The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in English language arts. The lowest is 41% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lopez Elementary School
Lopez Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade on Lopez Island, the most rural of the three major San Juan Islands in Washington. The school is part of the Lopez School District, the single district covering the island. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The grade band ends at sixth grade, so there are no high school outcomes to report: no graduation rate, no advanced placement or dual-credit offerings. State testing data is available for the 2024-25 school year, though results for several grade levels were suppressed, likely due to small class sizes, which is common in a school this size.
The elementary school is small. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population that makes up roughly a quarter of enrollment. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator that many families on the island have moderate to lower incomes. The school serves children from kindergarten through sixth grade, with each grade containing a small group of students.
State assessment data is incomplete, but the results that are reported give a mixed picture. In English language arts, fourth-grade proficiency was below half of students meeting the bar, fifth-grade proficiency was around half, and sixth-grade proficiency was well above three-quarters. In math, the only reported grade was sixth, where proficiency was below half. In science, the only tested grade, fifth grade, saw about half of students proficient. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls below the midpoint among districts in San Juan County. A parent may want to look into how the school supports students in the earlier grades and in math, since those areas show softer results.
The school’s location shapes nearly everything about it. Lopez Island is intentionally underdeveloped, with a conscious local preference for a rural, low-key lifestyle. Lopez Village is the compact commercial hub with a grocery store, shops, and restaurants, and it is the only area where you can easily walk to amenities. Outside the village, the island has no stoplights and many miles of quiet country roads, popular with cyclists. The “Lopez wave” is a local custom of waving at everyone you pass. The economy is driven by tourism, agriculture, and fishing, along with the Washington State Ferries terminal that connects the island to the mainland. The population is small year-round but swells in summer with second-home owners and visitors.
The district itself has no recent major changes to report in terms of referendums, curriculum shifts, or property tax measures, based on publicly available information. The school’s academic results are limited to a single year of testing data, making it difficult to identify trends over time.
For a parent or resident considering this school, the academic pathway is straightforward: a small, rural elementary school feeding into a single district that continues through high school on the island. The peer environment is intimate, with class sizes that are very small. The housing market reflects the island’s character: home values well above national and state medians, and the cost of buying is steep relative to local incomes. Renting is also expensive. The school fits families who value a tight-knit, rural community and are comfortable with a school where a student’s performance can vary notably from grade to grade and subject to subject. It may be less suited to families seeking a wide range of program offerings or consistent high proficiency across all tested areas.
See more original research from School Decision →