The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in English language arts. The lowest is 45% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Delong Elementary School
Delong Elementary School serves prekindergarten through fifth grade in Tacoma, a mid-sized port city and the Pierce County seat. The school is part of Tacoma Public Schools, a large district in an urban setting where the economy blends healthcare, retail, educational services, and port-related transportation. Tacoma is growing steadily, with housing values rising and new development spurred by the city’s housing initiative. The neighborhood around the school sits in the Hilltop area of the city, a part of Tacoma with a mix of older homes and ongoing reinvestment. Walkability varies in Tacoma, but this address is within a few miles of downtown’s Museum District, Point Defiance Park, and other civic anchors.
Delong is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving these grades. The student body is racially and economically diverse. White students make up the largest share, followed by students who identify as two or more races, and then Hispanic and Black students in roughly similar proportions. Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students each represent smaller shares. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals a community with a significant level of economic need. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available, which is a gap a parent may want to follow up on with the school.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show a picture with some bright spots and some soft spots. In English language arts, proficiency rates vary by grade, with fourth grade posting the strongest result and third grade the lowest. In math, fourth grade again showed the highest proficiency, while fifth grade was notably lower. Science results, available only for fifth graders, were at a rate near the middle of the range set by these other subjects. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among elementary schools in Pierce County districts. That positioning is a clear relative strength within its county context, though the raw numbers show that a significant portion of students are not yet meeting the proficiency benchmark, particularly in fifth-grade math. A parent moving to the area should note that academic performance has some unevenness across grade levels, and it would be reasonable to ask the school how it addresses the gaps between grades.
No multi-year trend data is available beyond this single year’s results, so there is no way to tell from this dataset whether performance is improving or declining. That is something a parent would want to discuss with the principal or review in the school’s own annual reports.
Because Delong serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report and no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline. The school environment and access section had no information on staffing, class size, or course access, which are all relevant topics a family would need to explore directly.
Housing in the school’s zip code is more affordable than the state median but slightly less than the national median. Monthly rent is a meaningful share of median household income, and the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home is higher than the typical rent. The gap suggests that owning a home in this area may be a stretch for many households, and the local economy’s unemployment rate is near the national average.
A parent considering Delong Elementary should weigh its position above the county midpoint in overall proficiency against the variability in results by grade and subject. The school serves a diverse, lower-income student population, which may matter to families who prioritize socioeconomic diversity or who want a school that reflects the broader community of central Tacoma. The lack of publicly detailed information on special education and English learner services, staffing ratios, and trend data means a prospective family should plan a visit and ask direct questions about how the school supports students across different grade levels, especially where testing reveals weaker outcomes.
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