The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in English language arts. The lowest is 70% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Artondale Elementary School
Artondale Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Gig Harbor, a city that grew from a quiet maritime village into a bedroom community for Tacoma after the replacement Tacoma Narrows Bridge improved access. The school is part of the Peninsula School District, which covers Gig Harbor and the broader peninsula. Gig Harbor maintains a popular historic waterfront with boutiques and dining, but most residential areas are auto-oriented, and schools like Artondale sit on campuses away from the downtown core. The city has seen substantial residential development pushing west toward State Route 16, and housing values in the area are elevated relative to state and national benchmarks, making this a comparatively higher-cost market.
Artondale is a regular public elementary school with a student body that is predominantly white, with a modest share of students identifying as two or more races and a smaller Hispanic population. Asian, Black, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students each make up a very small portion of enrollment, and the free or reduced-price lunch rate indicates that about one in five students qualifies for meal assistance, a share lower than many schools in the region. The school does not report data on students with individualized education programs or English learners, so parents wanting information on special education or language support programs would need to ask the school directly.
Academically, Artondale posts strong results on Washington’s state assessments. Across the tested grades in math and English language arts, a solid majority of students meet proficiency standards. In third grade, proficiency rates are particularly high in both subjects, and fifth-grade ELA results are also strong. Science results for fifth graders are similarly robust. The overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places Artondale in the top quartile among districts in Pierce County, a clear signal that the school’s academic performance compares favorably with its neighbors. Only one year of assessment data is available for the school, so it is not possible to gauge trends over time, but the single snapshot shows a school that is performing well above the county median.
Because Artondale serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school’s chronic absenteeism data is also absent from the available records. Parents should note that state testing data for primary grades (PK-2) does not exist, so the picture begins at grade three. No information about discipline, staffing ratios, or course access was provided, which limits a fuller assessment of school climate and resources.
The Peninsula School District has secured long-term funding through voter-approved educational programs and operations and capital levies passed in 2022, supporting classroom programs, technology, and facility improvements through 2025. That stable local funding context is relevant for families considering the district’s capacity to maintain its programming.
For a parent weighing Artondale, the school offers a strong academic record in a community with higher housing costs and a suburban-to-rural feel. The student body is fairly homogeneous, and the school’s size is moderate for an elementary. Families who value high proficiency rates and a school that performs well within its county will find evidence to support that preference. Those looking for detailed information on specialized services, discipline patterns, or attendance trends will need to follow up with the school or district, as those data points were not available in the public record used for this account.
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