Hamilton Elementary, Port Angeles WA

Original Research by School Decision on Hamilton Elementary

Hamilton Elementary is a regular public school serving preschool through sixth grade in Port Angeles, Washington, part of the Port Angeles School District. It sits on the north side of the city, roughly west of downtown, in a residential neighborhood. The student body is moderately sized for an elementary school covering those grades.

Port Angeles is the primary urban center of the North Olympic Peninsula and the county seat of Clallam County. It is a mix of residential neighborhoods, a working waterfront and harbor, and civic and commercial functions tied to its role as the gateway to Olympic National Park. The deep-water harbor supports shipping, commercial fishing, and a Coast Guard air station, while the downtown area serves as a hub for tourism and government offices. Major employers include the federal government, Peninsula College, the Port of Port Angeles, and local healthcare and maritime industries. The city’s growth has been modest, constrained by geography between the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Families living near Hamilton Elementary would find a traditional downtown street grid, views of Vancouver Island, and ferry service to Victoria, British Columbia.

Academically, Hamilton Elementary performs well on state assessments relative to other schools in the region. On the Smarter Balanced assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, proficiency rates in English language arts ranged from just under two-thirds of students in third grade to roughly three-quarters in fifth grade, with sixth grade closer to the mid-range. In math, proficiency was strong in third and fifth grades, dipped in fourth grade, and fell to a lower level in sixth grade where just over a third of students met the standard. Science, tested only in fifth grade, showed a high proficiency rate. When all tested subjects and grades are combined into a single index, Hamilton Elementary’s overall proficiency lands in the top quartile among districts in Clallam County, sitting above the county median. This is a genuine strength for families looking for a school where a clear majority of students are meeting grade-level expectations through elementary school, though the drop in sixth-grade math is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school.

State testing data was available only for the 2024-25 school year, so there is no multi-year trend to assess. No information on chronic absenteeism or discipline was provided. Because the school serves only pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report.

The student population is majority white, with notable shares of students identifying as two or more races and as Hispanic. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic need in the community. Data on special education identification and English learner status were not provided. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not reported.

Port Angeles housing is somewhat more affordable than the state median home value, though still a significant share of income for many households. Typical home values in the area have seen a modest increase over the past year. Monthly mortgage costs are higher than typical rents for a similar-sized home, reflecting a market where buying is a stretch relative to renting. For a family moving into the district, this context matters when considering the tradeoffs between neighborhood and commute.

The district did not report any recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary adjustments, program launches, or facility plans, so this narrative does not include them.

Hamilton Elementary offers what many families look for in a neighborhood elementary school: a regular public school setting, solid academic performance through most tested grades, and a student body that reflects the broader community of Port Angeles. The main academic concern is the decline in math proficiency as students approach middle school, which may warrant a conversation with school staff about curriculum and support in the upper grades. For a family seeking a straightforward elementary experience in a town that blends small-city amenities with access to Olympic National Park, Hamilton is a plausible choice.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 368%

School 68% · District 59% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 52% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 44% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 42% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 54% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 54% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 579%

School 79% · District 59% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 657%

School 57% · District 48% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Science

Grade 577%

School 77% · District 63% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

This schoolPort Angeles School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income56%Higher-income72%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income65%Higher-income75%11 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income79%Higher-income79%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income62%Higher-income46%16 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income62%Higher-income76%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income75%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income57%Higher-income75%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income39%1 pp gap