Mary Walker School District

Mary Walker School District serves 558 students across four schools in Washington, offering programs from prekindergarten through grade 12, including an alternative K–12 learning option. The district includes Springdale Elementary, Springdale Middle School, Mary Walker High School, and Mary Walker Alternative Learning Experience. The district serves a community with substantial economic need, with free- or reduced-price lunch eligibility ranging from about 69% to 84% across schools.

Springdale Elementary is the district’s strongest overall academic performer and has shown the clearest improvement. In 2025–26, 42% of students were proficient in English language arts, 35.35% in math, and 37.5% in science. Science increased by 17.5 percentage points from the prior year, while ELA rose by nearly 10 points. Mary Walker High School had the district’s highest reported ELA proficiency, at 43.33%, following a gain of more than 14 points. Its 80% graduation rate was slightly below district and state rates, while its science proficiency declined to 27.03%. The alternative school reported the highest graduation rate, 86%, although many testing results are suppressed and cannot be interpreted as zero.

Springdale Middle School is the main area of concern. Despite having the lowest student-teacher ratio and highest spending per student, it had the weakest traditional-school results: 25.58% ELA, 17.24% math, and 25% science proficiency. Sixth-grade math was especially low at 8.57%, highlighting the importance of supporting students during the transition from elementary school. Across the district, performance remains below Washington averages, and science is a widespread challenge. Overall, families may find the strongest recent academic momentum at the elementary and high school levels, while middle-school math, science instruction, and the elementary-to-middle transition appear to be the most important improvement priorities.