Best Public Schools in Palouse, WA

The city of Palouse, Washington, is served by four small public schools across two districts, educating a total of 236 students from Pre-K through 12th grade in a rural community.

Among these schools, Garfield at Palouse High School stands out as the highest performer, earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the 91st percentile statewide, with particularly strong science scores, despite having a very high student-teacher ratio. In the Palouse School District, Palouse Elementary has shown impressive recent improvement, now boasting strong English and math proficiency rates. However, Palouse at Garfield Middle School faces a significant challenge in math, where proficiency is well below the state average, even as its English scores are strong.

There are notable differences in resources between schools, with Palouse High School spending over four times more per student than the middle school, though this higher spending does not correlate with higher academic rankings compared to the high-performing Garfield School District high school. Overall, the schools present a mixed picture where factors beyond just spending and class size appear to influence success, with one high school excelling against the odds and an elementary school on a clear upward trajectory.