Waitsburg School District

Waitsburg School District serves about 235 students across two small schools in the Waitsburg area: Waitsburg Elementary School serves grades PK–6, while Waitsburg High School serves grades 7–12. The district is near the middle of Washington’s district rankings, at 122nd of 238 districts, with a two-star rating. The schools offer a small-school setting, but their academic results differ considerably, with the elementary school generally outperforming the high school.

Waitsburg Elementary School is the stronger overall academic performer. In 2025–2026, 65.12% of students were proficient in English language arts and 48.84% in math, above both district and state rates. Fourth grade was a particular strength, with 68.75% proficiency in both subjects. However, third-grade math was much weaker at 32%, and the school’s overall math rate fell from the previous year. Science results were suppressed, so they cannot be fairly evaluated. The elementary school’s ranking also declined from the previous two years, despite its favorable current comparisons with state averages.

Waitsburg High School shows a more mixed and concerning profile. English language arts improved sharply, rising from 20% to 50.91% proficient, although that remains slightly below the state rate. Math proficiency was just 23.21%, and science proficiency was 28.57%, both well below district and state results. Eighth-grade math and science were especially weak, while eleventh-grade science was also notably low. The high school has higher spending per student and a lower student-teacher ratio than the elementary school, but current academic outcomes remain challenging. Parents should view the recent ELA improvement as encouraging while paying close attention to math, science, and the absence of current school-specific graduation data.