The top reported proficiency rate is 64% in Math. The lowest is 58% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Grass Lake Elementary School
Grass Lake Elementary School serves a PK-through-05 attendance area in the Kent School District, on the East Hill side of the city. The school is one of several elementary buildings that feed into the district’s middle and high schools. Kent is a large, economically diverse city with a significant manufacturing, warehousing, and aerospace employer base; its school district is the city’s second-largest employer. The district recently passed a capital bond that funded safety upgrades and a new middle school, and it also approved technology and enrichment levies. At the same time, the district has been managing a budget shortfall tied to declining enrollment, which led to the closure of two other elementary schools effective for the 2025-2026 school year. Grass Lake itself appears to be a stable neighborhood school, not among those closed.
The student body is diverse in composition. Slightly more than half of students are White, with Hispanic/Latino students making up roughly a fifth and Asian students about a tenth. Black, multiracial, and other groups make up smaller shares. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate in line with a school whose families include both commuters to Seattle metro jobs and workers in the local industrial and distribution sectors. Data on English learner and special education enrollment was not provided, so a parent may want to ask the school for those figures to get a fuller picture of the student supports in place.
Academically, the school shows a pattern of solid performance with some variation by grade. On the state Smarter Balanced assessments in math, proficiency rates start strong at the early grades and taper off. In English language arts, the same downward slope is visible from third through fifth grade. The fifth-grade science assessment shows that a majority of students met the state standard. Looking at the overall picture across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s composite proficiency index sits above the midpoint when compared with other districts in King County. That is a meaningful marker. This is a school where a typical student is performing at or above the county median, though a parent whose child struggles in the upper elementary years will want to understand what supports are available as the curriculum demands increase.
Because Grass Lake serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school has no chronic absenteeism data available in the current record either. Those gaps are not unusual for an elementary school, but a parent exploring the school might still ask about attendance patterns and how the school addresses them.
The housing context around the school reflects the broader King County cost pressures. Home values in the area are high, and the combination of mortgage rates and prices makes ownership expensive for many. The rental market is also tight. Families living in the Grass Lake attendance zone are likely to be homeowners or long-term renters in a mature residential area. The city itself is undergoing changes: a Link light rail extension is planned for the Kent Des Moines area, and a RapidRide bus line connecting downtown Kent to Renton and Auburn is slated to open in the next few years. These transit investments may affect neighborhood feel and access over time.
The Kent School District has adopted standards-based grading for elementary schools, which means Grass Lake reports on student progress against specific learning standards rather than assigning traditional letter grades. That shift changes how parents read report cards and track progress, especially if they are accustomed to a more conventional system. It is worth knowing before the first report card arrives.
In sum, Grass Lake Elementary sits in a large, diverse city within a district that is investing in facilities and programs while also tightening its footprint due to enrollment loss. Academically, the school rates better than many of its county peers, with stronger early-grade results. For a family looking for a neighborhood elementary that reflects the economic and ethnic diversity of Kent, and where state test scores sit comfortably above the county middle point, this is a school worth a close look. A parent would benefit from visiting, asking about how the school supports students whose fifth-grade scores soften, and confirming special education and English learner services if those matter for their child.
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