Summary:
University Place School District includes seven schools serving about 4,731 students from pre-kindergarten through high school in University Place, Washington, with four elementary schools, two intermediate schools, and one senior high school. Overall, the district is highly regarded, ranking 11th of 238 Washington districts and performing well above state averages in English language arts (ELA), math, and science.
Narrows View Intermediate is the district’s strongest all-around academic performer, ranking 16th of 514 Washington schools and exceeding district averages in all three tested subjects. Drum Intermediate ranks lower in current proficiency, especially in math, but has made impressive progress in its statewide ranking and science results; its Grade 7 ELA performance nearly matches Narrows View’s. Among elementary schools, University Place Primary leads in math, including an outstanding 82.22% Grade 3 math proficiency rate, while Sunset Primary has the strongest elementary ELA result and recorded the district’s largest one-year gains in both ELA and math.
Evergreen Primary and Chambers Elementary are areas to watch in ELA, while Chambers also experienced the largest recent decline in math. Curtis Senior High combines excellent graduation outcomes—a 96.2% graduation rate and 1.1% dropout rate—with the district’s best ELA performance, but its math and science results are notably weaker. Elementary schools generally have lower student-teacher ratios than Curtis, and spending varies substantially without a clear connection to academic results. Families comparing schools should consider both current proficiency and improvement trends, particularly the strong momentum at Sunset and Drum.
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