The top reported proficiency rate is 22% in English language arts. The lowest is 20% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on K-8 Learning Lab
K-8 Learning Lab is a regular public school within the Yakima School District, serving kindergarten through eighth grade. The school is located in the city of Yakima, the central city and county seat of Yakima County, in an agricultural region noted for apple, wine, and hop production. The district as a whole has seen recent recognition for its governance and has expanded dual-language programs in nearly every elementary school, alongside college-access initiatives that allow high school students to earn an associate’s degree on campus. Because K-8 Learning Lab stops at eighth grade, those high school pathways are relevant only for what comes after a student leaves this school.
The school enrolls a small number of students, sized to match its kindergarten-through-eighth-grade range. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller share of white students; other racial and ethnic groups are represented in very small numbers. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
State assessment data for the 2024-25 school year is available for this school, but it comes with important caveats. For math, proficiency rates across all tested grades are suppressed, meaning the data was not reported due to very low student counts or privacy rules. For English language arts, some grade-level results are also suppressed, while results for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades are reported. Those reported results show proficiency rates that are low compared to state averages. Science results for fifth and eighth grades are reported as well and similarly show low proficiency rates. Reading the data as a whole across all subjects, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Yakima County. A parent will want to look into this further with the school to understand the specific academic supports in place and how the school measures progress, given the limited public data.
Because this is a K-8 school, there is no graduation rate to report. The grade band itself explains the gap.
The school’s setting in Yakima means families live in a city with a mix of urban civic and commercial functions and a strong agricultural identity. The Yakima Greenway provides a system of parks and paved pathways along the rivers, and downtown hosts annual festivals. The local economy is heavily shaped by agriculture, healthcare, and retail. Housing in the area commands a moderate share of income for both buyers and renters, with rents slightly more affordable than the cost of buying a home, given current mortgage rates. The city has experienced slight population growth in recent years, with development extending into unincorporated suburban areas like West Valley and Terrace Heights.
K-8 Learning Lab is a small school with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and high-poverty, and with state assessment results that are either suppressed or show low proficiency. The district context suggests some momentum in program development, though it is not yet clear how those initiatives touch this particular K-8 school. A family considering this school should seek a direct conversation with the school about its instructional approach and how it supports academic growth for its students.
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