The top reported proficiency rate is 87% in Science. The lowest is 73% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Norman Rockwell Elementary
Norman Rockwell Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Redmond, within the Lake Washington School District. The school’s enrollment is moderate for an elementary, and the student body reflects the demographics of the surrounding area. A large share of students are Asian, followed by White, with smaller shares identifying as two or more races, Hispanic, or Black. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is very low.
The school sits in Redmond, a city that blends a dense tech employment core with residential neighborhoods. Microsoft’s headquarters anchors the Overlake area, and other major employers such as Nintendo of America and Meta maintain a strong presence. Downtown Redmond has seen significant densification, with new apartment buildings and a light rail line that began serving the area in 2024 and extended to downtown in 2025. Residential neighborhoods like Education Hill, where Norman Rockwell is located, form a ring around the center. The city has experienced rapid population growth and a housing market with very high home values and rents, reflecting its status as a regional employment hub. As publicly reported, a substantial portion of workers commute into Redmond from outside the city.
The district brief turned up little in the way of recent referendums, curriculum changes, or property tax shifts, so this account leaves that context aside rather than guess.
Academically, Norman Rockwell Elementary performs at a notably high level. Proficiency rates in English language arts are strong across third through fifth grade, and math proficiency is also solid, though it tapers somewhat by fifth grade. Science results for fifth graders are very high. When measured against all other elementary schools in King County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects places it in the top quartile among its peers. This is a clear strength. The data does not include information on chronic absenteeism rates, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about attendance patterns.
Because Norman Rockwell serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to assess, and state testing is the primary academic measure available. No information was provided on program offerings, such as special education services, gifted programming, or English learner support, nor on staffing ratios, discipline rates, or course access. The civil rights data was also absent. A parent interested in any of those areas would need to follow up with the school or district.
The student peer environment is shaped by the school’s location in an affluent, highly educated community. The housing market in Redmond carries a very high cost of entry, which strongly influences who lives in the attendance zone. The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. In terms of identity, this is a straightforward neighborhood elementary with a strong academic record serving a community where many families are directly connected to the tech industry. For a family looking for an elementary school with consistently high test performance and a peer group that reflects the surrounding professional-class population, Norman Rockwell fits that profile. For a family concerned about economic diversity or looking for a school with a wider range of family backgrounds, the very low share of students qualifying for meal assistance may be a relevant consideration.
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