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Best Public Schools in Graham, WA

New rankings! Washington test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

Schools

5,974

Students

Top rankedGraham Elementary324^th of 1,138 Washington elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Kapowsin Elementary up 117 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

North Star Elementary 14.5 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

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Summary:

Graham, Washington, has nine public schools serving approximately 5,974 students from elementary through high school, all within the Bethel School District. The area includes six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. The district ranks around the middle of Washington districts, while school performance varies considerably by grade level and subject. Elementary schools are generally the strongest part of the local system, averaging about 51% proficiency in English language arts, 50% in math, and 53% in science. Middle-school math falls to roughly 34%, and high-school math is the most significant academic concern.

Graham Elementary is the strongest current overall performer, ranking in the 72nd statewide percentile and exceeding district and state averages in all three subjects. Nelson Elementary School remains one of the better academic choices, particularly in math, although its scores declined notably from the prior year. North Star Elementary leads the area in science, while Rocky Ridge Elementary has shown one of the clearest multi-year improvements. Kapowsin Elementary has also improved substantially and currently performs above district averages in each tested subject. In contrast, Centennial Elementary has the lowest current elementary ranking and the most concerning three-year decline.

Among middle schools, Cougar Mountain Middle School currently outranks Frontier Middle School and has a particularly large advantage in science, although both schools have weak math results. Graham Kapowsin High School has below-average math and science proficiency but strong completion outcomes: its 93.1% graduation rate is well above the state average, and its dropout rate is below both district and state levels. Overall, parents should view math improvement across the elementary-to-high-school pipeline as the area’s top priority, while recognizing strong elementary science results, improving schools such as Rocky Ridge and Kapowsin, and the high school’s positive graduation outcomes.

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WCAS Science (2026)				SBAC English Language Arts (2026)								SBAC Math (2026)								% 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 (2025)	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	% 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%)	52.3	515^th of 1138 public elementary schools	54.7%		43.5	632^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	45.5%	117	50.7			50.7	62.5	54.6	50.7					55.2	49.0	38.6	42.3					43.3	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%)	45.7	263^rd of 514 public middle schools	48.8%		41.4	296^th of 534 public middle schools	44.6%	33		44.7		44.7				54.3	49.7	40.6		48.5				33.2	37.6	29.6		33.5											$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%)	54.9	494^th of 1138 public elementary schools	56.6%		50	557^th of 1160 public elementary schools	52.0%	63	56.4			56.4	41.4	42.5	56.4					47.1	55.7	54.8	46.2					52.0	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%)	69	324^th of 1138 public elementary schools	71.5%		63.4	392^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	66.2%	68	56.0			56.0	70.7	47.9	51.2					56.5	68.0	57.8	58.3					61.3	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%)	37.6	709^th of 1138 public elementary schools	37.7%		46.4	599^th of 1160 public elementary schools	48.4%	110	44.0			44.0	44.6	45.7	37.3					43.1	49.6	42.6	25.7					40.9	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%)	57.4	453^rd of 1138 public elementary schools	60.2%		57	470^th of 1160 public elementary schools	59.5%	17	62.0			62.0	67.5	37.8	56.3					53.7	62.5	41.5	39.4					48.1	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%)	42.7	223^rd of 396 public high schools	43.7%		41.4	256^th of 438 public high schools	41.6%	33			41.8	41.8							59.0	59.0							23.5	23.5											$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%)	51.4	224^th of 514 public middle schools	56.4%		45.7	270^th of 534 public middle schools	49.4%	46		54.2		54.2				41.5	54.8	56.3		50.8				30.9	39.0	30.9		33.8											$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%)	61.3	413^th of 1138 public elementary schools	63.7%		77	243^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	79.1%	170	50.8			50.8	57.3	50.0	49.2					52.3	60.8	58.1	47.7					55.9	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	15	194^th
Puyallup	3.52 mi	36	116^th
Orting	5.98 mi	5	188^th
Tacoma	6.3 mi	100	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.