Summary:
Impact Public Schools is the only school listed in Impact | Commencement Bay Elementary, serving students in kindergarten through fifth grade at 1301 E 34th Street in Tacoma. The school enrolls 232 students and has a 13.6-to-1 student-teacher ratio. It serves a community with significant economic needs, with about 66% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school’s 2025–26 ranking was 168th out of 238 schools, placing it in the 29th percentile with a two-star rating.
Academic results are mixed. Science is the strongest area: 50% of students were proficient, nearly matching Washington’s 50.95% rate. English language arts proficiency was 43.65%, below the state’s 52.81%, while math was the biggest concern at 33.07%, compared with 43.11% statewide. Results vary by grade. Fourth-grade ELA was a bright spot, with 50% proficiency—almost identical to the state rate. In contrast, fourth-grade math was the weakest result, at 27.5%, more than 22 percentage points below the state. Third-grade math was also substantially below the state, while fifth-grade math was closer to the statewide average.
Parents should pay particular attention to the school’s recent math trend. Overall math proficiency fell nearly 13 percentage points from 2024–25 to 2025–26, changing from slightly above the state rate to well below it. ELA also declined, though less sharply, by about 4 points. The school’s relatively small enrollment means yearly results may be more affected by differences among student groups and grade cohorts. Important strengths include science performance, fifth-grade math improvement relative to earlier grades, and fourth-grade ELA. Families may want to ask about math intervention, early literacy support, and how the school is responding to the recent achievement declines. The reported per-student spending is $21,390, although no comparison figure is provided.
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