The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in Math. The lowest is 28% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Centennial Elementary School
Centennial Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Mount Vernon, a mid-sized city that functions as the civic and commercial hub of the Skagit River Valley. The city sits on the I-5 corridor roughly halfway between Seattle and the Canadian border. The surrounding area is known for agriculture, particularly the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Downtown Mount Vernon has a historic core with a restored theater, a seasonal farmers market, and a new multi-use community center that opened recently. The broader city is oriented around the interstate and state highways, and car dependence is typical outside the downtown core. Housing costs in the area are above the national median, and rent has been rising, which is relevant context for families considering the neighborhood.
As a regular public school within the Mount Vernon School District, Centennial operates as a neighborhood elementary school. The school has a substantial enrollment for the elementary grade band. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, followed by a white population that makes up about a third of the enrollment, with much smaller shares of Asian, Black, multiracial, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need in the school community. Data on the shares of students with individualized education plans or English learner status were not available for this profile.
The district has been pursuing several initiatives that affect Centennial. Voters approved a replacement operating levy in late 2024 that funds special education, transportation, athletics, music, and extracurriculars. A separate capital levy passed a couple of years earlier is funding roof replacements, HVAC upgrades, and security enhancements across district schools. The district shifted to a new elementary literacy curriculum, EL Education, beginning in the 2023–24 school year, which includes an initiative to provide diverse classroom libraries and aligns with the science of reading. A tiered support framework for academic and behavioral intervention is being implemented district-wide. The school board also adopted a gender inclusion policy with guidelines for supporting transgender and gender-expansive students.
Centennial’s state test results from the most recent school year show a mixed picture. In math, proficiency among third and fourth graders was around the midpoint, with roughly half of students meeting the bar. Fifth-grade math proficiency was much weaker, at a low level. In English language arts, third graders had the strongest showing, with about two-fifths proficient, while fourth and fifth graders tested lower. In science, which is assessed only in fifth grade, proficiency was at a low level. When combined across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among elementary schools in Skagit County. The data shows only a single year of results, so no trend direction is available. This is the kind of performance picture where a parent may want to ask the school about the specific supports in place for the upper elementary grades, particularly in math.
The school environment data was limited. Discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, and course access information were not available. For a school of this grade band, there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not serve middle or high school grades, so secondary metrics like AP or dual-credit offerings are not applicable.
Centennial Elementary is a high-needs school operating in a district that has invested in curriculum reform, facility upgrades, and a tiered support system. The test results suggest that early elementary performance is more consistent with state expectations, while the upper grades, especially fifth grade math and science, show room for development. A parent considering this school would want to understand how the district’s MTSS framework and new literacy curriculum are playing out at Centennial specifically, and what targeted interventions exist for students who are not meeting benchmarks in the later elementary years.
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