The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Science. The lowest is 43% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Evergreen Elementary
Evergreen Elementary serves students from preschool through fifth grade in the rural community of Lakebay on the Key Peninsula, part of the Peninsula School District. Lakebay is an unincorporated, primarily residential area with a waterfront character; homes are spread along Key Peninsula Highway and Mayo Cove, and many sit on piers over the water. There is no downtown, no main street, and limited commercial activity. The historic Lakebay Marina has been closed since 2022 and is now the focus of a major redevelopment led by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, with plans that include shoreline restoration, rebuilding the pier, and eventually incorporating the site into neighboring Penrose Point State Park. The community also has a post office, a bay with public water access, and a library serving the broader Key Peninsula. No major employers are currently located in Lakebay itself, and no new housing developments were identified in recent reporting.
The school itself is a regular public elementary school with a modest enrollment. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the socioeconomic profile of the community. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population as the next largest group and small numbers of students who identify with two or more races, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native backgrounds. Data on the share of students with individualized education plans and English learner status was not available in the records reviewed.
On the Washington state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Evergreen Elementary's results show a varied picture. In English language arts, third graders performed at a rate above the midpoint for the school's own grades, with a solid majority of students meeting the proficiency standard. Performance in fourth grade was lower, with just under half of students proficient, while fifth graders were above that, with a slight majority proficient. In mathematics, the pattern was less consistent. Third graders again had a strong outcome, with a clear majority proficient, but fourth grade fell below that, and fifth grade was lower still, with not yet a third of students proficient. In science, the only tested grade was fifth, and a majority of students met the bar for proficiency.
Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among districts in Pierce County. This comparison is drawn from the set of county districts; it positions the school as performing somewhat stronger than the typical elementary in the county, though the index masks the real variation between subjects and grade levels. A parent looking at the numbers will want to understand why math proficiency drops notably between third and fifth grade, and whether the school or the district has identified any particular intervention or curriculum shift that addresses that pattern.
Because Evergreen Elementary serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to consider, and no data on chronic absenteeism was available in the sources reviewed. The district context does provide some useful background: In 2022, Peninsula School District voters approved replacement levies for educational programs and operations as well as for capital expenses including technology, safety, and facilities. Those levies run through 2025 and fund classroom programs, technology upgrades, and facility improvements across the district.
For a family considering this school, the setting is distinctly rural and waterfront, with a small, tight-knit community feel. There is no walkable commercial center; the school itself is likely a destination reached by car. The academic picture is mixed, with relative strength in early-grade reading and third-grade math, but a clear drop-off in upper-grade math. A parent with a child entering kindergarten may find the early results reassuring, while a family moving in with an older elementary student would want to ask about math supports and how the school addresses the pattern seen in the assessment data. The school's overall positioning relative to other Pierce County elementary schools is above average, but the internal variation by grade and subject means that general statement does not capture every experience.
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