Cascade K-8 Community School, Shoreline WA

Original Research by School Decision on Cascade K-8 Community School

Cascade K-8 Community School in Shoreline, Washington, is a small public school serving kindergarten through eighth grade within the Shoreline School District. It is a regular school, not a charter or magnet. The school’s enrollment is small, with roughly balanced grade-level groups from kindergarten through eighth grade. The student body is predominantly white, with a notable share of students identifying as two or more races and a smaller Hispanic representation. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school sits in Shoreline, a primarily residential suburb of Seattle that was incorporated in part to preserve its own school system. Shoreline has no traditional downtown; civic and institutional life is spread across neighborhoods and around nodes like the two Link light rail stations. The city is bisected by Interstate 5 and Aurora Avenue, which limits walkability, though the Interurban Trail provides a paved route for pedestrians and cyclists. Parks are ample, and the city has invested in trail and park improvements. Shoreline has been growing steadily, with light rail driving transit-oriented development. The housing market in the area carries a high price point, and home values have seen a modest recent decline, typical of the broader King County market.

The district has made recent capital investments that affect families. In 2022, voters approved replacement levies for operations and for technology, safety, and building repairs. Kellogg Middle School was rebuilt and reopened in 2022, and Parkwood Elementary was rebuilt and opened in 2023, both funded by a construction bond.

Academically, Cascade K-8’s state testing results show a strong pattern. In math, proficiency rates across tested grades range from a lower point at the seventh-grade level to a high point at the fifth-grade level, with most grades performing comfortably above the midpoint. In English language arts, the picture is similar: proficiency is highest in the upper elementary and middle grades, with a softer spot at the third-grade level. Science results for the tested grades, fifth and eighth, are notably high, each exceeding a strong benchmark. When measured against other districts in King County, Cascade K-8 places in the top quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The school’s overall proficiency index puts it among the higher-performing schools in a county that includes many well-regarded districts.

Because the school only goes through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, special education identification, and English learner enrollment were not available. The school has no civil rights or discipline data in the provided materials, so a parent who wants to understand student support structures or behavioral climate would need to ask the school directly.

For a family considering this school, the academic picture is one of consistent strength, particularly in science and in the middle-grade levels. The small enrollment means students are in a setting where they likely spend multiple years with the same peers and staff. The school’s K-8 structure eliminates the transition to a separate middle school, a feature some families seek. The peer environment reflects the community’s demographics, with limited economic diversity relative to the county. The school is part of a district that has recently invested in its physical plants and levies. Parents looking for a larger, more diverse student body, or for high school programming, will need to plan forward to the district’s comprehensive high school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 376%

School 76% · District 71% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 64% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 583%

School 83% · District 61% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 49% · ▲ 14 pts above district

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

Grade 757%

School 57% · District 61% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 54% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 67% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 63% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 678%

School 78% · District 62% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 764%

School 64% · District 67% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 877%

School 77% · District 63% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Science

Grade 586%

School 86% · District 71% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 882%

School 82% · District 63% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

This schoolShoreline 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.