Grant Elementary School, Tacoma WA

Original Research by School Decision on Grant Elementary School

Grant Elementary School is a regular public elementary school in Tacoma, Washington, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Tacoma School District. It sits in a residential neighborhood on the city’s north side, an area that blends older single-family homes with local commercial corridors. The school itself is a neighborhood school, not a magnet or charter, and it draws its student body from the surrounding area.

Academically, Grant Elementary posts a mixed but generally solid picture based on the most recent state assessments. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint among districts in Pierce County, a meaningful benchmark for a family trying to gauge how it stacks up against local peers. In English language arts, the strongest results come from fifth graders, a large majority of whom met proficiency standards; third and fourth graders also showed a majority proficient, though at a lower rate. Math scores are more varied. Fifth graders again performed strongest, with a majority proficient, while third and fourth graders fell just below the majority mark. Science, tested only in fifth grade, saw a very strong showing, with a large majority of students meeting the standard. The data covers only one year for this assessment, so trends are not yet visible, but the snapshot suggests a school where older students tend to perform better than younger ones, especially in reading and science.

The student body is a mix typical of many Tacoma public schools. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting modest incomes in the attendance zone. White students make up the largest group, followed by a notable share of students who identify as two or more races, and smaller but present shares of Hispanic, Black, and Asian students. The school is relatively small for an elementary school. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source material, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

The housing context for the area around Grant Elementary is shaped by Tacoma’s broader real estate market. Home values in the school’s zip code have been relatively high for the region, though recently stable. Rent has been rising. The school sits in a part of Tacoma that is generally car-dependent, though some nearby neighborhoods like Proctor and the Stadium District offer decent walkability with shops and restaurants. The city itself is a mid-sized port city with a working waterfront, a growing arts and dining scene, and a mix of blue-collar and professional employment. Major employers include healthcare, retail, and the Port of Tacoma, as well as several colleges and universities. The city has been growing steadily, with new housing proposals and rising property values.

We looked for recent district-level changes such as school closures or boundary adjustments that could affect Grant Elementary, but publicly reported information on that was limited. The Tacoma School District’s website and local news sources may have more details on any upcoming rezonings or program shifts. For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is a neighborhood elementary with above-average academic performance relative to its county, a diverse student body, and a location in a city that is both industrial and increasingly amenity-rich. The school’s academic strengths in fifth-grade science and reading are notable, while math scores in the earlier grades offer room for a parent to follow up with the school on how they approach math instruction.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 42% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 33% · ▲ 15 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 37% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 18% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 46% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 25% · ▲ 47 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 578%

School 78% · District 49% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above 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-income32%Higher-income63%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income87%45 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income57%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income76%51 pp gap