Summary:
Newcastle, Washington, has three public schools serving students from prekindergarten through eighth grade: two elementary schools and one middle school, with no local high school listed. Together, the schools enroll about 1,680 students. Newcastle Elementary School is part of the highly ranked Issaquah School District, while Hazelwood Elementary School and Vera Risdon Middle School belong to Renton School District. The two elementary schools are among the strongest schools in the statewide comparison, and the middle school performs above state and district averages.
Newcastle Elementary School has the highest overall ranking, placing 66th out of 1,138 Washington elementary schools and in the 94th percentile. It leads the local schools in science, with 88.16% proficiency, and has the lowest student-teacher ratio and highest per-student spending. Its math result was also strong, although its ELA proficiency declined from the prior year and is worth monitoring. Hazelwood Elementary School ranked just behind it at 69th and had the highest math proficiency at 80.80%. Hazelwood also showed the largest year-over-year improvement, gaining more than 8 points in ELA, nearly 13 points in math, and more than 8 points in science. Its latest results were far above the averages for the Renton School District.
Vera Risdon Middle School serves grades 6–8 and ranked in the 78th percentile among Washington middle schools. Its 2025–2026 proficiency rates were 59.34% in ELA, 50.07% in math, and 61.69% in science, all above both state and Renton School District averages. Science was its biggest recent success, improving nearly 13 points from the previous year. For parents comparing local options, the elementary schools offer higher overall assessment results, while Vera Risdon is a solid middle school with positive momentum. Hazelwood’s suppressed fourth-grade math result is unavailable and should not be interpreted as a zero.
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