The top reported proficiency rate is 90% in Science. The lowest is 79% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Greenwood Elementary School
Greenwood Elementary School sits in the north end of Seattle, serving students from prekindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Seattle School District No. 1. It is a regular public school with an enrollment that would be considered small for an elementary school serving this grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with modest shares of students who are Asian, Hispanic, and those identifying as two or more races, alongside small Black and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander populations. A very small minority of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a notably low figure and suggests the school draws from a relatively affluent attendance zone.
On the state assessments administered in the most recent school year, Greenwood posted results that place it among the highest-performing elementary schools in King County. In English language arts, proficiency rates were strong across every tested grade, climbing from third grade to fourth and holding at a similarly high level in fifth. In math, performance was also strong overall, with a very high proficiency rate in fourth grade and a solid one in third, though the rate in fifth grade was markedly lower, representing a visible drop from the earlier grades. In science, only fifth graders are tested, and they posted a very strong proficiency rate. When compared across districts in King County, Greenwood’s overall proficiency index sits in the top quartile, a meaningful indicator of academic strength relative to the county’s many districts.
Because the school ends at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and because it is a regular elementary school, the absence of that metric is expected rather than concerning. The school’s test results are from a single year, so no trend over time can be assessed from the available data.
From a community and housing perspective, this is a high-cost area. Home values in the zip code are well above both the state and national benchmarks, and rents are elevated. The housing market in King County shows a large number of active listings relative to a year ago, though new listings and pending sales have dipped slightly, and median days on market have edged up, indicating a market that remains active but has cooled a little from a very tight period. The broader economic context includes a national unemployment rate that has been stable and at a low level, and mortgage rates that have fluctuated around a moderate point.
The district that oversees Greenwood has been navigating financial challenges. Seattle Public Schools faced a significant projected budget deficit driven by declining enrollment and the expiration of federal relief funds. Proposals for school closures and program cuts generated community pushback, and the district scaled back its closure plans, though the underlying fiscal pressure remains. In 2022, voters approved a substantial capital levy for school construction, renovation, and technology, a long-term investment that continues to shape district facilities. These district-level dynamics matter for Greenwood families because they influence resource allocation, class sizes, and the range of programs available across the district.
Seattle itself is a major Pacific Northwest city, a dense urban center with a strong technology-sector economy anchored by Amazon and the nearby Microsoft headquarters, as well as Boeing’s manufacturing presence and the Port of Seattle. The city’s civic and commercial core is downtown, while schools and residential neighborhoods are distributed across hills and waterfronts. The city has experienced rapid growth over recent decades, and the district’s enrollment decline amid that growth is a notable local contradiction a parent may want to understand. Transit options include light rail, bus service, and ferries.
For a family considering Greenwood, the picture is one of a small, academically strong elementary school in an expensive Seattle neighborhood, set within a large urban district that is under financial strain. The school’s test scores are a clear strength, with a notable soft spot in fifth-grade math that a parent may want to ask the school about. The student population is not economically diverse based on the lunch data available. The school does not serve middle or high school grades, so families will need to consider the feeder pathway for later years, a decision that will be shaped by the district’s ongoing enrollment and budget adjustments. The school’s performance profile and the surrounding housing market together signal a place that serves a relatively advantaged community well academically in the early grades, with the district-level turbulence providing the broader context.
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