Mcclure Elementary School, Yakima WA

Original Research by School Decision on Mcclure Elementary School

McClure Elementary School, located in south Yakima, serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Yakima School District. The school serves an enrollment that is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of students identified as White and a small number of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. A large majority of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context.

State assessment results from the most recent testing year show that in English language arts, the share of students meeting proficiency was about a quarter of the tested population. In math, the share was slightly smaller. Science proficiency among fifth graders was a bit higher than the school’s average in the other subjects. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index falls below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Yakima County. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate data to report, which is typical for a school with this grade span.

Yakima is the central city and county seat of the Yakima metropolitan area, with an economy heavily shaped by agriculture, healthcare, and retail. The region is a major producer of apples, wine, and hops. Street life and community events are concentrated around Downtown Yakima, which hosts festivals such as the Fresh Hop Ale Festival, and along the Yakima Greenway system of parks and paved paths. The city offers a mix of urban civic functions and recreational outdoor spaces. Population growth in recent years has been slight but steady. Housing in the area is priced moderately below the state average, and rents are also lower than the state benchmark, which may be a relevant factor for families considering the area.

The Yakima School District, which McClure is part of, has received recent recognition: the school board was named the 2024 Large District School Board of the Year in Washington state. This honor was tied to district-wide improvements that include expanded dual-language programs in nearly every elementary school and college-access initiatives that allow high school students to earn an associate’s degree without leaving their campus. While these initiatives are high-school focused, they signal the district’s overall commitment to academic access and language development.

For a family considering McClure Elementary, the picture is one of a high-poverty school serving a predominantly Hispanic student body in an agricultural hub city. Academically, state test scores are below the county midpoint, a reality that parents may want to explore further with the school to understand specific supports and instruction. The district’s broader push for dual-language programming may be relevant to families seeking bilingual education. The school’s moderate housing costs relative to the state could be an attraction for those looking for a more affordable entry point into the Yakima area, though the economic context of the city means that many families face financial challenges. McClure is a neighborhood school in a district that has made recent strides in programmatic breadth, but its own test results suggest there is room for growth in academic outcomes.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 38% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 420%

School 20% · District 58% · ▼ 38 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 23% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 23% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 29% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 34% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 27% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

This schoolYakima 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-income16%Higher-income23%7 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income36%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income50%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income27%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income22%7 pp gap