Stewart Elementary, Puyallup WA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Stewart Elementary

Stewart Elementary sits in the historic downtown core of Puyallup, a city that grew from an agricultural center into a mid-sized suburban community. The school building is in a mixed residential and commercial area, within walking distance of Pioneer Avenue and close to the Washington State Fairgrounds, which shapes the city’s identity and seasonal rhythm. Puyallup has a walkable historic core, but outside of it the city is more auto-oriented. The Puyallup School District is the ninth-largest in Washington, spread across the city and into South Hill, Edgewood, and neighboring areas.

The school serves prekindergarten through sixth grade and has a modest enrollment. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is diverse: many students are white, a sizable share are Hispanic, and smaller numbers identify as two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Black, Asian, or American Indian or Alaska Native. The school is a regular public school with no charter or magnet status.

State testing data from the most recent school year shows a pattern that parents will want to examine by grade level and subject. In English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency standards was highest in third grade, then declined through fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, with proficiency at each level past third grade falling below half. In math, proficiency was highest in third grade, then declined notably through fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, with the rate in sixth grade being the lowest of any tested grade. In science, which is tested only in fifth grade, results were near half of students meeting the proficiency standard. Compared to other schools in districts across Pierce County, the school’s combined proficiency across all tested subjects and grades placed below the midpoint. With only one year of testing data available, no multi-year trend can be established.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate. Data on special education services and English learner programs was not available, and the school’s Title I status was not reported. Information on discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance was also absent from the available data.

The district has been through a period of change that affects Stewart Elementary and the schools that feed into it. In early 2024, voters approved a substantial bond to fund a new elementary school, replacement of two existing elementary schools, district-wide safety and security upgrades, HVAC and roofing improvements, and classroom additions at multiple schools. The bond increases property taxes, a lasting cost for families moving into the district. In 2022, voters approved a four-year Educational Programs and Operations levy and a four-year Technology levy, both running through 2026, which fund day-to-day programs, staffing, technology devices, and digital learning. These levies represent an ongoing property tax obligation.

In 2023, the district approved elementary school boundary changes to address enrollment imbalances and prepare for the new elementary school funded by the bond. The changes affect multiple elementary attendance areas and are being phased in over a span, meaning families moving into the district may find their assigned neighborhood school shifting. For the 2023-2024 school year, the district implemented budget reductions including staffing and program cuts across multiple schools and departments, driven by declining enrollment and the expiration of federal pandemic relief funds.

Stewart Elementary is a neighborhood school in a growing district with active facilities investment and some near-term fiscal pressure. The academic picture shows elementary proficiency that starts stronger in the early tested grades and declines as students move up, particularly in math. A parent considering this school may want to look into how the school supports students as they advance through the grades, how the boundary changes and district budget decisions affect this specific attendance area, and what programs and staffing are actually in place at the building, given that detailed data on special populations, course access, and discipline was not available.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 50% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 524%

School 24% · District 39% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 41% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 47% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 25% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 33% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 32% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 55% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolPuyallup 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-income50%Higher-income73%23 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income50%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income64%30 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income35%Higher-income53%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income53%Higher-income53%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income67%34 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income17%Higher-income36%18 pp gap