Honey Dew Elementary, Renton WA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Honey Dew Elementary

Honey Dew Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the Renton School District. Opened as a new school in 2021, it is one of the district’s newer elementary buildings. The school sits within the city of Renton, an inner-ring suburb of Seattle with a mix of industrial, residential, and commercial areas. Renton is home to Boeing’s final assembly plant, as well as corporate offices for Paccar, Providence Health, and Wizards of the Coast, and it has seen significant redevelopment of its downtown core in the past two decades. The district itself passed a bond measure in 2022 to fund construction and renovation projects, including a new elementary school in the Fairwood area scheduled to open in fall 2026. That bond also supports work at several high schools, though Honey Dew is not among the buildings named for major improvements.

Academically, state assessment results from the 2024-25 school year show that proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and science are low. When compared with other districts in King County, Honey Dew’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. In third grade ELA, proficiency is especially limited, and in math, rates in grades three, four, and five are all below a third of students meeting the bar. Fifth grade science results are similarly modest. Because the school has only been open for a handful of years, there is no multi-year trend data to show whether these outcomes are improving or holding steady. A parent considering Honey Dew will want to discuss with the school how it supports students who are not yet at grade level, and what interventions are in place.

The school serves a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of White, Asian, two or more races, Black, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a high-needs population. Data on special education and English learner enrollment was not available, so a family with a child who has an individualized education plan or is learning English may want to ask the school directly about those services. The overall enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade, with classes spread across the grade levels.

Renton’s housing market is expensive, typical of the broader King County area. Home values and rents are high, and the county has seen a moderate increase in active listings recently. The neighborhood around Honey Dew is primarily residential, and while downtown Renton offers walkable areas with a transit center and a farmers’ market, much of the city is car-dependent due to the freeway network. For families already living in Renton or looking to move there, the school is one option within the district, which also runs several other elementary schools.

The district is in the midst of a high school redesign called RSD Academies, grouping students by career interests. That initiative does not directly affect an elementary school, but it signals the district’s direction, and families with younger children may want to note that the pathway from Honey Dew will eventually lead into a district high school system that is being restructured. Honey Dew itself, as a newer building, offers modern facilities, though the academic performance data suggests that the school is still working to lift achievement for its student population. A parent weighing options should consider the school’s test results alongside its strong community context and the district’s broader investments in facilities and programming.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 321%

School 21% · District 51% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 48% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 46% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 311%

School 11% · District 42% · ▼ 31 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 47% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 49% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Science

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 47% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

This schoolRenton 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 4Lower-income23%Higher-income43%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income64%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income23%Higher-income36%13 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income50%26 pp gap