Washington Elementary School, Tacoma WA

Original Research by School Decision on Washington Elementary School

Washington Elementary School is a regular public school in Tacoma, Washington, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Tacoma School District. The school sits in a residential neighborhood of a mid-sized port city that combines a working waterfront, industrial port, and distinct districts such as the Proctor and Stadium areas, which offer walkable shopping and dining. The city has been growing steadily, with rising housing values that, in the school’s zip code, sit above state benchmarks. About one in five students at Washington Elementary qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a share that is lower than many Tacoma schools, reflecting the relative stability of the surrounding community.

The most recent state assessments placed Washington Elementary’s overall proficiency in the top quarter of all schools in Pierce County, a strong result. In English language arts, the school performed well across the tested grades, with large majorities of students meeting the standard. Mathematics results were more varied: fourth graders posted a very high proficiency rate, third graders also performed well, but fifth graders fell to a lower level, where just over half were proficient. That fifth-grade math dip is a soft spot a parent may want to ask about directly. In science, tested in fifth grade, the school achieved a high proficiency rate, rounding out a picture of generally solid academic performance with one area of weaker outcomes.

The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable share of students identifying with two or more races, a smaller Hispanic population, and very small percentages of Black, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. The enrollment is moderate, typical of an elementary school serving a single neighborhood. Data on the share of students with disabilities and English learners were not included in the available records, so families will need to ask the school for that information. Similarly, information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing ratios was not provided. A parent looking for a full picture of school climate and support services should request those details from the school or district.

Washington Elementary does not serve grades that take high school assessments or have a graduation rate, so those measures do not apply. The school’s grade band means that the academic story is entirely about early and upper elementary foundation-building. The strong showing in English language arts and the overall district comparison suggest that, for a family choosing an elementary school in Tacoma, this one offers a competitive academic track in a community where housing costs are above average and the student body is relatively advantaged economically. The lower math proficiency in fifth grade is the main question mark, and it is worth exploring whether the school has targeted interventions in place.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 42% · ▲ 20 pts above district

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

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 33% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 37% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 18% · ▲ 53 pts above district

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

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 46% · ▲ 30 pts above district

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

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 25% · ▲ 49 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 49% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 25 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 5Lower-income42%Higher-income83%42 pp gap