The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Science. The lowest is 35% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Elger Bay Elementary
Elger Bay Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade on Camano Island, one of two elementary schools that the Stanwood-Camano School District operates on the island. Older students cross the Camano Gateway Bridge to attend middle and high school in Stanwood on the mainland. The island is an unincorporated, primarily residential community in Puget Sound with a year-round population that swells considerably in summer with part-time residents and vacation homeowners. There is no traditional downtown; civic life centers on a small commercial node called Terry’s Corner, where a permanent Sno-Isle library opened in a remodeled former restaurant. The island is car-dependent, connected to the mainland by a single bridge, and its shoreline is largely privately owned.
The school’s enrollment is relatively small for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of students from other racial backgrounds. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that tracks closely with the island’s mix of year-round residents and wealthier seasonal homeowners.
State test results from the most recent year give a picture of mixed academic performance on the Smarter Balanced Assessment in English language arts and math and the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science. In third-grade English language arts, fewer than half of students met the proficiency standard. Fourth-grade performance was lower, with about a third of students meeting the bar. Fifth grade was stronger in English language arts, where roughly half of students scored proficient. In math, results were softer across the board. Third grade had the strongest showing but still fell below half proficient. Fourth and fifth grades were notably lower, with about a quarter of fifth-grade students meeting the math standard. Science, tested only in fifth grade, saw about half of students reach proficiency.
Compared against schools in other districts across Island County, Elger Bay’s overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile. This is the only county-level comparison point available for this school; chronic absenteeism and graduation rate data were not applicable, because the school does not serve grades where those are typically measured. Parents may want to discuss the school’s academic approach and student support in math and reading with the school directly, particularly given the drop-off between third and fourth grades in both subjects.
The school appears to be a regular public school, and no information was available on magnet or Title I status. Discipline, staffing, attendance, and course access data were not reported. The district brief turned up no recent referendums, changes in curriculum, property tax shifts, or significant pedagogy shifts to report; a parent looking for upcoming changes in the Stanwood-Camano School District may want to consult school board meeting minutes or district communications directly.
Housing on Camano Island is well above the national median home value, with the typical home priced high enough that a mortgage would substantially exceed rent on a typical unit. The local unemployment rate is modest. The island is a place where many families choose the setting for its coastal, rural character and proximity to state parks and shoreline rather than for the school’s state test scores, which are below the county’s median. For a family weighing this school, the key question is likely whether the island’s particular environment—low density, limited commercial services, a long drive to the mainland for middle and high school—aligns with their preferences, and whether the elementary school’s academic profile meets their expectations, given that the numbers available show room for improvement.
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