The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Math. The lowest is 55% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Hulan L Whitson Elem
Hulan L Whitson Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fourth grade in White Salmon, Washington, part of the White Salmon Valley School District. As an early-elementary building, it feeds into higher grade levels elsewhere in the district, so there is no graduation rate to report and no testing data for the primary grades that are not yet assessed by the state.
State testing is conducted only in third and fourth grades through the Smarter Balanced assessments. In the most recent year available, a majority of students at both grade levels met proficiency in math and English language arts, with fourth graders showing a slightly higher share than third graders in each subject. When measured across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency sits above the midpoint relative to other districts in Klickitat County. Only one year of test results is on record, so no trend can be established yet. Parents should note that the picture is limited to two grades; performance for the full K–4 experience is shaped by what happens before formal testing begins.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic presence and small numbers of children identifying as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or Black. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic diversity that is relatively high for a school of this size. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the provided records, which means a family with a child in either category may want to ask the school directly about available supports.
Hulan L Whitson sits in White Salmon, a small city perched on a bluff over the Columbia River in the Columbia River Gorge. The compact downtown along East Jewett Boulevard features restaurants, breweries, boutiques, and art studios, and the broader area is known for outdoor recreation such as whitewater rafting, windsurfing, and kiteboarding. The city has seen modest population growth in recent decades and has adopted a Housing Action Plan to address housing needs. Home values in White Salmon are well above the national median and also above the typical level for Washington state, a fact that families relocating to the area may want to weigh against local incomes. The school’s exact location relative to downtown was not confirmed in available sources, but the address places it on Main Street, part of the same corridor.
The school environment section contains gaps. No data on chronic absenteeism, disciplinary incidents, staff qualifications, or attendance rates were provided, so a fuller picture of day-to-day student experience would need to come from the school itself. Program offerings were also not listed in the record, making it unclear what enrichment or specialized instruction exists beyond the core curriculum. The district was the subject of a search for recent bond measures, curriculum changes, and news, but the results did not yield specific updates that could be included here.
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