The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in English language arts. The lowest is 65% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Redmond Elementary
Redmond Elementary sits in Lake Washington School District, one of the most well-regarded districts in the state, in a city that is equal parts technology headquarters and residential neighborhoods. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a building that is part of the Education Hill area, a stretch of neighborhoods north of downtown that got its name from the number of schools located there. The student body reflects the demographics of Redmond itself: Asian students make up the largest share of enrollment, followed by white students, and then smaller groups of Hispanic, two-or-more-races, Black, and Native American or Pacific Islander students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it operates as a standard neighborhood elementary school.
On state assessments for the most recent school year, the school recorded proficiency rates that place its overall performance in the top quartile among elementary schools in King County. For English language arts, proficiency across third through fifth grade was highest in fifth grade and lowest in third grade. In math, the pattern shifted: third grade had the highest proficiency rate, and fifth grade had the lowest, which is a trajectory some parents may want to discuss with the school to understand how math instruction builds across grades. Science is tested only in fifth grade in Washington, and the school’s result there was similar to its English language arts and math averages. Because the state assessment data covers only a single school year, there is no multi-year trend to show whether these scores represent a stable pattern or a change.
A parent considering this school should know that testing data is only available for grades three through five, and only for the subjects tested at those grades. Kindergarten through second grade are not part of Washington’s state testing program, so there is no academic data for those early primary years from this source. The school also has no published chronic absenteeism rate, no discipline data, no court-access reporting, and no staffing ratios in the available record. Those are gaps a family might want to fill by asking the school directly about class sizes, attendance patterns, and how the school supports students who need extra help.
The housing market in the school’s attendance area is among the most expensive in the region. Home values in the zip code are high, and rents are correspondingly steep. The broader King County market has seen the median listing price on the county level rise and fall modestly, and inventory has increased. The area’s unemployment rate is low, and the local economy is dominated by Microsoft, whose campus sits in Redmond’s Overlake neighborhood, along with a concentration of other major technology employers. Housing costs are a practical constraint for many families: home values in this part of Redmond are substantially above the state’s median, and while the school’s free and reduced-price lunch rate suggests some economic diversity, the high cost of living limits who can live in the attendance zone.
The district brief turned up no notable recent changes in curriculum, boundaries, or funding that would register for a parent researching this school. Because the district is large and well-established, most operational patterns are stable, but the absence of specific reported changes means a parent may want to confirm directly with the district whether any boundary adjustments or program shifts are under consideration.
For a family already living in or moving to this part of Redmond, Redmond Elementary offers solid academic results relative to its county neighbors, with proficiency rates that are healthy but not uniformly strong across every grade and subject. The profile fits a family that values a neighborhood school in a high-cost, high-opportunity suburban environment where many parents work in the technology sector. The school’s composition is not unusual for the area, and the peer group will reflect the demographics of the surrounding neighborhoods. A family looking for a school with visible academic growth data from year to year will not find that here in the public record, and should ask the school how it tracks and shares progress internally. The school is not a turnaround or a struggling one, but neither is it at the very top of the county rankings. It occupies a solid place in a district known for strong overall performance, and its own numbers are consistent with that reputation.
See more original research from School Decision →