Palouse School District

Summary:

The Palouse School District is a small, high-performing district in Washington with three schools—Palouse Elementary (PK-5), Palouse at Garfield Middle School (6-8), and Palouse High School (9-12)—all located on one campus and serving 191 total students.

Academically, the district consistently outperforms state averages, especially in English Language Arts. Palouse Elementary has shown impressive recent improvement and excels in 4th-grade math, while Palouse High School stands out for its very low student-teacher ratio, strong science scores, and low dropout rate. However, Palouse at Garfield Middle School faces a significant challenge in math, where proficiency rates are notably below the elementary school's performance and the state average.

The schools benefit from very small class sizes, but there is a dramatic and unusual disparity in reported per-student spending between the high school and middle school. Overall, the district shows a positive trajectory, with both the elementary and high school achieving strong statewide rankings, though targeted support for middle school math could help ensure consistent success for all students.

District Detail

600 E Alder St
Palouse, WA 99161-8780

(509) 878-1921

SchoolDigger Rank:
36^th of 247 Washington districts

See the 2025 Washington District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 191

Primary Schools: 1
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)			SBAC English Language Arts (2025)					SBAC Math (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 5th Grade	WCAS Science 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 4th Grade	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 10th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Palouse High School	Public	9-12	600 E Alder Street	Palouse	99161	Whitman County	Palouse School District	No	No	No	No	(509) 878-1921	57	7	7.7	35.1%	52 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.8%)	70.5	108^th of 438 public high schools	75.3%					(n/a)		66.7	66.7									36.4	36.4	$35,485	$1,459	$34,025
Palouse Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	600 E Alder Street	Palouse	99161	Whitman County	Palouse School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 878-1921	100	10	10.4	47.0%	83 (83.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (13.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.0%)	67.6	344^th of 1160 public elementary schools	70.3%		59.3	455^th of 1168 public elementary schools	61.0%	111	52.6		52.6	69.2	52.6			66.7	76.9	47.4			68.9	$23,483	$1,583	$21,900
Palouse at Garfield Middle School	Public	6-8	600 E Alder Street	Palouse	99161	Whitman County	Palouse School District	No	No	No	No	(509) 635-1331	34	0		38.2%	30 (88.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.9%)	63.7	171^st of 534 public middle schools	68.0%		68.1	149^th of 535 public middle schools	72.1%	22						61.5	80.0	70.0			23.1		26.7	$8,198	$63	$8,135

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Garfield School District	0 mi	3
Pullman School District	12.65 mi	6	20^th
Colfax School District	13.74 mi	2	31^st
Steptoe School District	14.71 mi	1
Oakesdale School District	16.9 mi	2	80^th

See the top WA Washington districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.