The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 46% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Pleasant Glade Elementary
Pleasant Glade Elementary sits in the northeastern part of Lacey, a suburban city in Thurston County that grew as a bedroom community for Olympia, Fort Lewis, and Tacoma. Lacey is bisected by Interstate 5 and retains a residential character, with households that include children and a notable retirement population. The city has experienced steady growth, and its housing market reflects that: home values in the area have risen, and rents have climbed, making it a relatively expensive place to buy or rent compared to national benchmarks. The broader economic context shows a stable unemployment rate and rising shelter costs, which matter for families weighing the trade-offs between housing and school quality.
The school serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and is part of North Thurston Public Schools, the largest district in Thurston County. Pleasant Glade is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet school. Its enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving this grade band, drawing families from the surrounding neighborhoods. Student demographics show a diverse mix, with no single racial or ethnic group forming a majority. White students make up the largest share, followed by students who identify as two or more races, Hispanic students, Asian students, Black students, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a common indicator of household economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the state profile, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how those populations are supported.
On state assessments, Pleasant Glade posts results that sit around the midpoint when compared with other schools across Thurston County. In math, proficiency rates decline slightly from third grade to fifth grade, with about half of third graders meeting the bar and a smaller share of fourth and fifth graders doing so. In English language arts, the pattern is more stable, with roughly half of students reaching proficiency across grades three, four, and five. Science, which is tested in fifth grade only, shows a similar share of students at the proficiency mark. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places it just above the midpoint among the county’s districts. A parent looking at these results should understand that Pleasant Glade is not an outlier on either end; its performance is broadly in line with many of its peers in Thurston County. There is no prior year of comparable assessment data in the file to establish a trend.
Because Pleasant Glade serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not have data on chronic absenteeism in the available profile. The academic picture is limited to a single year of testing, which makes it impossible to say whether the school is improving, holding steady, or declining. That is a gap worth noting. A parent might want to ask the principal or review the district’s public dashboards for multiyear data.
The school environment data is thin. No information on discipline, staffing ratios, class sizes, or course access was provided. The community context is richer. Lacey’s top employers include the State of Washington, Amazon, St. Martin’s University, and several large distribution centers, which gives the area a mix of government, tech, education, and logistics jobs. The city has a car-dependent layout with no traditional walkable downtown, though a civic campus near the South Sound Center serves as a focal point. Schools in the district are spread across separate campuses rather than clustered in one area. Public transit, including a bus rapid transit line and an Amtrak station at the city’s southern edge, provides some connection options.
For a family considering Pleasant Glade, the school offers a typical suburban elementary experience in a growing part of Thurston County. The student body is economically and racially diverse, which some families value and others simply take as a fact of the neighborhood. Academic results are solid but not exceptional, and the absence of trend data means a parent should do additional homework on whether the school is moving in a positive direction. The broader community offers stable employment, rising housing costs, and a suburban environment that requires a car for most errands.
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