Best Public Schools in Tacoma, WA

Tacoma, Washington is served by 92 public schools across multiple districts, including 52 elementary, 16 middle, and 22 high schools, offering a wide range of educational options from traditional to specialized programs.

Parents will find significant performance differences between schools, with top performers like Browns Point Elementary School (90th state percentile) and Science and Math Institute (77th percentile) standing in stark contrast to schools facing major challenges, such as Edna Travis Elementary School (1st percentile). Specialized and alternative schools, including the Tacoma School of the Arts and Montessori options like Geiger Montessori School, often show strong results, while comprehensive high schools like Foss High School struggle academically despite similar per-student spending.

The largest district, the Tacoma School District, contains both the highest and lowest performing schools in the city, indicating variability even within the same system. A clear trend shows that middle school math proficiency drops notably compared to elementary school, suggesting this is a critical transition point. While economic disadvantage is generally correlated with lower test scores, exceptions like James Sales Elementary demonstrate that high poverty does not automatically predetermine student outcomes, pointing to other impactful factors within a school's control.