels, and to ask about programs for students who are learning English or who receive special education, since data on those populations was not in hand. The housing market in Kennewick offers more affordability than the state median, which is a practical consideration for families choosing where to settle.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 47% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 45% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 38% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 44% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · District 46%

▼ 3 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 52% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 46% · ▲ 6 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

This schoolKennewick 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-income35%Higher-income52%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income34%Higher-income68%34 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income63%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income26%Higher-income58%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income76%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income57%21 pp gap