Louisa Boren Stem K-8, Seattle WA

Original Research by School Decision on Louisa Boren Stem K-8

Louisa Boren STEM K-8 is a regular public school in Seattle Public Schools serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is a school where the theme is explicit, with the official name itself signaling an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math from the early elementary years through middle school. The school sits in the Delridge neighborhood of West Seattle, part of a large urban district facing significant financial pressures, including a projected budget deficit tied to declining district-wide enrollment. The district has also approved a major capital levy in recent years for school construction and renovation, so families should expect that facility conditions and property tax impacts are active topics at the district level.

Academically, the school’s performance on state assessments shows a pattern that varies notably by subject and grade level. In the most recent testing year, proficiency in English language arts was strongest in the early elementary grades, with a high share of third and fourth graders meeting the bar, and then dropped off entering middle school, with sixth through eighth graders reaching proficiency at a lower rate. In math, the pattern was steeper: third graders posted a strong proficiency rate, but by sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, the share of students scoring proficient fell to a much lower level. Science proficiency, tested in grades five and eight, sat in the middle of these ranges, with a similar share of students meeting the standard in both tested grades. Compared to other school districts in King County, Louisa Boren’s overall proficiency across subjects sits below the midpoint. The data is from a single year, so there is no trend line to show improvement or decline. A parent considering this school would want to understand how the STEM curriculum addresses the math and reading declines as students move into middle school, and whether the school’s instructional approach is producing the outcomes they expect for their child.

The student body is diverse in its composition, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The largest racial or ethnic group is white students, followed by a significant proportion of students who identify as Black, a smaller but notable share of students who identify as Hispanic, and a portion of Asian students, along with a share of students who identify with two or more races. There were no data available on the number of students receiving special education services or English learner support, a gap a parent may want to follow up on directly with the school. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to evaluate. Discipline data and chronic absenteeism figures were also not reported.

The school is located in a major city with a high-cost housing market. Home values in the surrounding area are elevated, and rents are similarly high, reflecting the broader Seattle market’s affordability pressures. The neighborhood context matters here: Delridge is a residential area within the city, and the school draws from a local attendance zone. The housing market has seen some cooling in listing prices recently, but the overall cost of living remains steep, particularly for families looking to buy. The district’s enrollment has been declining, which has driven the budget pressures mentioned, and this has led to public discussion of school closures and program adjustments, though plans were scaled back after community opposition.

For a family, this is a school that hangs its hat on a STEM identity in a district navigating financial and enrollment headwinds. The academic results show a school that performs strongest in early literacy and math but struggles to maintain that performance into the upper grades. The gaps in reported data on special populations and discipline mean that a parent should plan to visit, talk to teachers and the principal, and ask specifically about how the school supports students who are not currently meeting the proficiency benchmarks, particularly in the middle school years. The school is part of a large urban system with many options, so a family that values a STEM-focused pathway for their child through eighth grade may find the theme appealing, but they will want to scrutinize whether the academic outcomes in the later grades match their expectations.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 373%

School 73% · District 67% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 64% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 48%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 60% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Grade 721%

School 21% · District 56% · ▼ 35 pts below district

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 54% · ▼ 25 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 31% · ▲ 41 pts above district

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

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 64% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 24% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 67% · ▼ 28 pts below district

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

Grade 741%

School 41% · District 38% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 66% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 549%

School 49% · District 32% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 849%

School 49% · District 60% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolSeattle School District No. 1, 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-income76%20 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income41%Higher-income80%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income55%12 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income57%37 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income50%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income67%Higher-income75%8 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income56%Higher-income66%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income50%7 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income50%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income20%3 pp gap