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Best Public Schools in Graham, WA

At a glance

Schools

5,974

Students

Top rankedNelson Elementary School243^rd of 1,160 Washington elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Nelson Elementary School up 158 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

North Star Elementary 14.5 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

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

Summary:

The city of Graham, Washington is served by nine public schools within the Bethel School District, including six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school, collectively educating about 6,000 students from pre-K through 12th grade.

When comparing schools, Nelson Elementary School stands out as the top performer, earning 4 stars and achieving the highest test scores in the area, particularly in 5th-grade math and science. Graham Kapowsin High School shows impressive recent improvement and a very strong graduation rate, though it faces a significant challenge with low math proficiency. In contrast, Kapowsin Elementary has the highest per-student spending but the lowest elementary school ranking, while Rocky Ridge Elementary shows a concerning drop in upper-grade math scores.

Overall, Graham's schools perform near state averages in English and Science but face a district-wide struggle with mathematics, a trend that becomes more pronounced in middle and high school. The performance of Nelson Elementary demonstrates that high achievement is possible within the district, providing a model for other schools. Parents should note the general strength in reading and graduation rates, but also the clear need for focused support in math, especially during the transitions to middle and high school.

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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 Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)				SBAC English Language Arts (2025)								SBAC Math (2025)								% Completely Immunized (2024)	% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Diphtheria (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% Pertussis (2024)	% Tetanus (2024)	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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Measles KG	% Mumps KG	% Rubella KG	% Diphtheria KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% Pertussis KG	% Tetanus KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kapowsin Elementary	Public	K-5	10412 264th Street East	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-8600	321	20	15.9	47.7%	204 (63.6%)	3 (0.9%)	60 (18.7%)	6 (1.9%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.6%)	41 (12.8%)	43.5	632^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	45.5%		36.6	727^th of 1168 public elementary schools	37.8%	95	42.4			42.4	57.8	52.1	40.0					49.4	53.3	46.5	30.5					42.9	84.8	87.0	84.8	84.8	84.8	87.0	89.1	84.8	87.0	87.0	$20,103	$767	$19,337
Frontier Middle School	Public	6-8	22110 108th Avenue East	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-8300	620	30	20.8	49.0%	346 (55.8%)	29 (4.7%)	104 (16.8%)	21 (3.4%)	10 (1.6%)	16 (2.6%)	94 (15.2%)	41.4	296^th of 534 public middle schools	44.6%		44	284^th of 535 public middle schools	46.9%	12		38.7		38.7				37.8	46.5	54.5		46.4				33.3	37.1	36.3		35.5											$17,266	$1,265	$16,001
Rocky Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	6514 260th Street East	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-5000	430	28	15.3	60.9%	232 (54.0%)	13 (3.0%)	90 (20.9%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	14 (3.3%)	74 (17.2%)	50	557^th of 1160 public elementary schools	52.0%		41.1	665^th of 1168 public elementary schools	43.1%	108	46.2			46.2	48.6	61.0	46.9					52.6	63.9	57.1	18.5					47.7	89.9	89.9	92.4	92.4	92.4	89.9	94.9	89.9	89.9	89.9	$19,718	$1,480	$18,237
Graham Elementary	Public	K-5	10026 204th Street East	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-8500	428	28	15.2	52.1%	211 (49.3%)	22 (5.1%)	72 (16.8%)	16 (3.7%)	8 (1.9%)	21 (4.9%)	78 (18.2%)	63.4	392^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	66.2%		61.4	427^th of 1168 public elementary schools	63.4%	35	48.0			48.0	73.6	50.6	53.3					58.8	69.4	49.4	54.7					57.5	89.7	95.4	94.3	94.3	94.3	93.1	94.3	93.1	93.1	93.1	$17,064	$998	$16,066
Centennial Elementary	Public	K-5	24353 Mathias Rd E	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-7700	540	36	14.9	67.0%	263 (48.7%)	19 (3.5%)	128 (23.7%)	4 (0.7%)	7 (1.3%)	26 (4.8%)	93 (17.2%)	46.4	599^th of 1160 public elementary schools	48.4%		51.5	539^th of 1168 public elementary schools	53.9%	60	50.5			50.5	56.3	43.1	54.1					51.8	46.0	42.3	41.2					43.1	80.4	86.6	83.9	83.9	83.9	83.9	89.3	83.9	83.9	83.9	$18,744	$1,370	$17,374
North Star Elementary	Public	K-5	7719 224th Street East	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-8800	446	31	14.5	52.0%	251 (56.3%)	10 (2.2%)	79 (17.7%)	10 (2.2%)	3 (0.7%)	20 (4.5%)	72 (16.1%)	57	470^th of 1160 public elementary schools	59.5%		60.9	435^th of 1168 public elementary schools	62.8%	35	54.6			54.6	51.7	59.2	50.0					53.3	62.8	56.3	35.2					51.0	86.3	89.0	89.0	89.0	89.0	89.0	91.8	86.3	89.0	89.0	$18,421	$996	$17,425
Graham Kapowsin High School	Public	9-12	22100 108th Ave E	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-6100	2,087	86	24.1	47.9%	940 (45.0%)	149 (7.1%)	425 (20.4%)	105 (5.0%)	19 (0.9%)	111 (5.3%)	338 (16.2%)	41.4	256^th of 438 public high schools	41.6%		28.8	321^st of 437 public high schools	26.5%	65			42.9	42.9							61.8	61.8							26.0	26.0											$15,170	$1,041	$14,129
Cougar Mountain Middle School	Public	6-8	5108 260th St. East	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-8000	605	29	20.7	50.4%	366 (60.5%)	9 (1.5%)	129 (21.3%)	10 (1.7%)	8 (1.3%)	7 (1.2%)	75 (12.4%)	45.7	270^th of 534 public middle schools	49.4%		55.2	215^th of 535 public middle schools	59.8%	55		45.8		45.8				46.4	51.9	54.0		50.5				33.8	37.6	28.4		33.4											$19,696	$1,833	$17,863
Nelson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	22109 108th Ave E	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-6400	497	33	14.9	46.9%	288 (57.9%)	21 (4.2%)	71 (14.3%)	16 (3.2%)	4 (0.8%)	10 (2.0%)	87 (17.5%)	77	243^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	79.1%		63.5	401^st of 1168 public elementary schools	65.7%	158	68.7			68.7	59.7	53.9	74.7					63.6	66.7	58.5	65.1					63.6	80.2	82.8	83.6	83.6	83.6	81.0	86.2	81.9	81.0	81.0	$15,831	$754	$15,077

Cities Near Graham

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Spanaway	2.99 mi	16	194^th
Puyallup	3.52 mi	38	116^th
Orting	5.98 mi	5	188^th
Tacoma	6.3 mi	101	192^nd
Bonney Lake	7.94 mi	9	15^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.