Fawcett Elementary School, Tacoma WA

Original Research by School Decision on Fawcett Elementary School

Fawcett Elementary School is a pre-kindergarten through grade five building in the Tacoma School District, situated in a mid-sized neighborhood of a port city that blends an industrial working waterfront with a growing arts and dining scene, walkable districts like Proctor and Stadium, and a downtown Museum District. The city has been growing steadily, and the district operates schools across its neighborhoods rather than in a single civic center.

Fawcett is a regular public school. Its student body is diverse in racial and ethnic composition, with no single group forming a majority. White students and students identifying as two or more races each represent a substantial share, followed by Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Asian, Black, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A large majority of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that indicates a high level of household economic need within the attendance zone.

The school's state assessment results are its most significant challenge. Across all tested subjects and grade levels, the proficiency index places Fawcett in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Pierce County. In math, the share of students meeting the state standard in each tested grade falls roughly in the mid to upper twenty percent range. In English language arts, the proficiency rates for each grade level cluster in the mid-thirty percent range. On the fifth-grade science assessment, the share of students meeting the standard sits a little above a third. These are notably lower than the median proficiency rate across the county. A parent considering this school would want to learn directly from the school about its approach to raising academic performance and what interventions are in place for students who are not yet at grade level in reading and mathematics.

Because Fawcett serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, special education staffing ratios, and the share of English learners were not available in this profile, so a family should ask the school for its current figures on these areas.

A large share of students qualify for economic support, and the school's diverse enrollment reflects the surrounding community. The city itself has seen rising housing costs and a steady population increase, though the homeownership rate is below the national average. Tacoma's economy is anchored by healthcare, retail, education, and the Port of Tacoma, and the city offers a substantial park system including Point Defiance Park, cultural institutions, and a performing arts complex.

Fawcett Elementary is a neighborhood school in a growing city where the student body reflects significant economic diversity and where state test results are an area of concern. For a family whose priority is a school working within high-need demographics and who wants to understand the school's specific academic improvement strategies and student support services, a direct conversation with the school staff is the necessary next step.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 42% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 33% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 37% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 18% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 46% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 25% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 49% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

This schoolTacoma 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income24%Higher-income57%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income44%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income54%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income28%Higher-income52%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income47%14 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income16%Higher-income33%17 pp gap