The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Evergreen Elementary School
Evergreen Elementary School is a regular public school in Shelton, Washington, serving pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. It is part of the Shelton School District, which operates several elementary campuses, a middle school, junior high, and two high schools across the city. Evergreen sits in a neighborhood along West Franklin Street, within walking distance of downtown Shelton.
Shelton itself is the only incorporated city in Mason County and serves as the county seat. Its economy has long relied on logging and lumber milling, with companies like Green Diamond Resource Company and Sierra Pacific Industries maintaining a presence. A retail corridor along Wallace Kneeland Boulevard hosts big-box stores and restaurants, while the historic downtown along Railroad Avenue offers smaller businesses and a farmers market. Home values in the area are moderate relative to Washington State, and rents fall below what you would find in the suburbs of the nearby state capital, Olympia, which is about a half-hour drive away. The city has seen modest population growth in recent years, and a new mill construction by Sierra Pacific represents a notable industrial reinvestment.
Evergreen Elementary enrolls a mid-sized student body for its grade band. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share identifying as White and small numbers from other racial and ethnic groups. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with significant economic need. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available in the school's public profile.
Academically, results from Washington's state assessments place Evergreen Elementary in a difficult position. In both math and English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency standards is low, and the school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quarter among the seven districts in Mason County. These results cover only the tested grades of three and four, so performance in kindergarten through second grade is not captured by state testing. The school also has older science assessment data from a year when it presumably served fifth grade, but that result is not current. Without a multi-year trend available, it is unclear whether scores are improving.
The school does offer a notable program: a dual language strand alongside monolingual classrooms at each grade level from kindergarten through fourth. This gives families a bilingual education option within the district. The district has also opened a new elementary school and a small personalized high school in recent years, reflecting ongoing adjustments to serve the community.
For families considering Evergreen Elementary, the school provides a neighborhood setting with a distinctive bilingual track. The peer environment reflects the broader Shelton area: a working-class, resource-focused community with high poverty rates. Academic proficiency on state tests is a clear area of concern, and a parent may wish to explore how the school supports students who are not meeting benchmarks, as well as the availability of early literacy and math interventions. Housing in the area is moderately priced compared with much of Washington, and the city's industrial and retail base provides local employment beyond commuting to Olympia.
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