Robert Gray Elementary, Longview WA

Original Research by School Decision on Robert Gray Elementary

Robert Gray Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Longview, Washington, and sits within the Longview School District. This is a regular public school, and it draws its students from the surrounding residential neighborhoods of what was originally a planned industrial city. The school itself is one of several elementary schools distributed across the city, and it provides a neighborhood-scale setting for elementary-aged children.

The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic presence. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is also substantial, indicating that a meaningful portion of families in the attendance area are navigating economic constraints. Enrollment figures suggest the school is of average size for an elementary school serving these grade levels.

Academically, the school’s performance on the state assessments varies noticeably by grade and subject. In third grade, a solid majority of students met the proficiency bar in both math and English language arts. In fourth grade, the share who met the bar dropped off significantly in both subjects, with a far smaller percentage reaching proficiency in math. By fifth grade, math proficiency fell again to a point where only a minority of students met the standard, while English language arts proficiency rebounded to a level where roughly half of students met the mark. In fifth-grade science, a minority of students were proficient. Because the school only has one year of assessment data in the current testing regime, there is no trend line to check whether these are typical patterns or a single-year fluctuation. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand whether the drop in later grades is a known area of focus or a cohort-specific situation.

The school’s overall proficiency index places it among the highest-performing elementary schools in the county, relative to the other school districts in Cowlitz County. This county-level comparison provides useful context, but it is specific to this local set and does not represent a statewide or national benchmark.

Longview itself provides the broader context for the school’s operations. The city was designed in the 1920s with separate zones for industry, commerce, and residences, and that planned layout remains visible. Manufacturing, particularly timber and paper products along with a growing chemicals sector, anchors the local economy. The Port of Longview on the Columbia River is a major employer and cargo handler. Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to state averages, with home values and rents that are accessible compared to many parts of Washington. The city’s population growth has been modest and steady, not rapid, and no major new housing developments have been reported. The district itself saw the closure of a special services school after a recent school year, which is a change families with children needing specialized programs may wish to inquire about directly.

For a family considering Robert Gray Elementary, the picture is that of a neighborhood school in a working industrial city, serving a diverse-by-income student body. Academic performance is strong in the early elementary years, with a notable dip in tested proficiency as students move into the upper grades, particularly in math. The school sits within a county where it ranks favorably overall, but the internal variation by grade is the more immediate detail a parent would want to understand. The area offers a stable housing market and a city with a defined civic center and industrial base, rather than a fast-growing suburb.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 369%

School 69% · District 44% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 43% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 33% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 369%

School 69% · District 40% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 38% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 43% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Science

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 42% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

This schoolLongview School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income60%Higher-income79%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income34%Higher-income45%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income45%Higher-income56%11 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income60%Higher-income79%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income55%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income32%8 pp gap