Ness Elementary, Spokane WA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Ness Elementary

Ness Elementary is a regular public school in Spokane, Washington, serving students in first through fifth grade. It is part of the West Valley School District (Spokane). The school has a modest enrollment, with grades that are similarly sized from year to year. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing it in a higher-need context. The student body is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who are two or more races, Black, Asian, and Native American.

State test results from a single year are available for math, English language arts, and science. Performance varies noticeably by grade and subject. Third-grade math and reading were both solid, with reading showing slightly stronger results. Fourth-grade proficiency dropped in both subjects, a pattern that a parent may want to ask the school about. Fifth-grade reading rallied to a higher level, while fifth-grade math was more moderate. Fifth-grade science results, from a separate state test, were around the midpoint. When all tested grades and subjects are combined into a single index, Ness Elementary’s overall proficiency ranks in the top quartile among districts in Spokane County, meaning it performed above the typical level for the area. That is a positive signal, though the grade-level variation suggests the experience can differ from year to year.

Multi-year trend data is not available, so it is not possible to see whether these results are steady, improving, or declining. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, nor are there measures of chronic absenteeism or discipline in this data. The data also does not include information on special education or English learner enrollment, staffing ratios, or course access. A parent interested in those details would need to follow up directly with the school.

Ness Elementary sits within the city of Spokane, the second-largest city in Washington and the economic and cultural hub of the Inland Northwest. Spokane’s economy has diversified from its historical reliance on mining, timber, and agriculture into healthcare, government, education, and logistics. Major employers include Fairchild Air Force Base, Providence Health Care, Amazon, and the school district itself. Housing in the area is modestly valued compared to state benchmarks, and rents are also below the state median, making the region relatively affordable for homebuyers and renters. The city has a genuine downtown core along the Spokane River, with Riverfront Park, the Centennial Trail, and large community events like Bloomsday and Hoopfest. The school’s location in Spokane means it draws from a neighborhood within a midsized, growing metropolitan area with a mix of historic and suburban residential character.

The West Valley School District (Spokane) does not have a publicly available recent history of bond or levy measures in the data provided, so it is not possible to speak to district-level funding or facility investments here. For a fuller picture of the district’s current priorities, a parent may want to review the district’s website or contact the administration.

For a family considering Ness Elementary, the academic picture is one of relative strength locally, but with some grade-level soft spots to inquire about. The school serves a high-poverty population, which can affect classroom dynamics and resource needs. The community context offers the amenities of a midsized city with a lower cost of living than many parts of Washington. The thinness of data on staffing, programs, and student support means that visiting the school and speaking with the principal and teachers would be especially valuable for getting a complete sense of what Ness offers day to day.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 387%

School 87% · District 58% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 49% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 47% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 52% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 46% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 54% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 54% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

This schoolWest Valley School District (Spokane), 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-income78%Higher-income33%45 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income38%Higher-income54%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income69%Higher-income73%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income39%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income54%Higher-income55%0 pp gap