The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in Science. The lowest is 33% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Gilbert Elementary School
Gilbert Elementary School is a regular public elementary school in Yakima, Washington, serving kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Yakima School District, which has drawn attention in recent years for district-wide improvements, including an award for its school board and the expansion of dual-language programs into nearly every elementary building. For a family considering Gilbert, those district initiatives may signal a broader commitment to early literacy and bilingual development, though specific programs at this school are not detailed in publicly available data.
The school’s academic results, drawn from Washington state assessments for the 2024-25 school year, show a varied picture across grade levels and subjects. In third grade, roughly a quarter of students met the state standard in math, while in fourth grade that share rose to just over a quarter. Fifth graders performed stronger in math, with nearly half meeting the standard. In English language arts, the pattern was similar: about two-fifths of third graders met the standard, about one-third of fourth graders, and slightly more than half of fifth graders. Fifth graders also took a science assessment, and about half met the standard. Taking all tested grades and subjects together, Gilbert’s overall proficiency index landed above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Yakima County. That suggests the school’s academic performance is on the stronger side relative to its immediate regional peers, even while absolute proficiency rates remain modest in the early elementary grades.
The student body is diverse, with a majority of students identifying as Hispanic and roughly three in ten as White, along with smaller numbers of students who are Asian, Black, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or of two or more races. A substantial share of students come from low-income households, with the free or reduced-price lunch rate well above the national average. This economic context matters for understanding the school’s achievement patterns and the level of support families may want to explore.
Data on several other dimensions of school life were not available in the source materials. Information on the number of students with disabilities or English learners, on chronic absenteeism, on discipline rates, and on staffing ratios was not provided. For an elementary school, these factors can matter a great deal for a child’s daily experience, and a parent may wish to ask the school directly about class sizes, special education services, and support for multilingual learners.
The school sits in Yakima, the central city and county seat of Yakima County, set in a productive agricultural region known for apples, wine, and hops. The city blends urban civic functions with a suburban feel, and the broader area includes unincorporated communities like West Valley and Terrace Heights. The local economy is shaped by agriculture, healthcare, retail, and transportation. Housing costs in the area are moderate relative to incomes; home values trail the state average but are near the national figure, and rents are manageable compared with many parts of Washington. The city has experienced slight population growth in recent years, with some suburban expansion.
For families already in the Yakima School District, Gilbert Elementary offers a regular elementary pathway with academic performance that ranks above the midpoint of the county’s districts. Its high rate of economic disadvantage means schoolwide poverty-aligned support structures are likely in place, and the district’s recent focus on dual-language programs may be available here. The missing data on student support services and school climate are worth investigating further. The school is a neighborhood option for families in south-central Yakima, serving a community with deep agricultural roots and modest growth.
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