The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in English language arts. The lowest is 41% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Kittitas Elementary School
Kittitas Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the small agricultural town of Kittitas, about seven miles east of Ellensburg in central Washington. It is a regular public school, the only elementary school in the Kittitas School District, and sits within a compact town that was founded as a railroad stop along the Milwaukee Road. The town’s character remains tied to farming and the surrounding dry landscape, and its civic anchors include a small library, a post office, and the historic depot now managed by Washington State Parks. Interstate 90 provides access to Ellensburg, Seattle, and Spokane, but the town itself has limited commercial activity and a quiet, residential feel.
The school enrolls a modest number of students across grades K-5, with a student body that is predominantly white and includes a sizable Hispanic minority. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that signals a community with notable economic need. Home values in the area are moderate compared to the national median and well below the Washington state median, and housing supply appears tight based on low vacancy rates. The population has grown slowly in recent decades.
State test results for the 2024-25 school year provide the first available single-year snapshot of academic performance. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through five clustered in the low forties, while math showed more variation: fourth graders reached a rate above half proficient, third graders hit the midpoint, and fifth graders fell to around a third. Science results for fifth graders landed close to the middle of those bands. When compared with other school districts in Kittitas County, the school’s overall proficiency index sits slightly above the midpoint of the group, placing it near the middle of the local peer set rather than at either end.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, and course access were not available in the records used for this profile. Information on special education and English learner populations was also absent, so a parent seeking details on those supports would want to ask the school directly. The district brief turned up no major recent changes or initiatives, suggesting a stable but lightly documented environment.
For a family weighing options, Kittitas Elementary offers a small-town public school experience in a community where the school is part of the town’s fabric. Academic performance is mixed, with some grade-level results stronger than others, and overall achievement sits near the middle of county districts rather than at the top. The share of students from lower-income households is substantial, and the school’s modest enrollment means class sizes and individual attention may be easier to gauge in person. A parent who values a compact, rural setting and wants a school that reflects that community’s scale would find this a natural fit, while one looking for stronger test results or a broader array of academic programs would want to explore further.
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