The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Peninsula Elementary
Peninsula Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Moses Lake, Washington, part of the Moses Lake School District. The school sits in a city that publicly describes itself as retaining a “small town vibe” while growing its manufacturing, aerospace, and agricultural sectors. Moses Lake is the most populous city in Grant County and has been on a growth trajectory driven by clean-energy manufacturing plants and industrial expansion. The built environment is sprawling and car-dependent, typical of central Washington’s agricultural and industrial towns, with major highways bisecting the city. For families considering the area, housing values in the zip code are roughly in line with national benchmarks, and rents have eased slightly in the past year, but local affordability conditions reflect the broader economic context of the Columbia Basin.
The student body at Peninsula is almost evenly split between two racial and ethnic groups: about half of students are Hispanic, and a little under half are White, with a small share of students who identify as two or more races and a very small number of Asian and Black students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of moderate to high economic need. Enrollment is moderate for an elementary school of this grade band. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported in the available profile, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
State assessment results from the 2024-25 school year show a pattern that calls for a close look from families. In English language arts, proficiency rates drop from just over half of third graders to about a third of fourth graders and just under a third of fifth graders. In math, the same grade-level decline is more pronounced: roughly half of third graders met proficiency, around a third of fourth graders did, and only a quarter of fifth graders did. Science, tested only in fifth grade, also shows about a quarter of students proficient. Compared to other districts in Grant County, Peninsula’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint of the nine districts in the county. Because only a single year of assessment data is available, it is not possible to see whether these levels represent a change from prior years. A parent may want to ask the district what steps are being taken to support student progress through the elementary grades, especially in math and science, where the drop-off is steepest.
Because Peninsula is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. The school offers no data on programs such as gifted services, dual language, or specialized electives in the profile reviewed, and no discipline or staffing metrics were present. The school’s Title I status was also not provided. The Moses Lake School District, meanwhile, has added a new elementary school and opened a project-based learning high school called Vanguard Academy in recent years, reflecting ongoing capital investment and program expansion at the district level, but those changes are not specific to Peninsula.
For a family choosing a school, Peninsula Elementary offers a conventional elementary program in a city that is both an agricultural center and an emerging hub for advanced manufacturing and clean energy. The school’s demographics reflect the broader community’s diversity and socioeconomic mix. Academically, the pattern of declining proficiency from third to fifth grade and the below-county-midpoint overall performance are the central facts to weigh. A parent considering this school should expect to engage actively with teachers and the district about how the school addresses learning gaps as students move toward middle school, particularly in math and science. The available data does not speak to the school’s climate, extracurricular offerings, or specific instructional approaches, so a school visit and conversation with the principal would fill an important gap before making a decision.
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