The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Science. The lowest is 38% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Fairwood Elementary School
Fairwood Elementary School is a regular public school in the Kent School District, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school sits within the city of Renton, an inner-ring suburb of Seattle with a strong industrial and corporate identity. Boeing’s Renton factory, the final assembly point for a major family of commercial aircraft, is the city’s largest employer, alongside companies like Paccar, Providence Health & Services, and Wizards of the Coast. The community is a mix of lakefront neighborhoods, hillside residential areas, and a redeveloped downtown core with transit, retail, and multi-family housing. Home values in the zip code that includes Fairwood are well above national norms, and rents also run high; housing in general commands a premium in this corner of King County.
Academically, Fairwood’s performance on state assessments shows variation by grade and subject. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency standards in third grade was the highest among the tested grades, while fourth grade was lower, and fifth grade was markedly lower. In English language arts, third and fourth graders again saw higher proficiency rates than fifth graders. Fifth-grade science results, from a separate state test, landed between the highs and lows of the other subjects. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint when compared with other districts in King County. This is a soft spot worth a closer look for any family trying to gauge academic trajectory. Only a single year of data is available, so there is no trend to examine yet; a parent may want to ask the school how recent cohorts have performed over time or what interventions are in place for the older elementary grades.
Enrollment at Fairwood is in the hundreds for the PK-5 band, with a student body that reflects a range of racial and economic backgrounds. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population includes white families as the largest single group, followed by Hispanic, Black, Asian, and mixed-race students, along with smaller shares of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaska Native students. The school is not a magnet or charter; it operates as a standard attendance-area elementary school.
Renton itself has seen significant development in recent decades, including the Landing, a large residential and commercial project on former Boeing property, and Southport, a lakefront hotel and office development. A bus rapid transit system is under construction, with service anticipated in the next few years. The city’s population grew substantially between the last two censuses, and while the most recent estimate shows a slight dip, the broader area remains dynamic. The Kent School District, meanwhile, has been navigating enrollment declines and budget pressures. The district closed two elementary schools effective for the 2025-2026 school year in response to a budget shortfall. Voters also approved a capital bond in 2023 that funded a new middle school and safety upgrades, and they have passed technology and enrichment levies that support classroom devices and extracurricular programs. Standards-based grading was implemented across elementary schools starting in 2023-2024, so Fairwood reports student progress against specific learning standards rather than traditional letter grades.
For a family considering Fairwood, the picture is a mixed one. The school sits in a high-cost, economically vibrant part of the Seattle metro area, within a district that has made recent investments in facilities and technology even as it consolidates buildings. Academic results are uneven, with stronger performance in the primary grades and a notable drop by fifth grade. The student body is economically diverse. The school’s size is on the smaller side for a PK-5, which may appeal to families who prefer a more intimate elementary experience. Anyone evaluating Fairwood would benefit from visiting, talking to staff about how they address the gaps in upper-grade achievement, and understanding how the district’s recent changes—especially the school closures and grading shift—affect their child’s path.
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