The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Math. The lowest is 20% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Springdale Elementary
Springdale Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the small, rural town of Springdale, Washington, roughly forty miles northwest of Spokane. The school is a regular public school and the only elementary campus within the Mary Walker School District, which also includes a middle school and high school within the same compact town. Springdale itself has a modest main street and a working-class history rooted in logging, farming, and mining. The town remains very small, with limited commercial activity, and residents rely on personal vehicles for most services. The setting is quiet and rural, with nearby access to the Colville National Forest.
Springdale Elementary enrolled around two hundred students. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who are Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, and of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a moderate-to-high poverty context. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs or English learner status was not available in the records used here, which is a gap a parent may want to explore directly with the school.
Academic results come from the state’s 2024-25 assessments, the only year of testing data available, so no trend can be established. In third grade, about half of students met the proficiency benchmark in math, and roughly two in five did so in English language arts. By fourth grade, the share proficient in math dropped to just over a third, and in ELA it held at a similar level. By fifth grade, proficiency fell further: only about one in seven students were proficient in math, about one in five in ELA, and one in five in science. Overall, across tested subjects and grades, the school’s combined proficiency placed it below the midpoint relative to districts in Stevens County. The pattern of declining performance as students move through the grades is a soft spot worth examining; families may want to ask the school about its approach to supporting older elementary students who are not yet meeting benchmarks.
Because Springdale Elementary only serves through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s small enrollment and rural location mean class sizes are likely modest. No information was available on course offerings, staffing ratios, discipline, or attendance, so those dimensions are not addressed here.
Housing in the area has seen modest appreciation in recent years, with typical home values well below the statewide median. The local economy has not shown signs of rapid growth or large-scale development. The town has experienced some population increase, but remains very small, and governance challenges have been publicly reported. For a family considering the area, the housing market is relatively affordable compared to much of Washington.
Springdale Elementary fits a family looking for a very small, rural elementary school in a tight‑knit community with historical roots and a quiet pace of life. The test results indicate that the school faces academic challenges, particularly in the upper elementary grades, and the overall proficiency level is behind many other districts in the county. A parent moving here would be well served by visiting the school, talking with teachers about how they address skill gaps, and understanding what supports are available for students who are not yet at grade level. The school does not offer the breadth of programs a larger or more affluent district might, but its scale and setting may appeal to those seeking a low‑key, community‑oriented environment for the early years.
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