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Best Public Schools in Kelso, WA

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

Schools

4,941

Students

Top rankedRose Valley Elementary431^st of 1,160 Washington elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Rose Valley Elementary up 257 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Carrolls Elementary 15.5 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

3★

2★

1★

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

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

Summary:

The Kelso School District consists of 13 public schools serving grades K-12 in a community where many families face economic challenges, with most schools having a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academic performance varies significantly across the district. For elementary schools, Rose Valley Elementary and Carrolls Elementary consistently post the strongest test scores, while Wallace Elementary faces the greatest academic challenges. At the middle school level, Coweeman Middle School outperforms Huntington Middle School in both English and math.

Kelso High School presents a complex picture, boasting a graduation rate well above the state average but with concerningly low math proficiency scores. The district's alternative schools, like the Kelso Virtual Academy, serve vulnerable students but show very low proficiency and graduation rates. Overall, the district ranks in the 43rd percentile statewide, indicating average performance, with clear opportunities to learn from its higher-achieving schools.

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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 (2025)	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
Carrolls Elementary	Public	K-5	3902 Old Pacific Hwy S	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 501-1380	107	7	15.5	52.3%	89 (83.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.9%)	51.8	540^th of 1160 public elementary schools	53.4%		61.7	423^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	63.8%	117	53.3			53.3	60.0	42.9	53.3					53.1	80.0	35.7	33.3					53.1	91.7	91.7	100.0	100.0	100.0	91.7	91.7	91.7	91.7	91.7	$20,141	$656	$19,485
Barnes Elementary	Public	K-5	401 Barnes	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 501-1500	343	20	16.7	78.4%	208 (60.6%)	1 (0.3%)	89 (25.9%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	24 (7.0%)	18 (5.2%)	32.4	790^th of 1160 public elementary schools	31.9%		23.8	918^th of 1168 public elementary schools	21.4%	128	45.6			45.6	43.4	40.6	36.2					39.9	50.9	37.5	29.3					39.2	94.6	98.2	100.0	100.0	100.0	98.2	98.2	96.4	98.2	98.2	$21,299	$1,627	$19,673
Butler Acres Elementary	Public	K-5	1609 Burcham St	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 501-1600	426	25	17.0	63.4%	283 (66.4%)	1 (0.2%)	95 (22.3%)	5 (1.2%)	7 (1.6%)	7 (1.6%)	28 (6.6%)	44	625^th of 1160 public elementary schools	46.1%		56.6	485^th of 1168 public elementary schools	58.5%	140	47.4			47.4	48.8	45.3	45.3					46.6	57.8	41.3	39.5					46.6	92.7	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	92.7	94.6	92.7	92.7	92.7	$17,341	$640	$16,701
Coweeman Middle School	Public	6-8	2000 Allen St	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 501-1750	501	26	19.4	62.3%	335 (66.9%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (20.0%)	7 (1.4%)	7 (1.4%)	15 (3.0%)	36 (7.2%)	46.5	264^th of 534 public middle schools	50.6%		39.3	311^th of 535 public middle schools	41.9%	47		47.7		47.7				42.5	52.7	49.7		48.3				31.8	45.7	30.3		35.9											$16,887	$561	$16,327
Huntington Middle School	Public	6-8	500 Redpath	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 501-1700	559	29	19.1	63.9%	369 (66.0%)	6 (1.1%)	118 (21.1%)	8 (1.4%)	5 (0.9%)	21 (3.8%)	32 (5.7%)	28.7	385^th of 534 public middle schools	27.9%		33.9	345^th of 535 public middle schools	35.5%	40		35.6		35.6				33.5	46.7	41.5		40.9				27.0	33.0	23.3		27.9											$16,561	$565	$15,995
Kelso High School	Public	9-12	1904 Allen St	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 501-1842	1,390	74	18.8	54.2%	954 (68.6%)	5 (0.4%)	273 (19.6%)	15 (1.1%)	21 (1.5%)	34 (2.4%)	88 (6.3%)	28.3	325^th of 438 public high schools	25.8%		30.7	310^th of 437 public high schools	29.1%	15			42.7	42.7							53.3	53.3							14.8	14.8											$16,958	$670	$16,287
Rose Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	404 Long Ave	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 501-1400	186	10	18.6	41.4%	162 (87.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.5%)	10 (5.4%)	59.9	431^st of 1160 public elementary schools	62.8%		39.3	688^th of 1168 public elementary schools	41.1%	257	53.3			53.3	65.5	38.7	60.0					54.4	82.8	51.6	37.9					57.3	77.3	77.3	86.4	86.4	86.4	77.3	77.3	77.3	77.3	77.3	$18,322	$551	$17,772
Wallace Elementary	Public	K-5	1213 S 5th Ave	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 501-1650	333	20	16.8	85.0%	196 (58.9%)	2 (0.6%)	91 (27.3%)	3 (0.9%)	4 (1.2%)	14 (4.2%)	23 (6.9%)	23.3	929^th of 1160 public elementary schools	19.9%		21.5	946^th of 1168 public elementary schools	19.0%	17	40.0			40.0	15.2	41.4	42.6					34.6	21.7	37.9	36.7					32.9	98.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	98.0	100.0	100.0	98.0	98.0	$19,655	$2,015	$17,639
Loowit High School	Public	6-12	1904 Allen St	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 501-1424	14	1	28.0	78.6%	11 (78.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.1%)	2 (14.3%)								(n/a)																															$10,053	$254	$9,799
Kelso Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	404 Long Ave	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	Yes	No	(360) 232-5000	216	9	23.9	61.6%	156 (72.2%)	2 (0.9%)	36 (16.7%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.9%)								(n/a)		21.9	46.2	35.0						30.3	60.0	32.9								14.3											$11,686	$237	$11,449
Kelso Goal Oriented Learning Design	Public	9-12	1904 Allen St	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 501-1424	12	1	24.0	66.7%	7 (58.3%)	1 (8.3%)	2 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (8.3%)								(n/a)																															$5,963	$237	$5,727
Lexington Elementary	Public	K-5	200 Boardwalk Way	Kelso	98626	Cowlitz County	Kelso School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 501-1450	854	51	16.8	63.7%	616 (72.1%)	3 (0.4%)	148 (17.3%)	6 (0.7%)	5 (0.6%)	6 (0.7%)	70 (8.2%)	52.1	534^th of 1160 public elementary schools	54.0%		52	536^th of 1168 public elementary schools	54.1%	2	54.7			54.7	44.8	45.5	60.5					50.1	63.2	39.3	44.5					48.5	95.5	97.0	97.0	97.0	97.0	97.0	99.2	95.5	97.0	97.0	$16,339	$953	$15,386

Cities Near Kelso

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Longview	1.91 mi	19	193^rd
Castle Rock	8.81 mi	4	260^th
Kalama	9.65 mi	3	155^th
Toutle	14.06 mi	2	245^th
Woodland	15.88 mi	10	127^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.