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Best Public Schools in Des Moines, WA

At a glance

Schools

5,205

Students

Districts

Top rankedNorth Hill Elementary357^th of 1,138 Washington elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Woodmont K-8 School up 136 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Maritime High School 15.3 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

1★

0★

3 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Washington cities →See the top-ranked Washington schools →

Summary:

Des Moines, Washington, has 9 public schools serving about 5,205 students across elementary, K–8, middle, and high school grades, primarily through Highline School District, with additional schools in Federal Way School District and Why Not You Academy. School performance varies considerably, so comparing individual schools is more informative than relying on district averages. Among elementary schools, North Hill Elementary is the clear standout, ranking in the 69th statewide percentile and exceeding Washington averages in English, math, and science. Its 2025–2026 proficiency rates were 60.32% in English, 48.18% in math, and 69.88% in science. Math declined from the previous year, however, making it an area to monitor.

The remaining elementary schools show substantially lower results. Des Moines Elementary is in the 22nd percentile and performs near district averages. Parkside Elementary and Midway Elementary rank near the bottom statewide, with Midway reporting just 13.36% English, 13.97% math, and 17.57% science proficiency. Woodmont K-8 School has a mixed profile: it is above its district in English and math, but science results are weak. Pacific Middle School is also a major concern, ranking in the 9th percentile, with only 15.67% math and 20.63% science proficiency. Math is the most consistent weakness across the area.

Among high schools, Mount Rainier High School offers the strongest overall profile for a large comprehensive school. Its ranking improved to the 51st percentile, its graduation rate is 87.5%, and its dropout rate is below district and state levels. However, math proficiency remains low at 29.69%, compared with 60.50% in English. Maritime High School has strong historical rankings, smaller classes, and higher spending, but some current test results are suppressed because of its small enrollment. Cascade Public Schools reports a 62% graduation rate, while current English and math results are unavailable. Parents should weigh academic results, graduation outcomes, school size, and program fit rather than assuming all schools in the area offer similar experiences.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WCAS Science (2026)				SBAC English Language Arts (2026)								SBAC Math (2026)								Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 5th Grade	WCAS Science 8th Grade	WCAS Science 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 10th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 3rd Grade	SBAC Math 4th Grade	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math 10th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cascade Public Schools	Public, Magnet, Charter	9-12	22419 Pacific Highway South	Des Moines	98198	King County	Why Not You Academy	Yes	Yes	No	No	(253) 271-8629	126	8	15.7	20.6%	12 (9.5%)	87 (69.0%)	19 (15.1%)	3 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	3 (2.4%)								(n/a)			21.4	21.4																			$24,504	$743	$23,761
Woodmont K-8 School	Public	K-8	26454 16th Av S	Des Moines	98198	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 945-4500	402	25	16.2	70.9%	84 (20.9%)	60 (14.9%)	119 (29.6%)	72 (17.9%)	2 (0.5%)	24 (6.0%)	41 (10.2%)	28.2	816^th of 1138 public elementary schools	28.3%		21.7	952^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	17.9%	136	26.7	23.5		26.1	45.8	40.2	34.7	15.8	35.3	41.2		38.6	38.6	46.0	25.3	26.3	29.4	17.7		34.9	88.2%	0%	$19,396	$1,731	$17,665
Des Moines Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	22001 9th Ave S	Des Moines	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-3700	500	32	15.6	62.6%	111 (22.2%)	84 (16.8%)	145 (29.0%)	58 (11.6%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.4%)	84 (16.8%)	21.4	887^th of 1138 public elementary schools	22.1%		23.2	931^st of 1160 public elementary schools	19.7%	44	32.1			32.1	37.7	37.1	30.8					35.8	35.1	36.0	17.3					31.2	89.5%	2.3%	$23,049	$1,917	$21,132
Midway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	22447 24th Ave S	Des Moines	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4400	548	31	17.8	78.1%	53 (9.7%)	101 (18.4%)	238 (43.4%)	97 (17.7%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (4.2%)	34 (6.2%)	3.4	1102^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	3.2%		3.5	1151^st of 1160 public elementary schools	0.8%	49	17.6			17.6	10.1	10.4	19.7					13.4	19.2	9.2	13.3					14.0	76.9%	0%	$20,000	$1,473	$18,527
Mount Rainier High School	Public	9-12	22450 19th Ave S	Des Moines	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-7000	1,846	77	24.0	58.8%	421 (22.8%)	294 (15.9%)	649 (35.2%)	229 (12.4%)	6 (0.3%)	60 (3.3%)	175 (9.5%)	48.8	193^rd of 396 public high schools	51.3%		41.2	257^th of 438 public high schools	41.3%	64			42.3	42.3							60.5	60.5							29.7	29.7			$17,640	$1,220	$16,420
Pacific Middle School	Public	6-8	615 S 200th St	Des Moines	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-5800	604	33	18.5	74.3%	82 (13.6%)	102 (16.9%)	221 (36.6%)	112 (18.5%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (4.3%)	58 (9.6%)	12.1	468^th of 514 public middle schools	8.9%		11.8	487^th of 534 public middle schools	8.8%	19		20.6		20.6				21.6	31.3	35.8		29.3				10.1	17.2	20.4		15.7			$20,856	$1,431	$19,425
Parkside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2104 S 247th St	Des Moines	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4700	535	28	18.7	80.2%	85 (15.9%)	113 (21.1%)	141 (26.4%)	115 (21.5%)	2 (0.4%)	30 (5.6%)	48 (9.0%)	6.5	1077^th of 1138 public elementary schools	5.4%		9.3	1103^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	4.9%	26	23.9			23.9	16.7	26.9	20.5					21.7	22.6	20.4	11.4					18.2	91.4%	1.4%	$20,831	$1,473	$19,358
North Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	19835 8th Ave S	Des Moines	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4600	518	31	16.6	45.9%	179 (34.6%)	44 (8.5%)	149 (28.8%)	53 (10.2%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	88 (17.0%)	66	357^th of 1138 public elementary schools	68.6%		66.9	355^th of 1160 public elementary schools	69.4%	2	69.9			69.9	48.3	63.2	70.2					60.3	42.5	57.9	45.2					48.2	91.3%	0%	$21,974	$1,257	$20,718
Maritime High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	615 S 200th St	Des Moines	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	Yes	No	No	(206) 631-6703	126	8	15.3	38.1%	62 (49.2%)	1 (0.8%)	31 (24.6%)	8 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	14 (11.1%)								(n/a)																							$29,525	$1,879	$27,646
Gateway to College	Public	9-12	2400 South 240th Street	Des Moines	98198	King County	Tukwila School District	No	No	No	No	(206) 878-3710	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Cities Near Des Moines

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
SeaTac	1 mi	8	273^rd
Normandy Park	2.02 mi	1	81^st
Kent	2.16 mi	36	204^th
Burien	2.36 mi	10	235^th
Seattle	2.39 mi	135	89^th

See the top WA Washington cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.