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Chester H Thompson Elementary

Q: Is Chester H Thompson Elementary a good school?

Chester H Thompson Elementary ranks 802 nd of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

802^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Chester H Thompson Elementary is a large PK–5 school in the Tacoma area, serving approximately 688 students in the Bethel School District. Its student-teacher ratio is 16.6, and 67.15% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–2025, indicating a substantial need for student support. The school ranked at about the 30th percentile statewide in 2025–2026, below the district’s roughly 51st-percentile standing.

Academic results are below Washington averages in all three reported subjects. In 2025–2026, 38.95% of students met standards in English language arts, 37.89% in math, and 35.64% in science. ELA is the largest gap compared with the district, trailing by 10.59 percentage points, while math was nearly equal to the district average. Fifth grade deserves particular attention: only 29% met standards in math and 35% in ELA. Science has also declined recently after exceeding the district average in 2022–2023 and 2023–2024. The school’s current ranking is an improvement over the 26th percentile in 2024–2025, but it remains well below its 68th–75th percentile results from 2016–2019.

Among nearby Bethel schools, Katherine G. Johnson Elementary School, Clover Creek Elementary, and Camas Prairie Elementary posted substantially higher results, with Camas Prairie being a particularly useful comparison because its lunch-program rate was similar while its proficiency rates were stronger in every subject. Naches Trail Elementary was slightly lower in ELA and math, while Evergreen Elementary and Spanaway Elementary were generally higher. Overall, the clearest improvement priorities are literacy, fifth-grade math, and recovering recent science losses. Strengths include math relative to the district, comparatively solid results for English learners and economically disadvantaged students, and evidence that the school has achieved stronger performance in the past.

688

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,098

Per pupil spending ?

67.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

303 159th St E
Tacoma, WA 98445-1199

(253) 800-5800

District: Bethel School District

Students who attend Chester H Thompson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Spanaway Middle School
High:	Spanaway Lake High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.3%

White:

20.5%

Two or more races:

14.1%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Chester H Thompson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 49th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (38% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016

!Science scores 15 pts below the Washington average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg44%

Washington avg48%

802^nd of 1,138

Washington public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 20 pts since 2016

From bottom 49% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

18^th of 19Elementary Schools in the Bethel School District

116^th of 238Bethel School District among Washington districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	29.3	802 of 1138	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.8	856 of 1160	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.8	781 of 1168	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.5	796 of 1169	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.8	656 of 1169	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.8	741 of 1107	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.4	364 of 1130	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.4	273 of 1054	74.1%	★★★★☆
2017	74.4	260 of 1056	75.4%	★★★★☆
2016	50.2	535 of 1053	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	28.3	808 of 1067	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.9	904 of 1106	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.4	914 of 1097	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.5	842 of 1092	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	13.6	1007 of 1088	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	12.1	997 of 1072	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	26.5	855 of 1067	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	23.0	889 of 1069	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	22.8	882 of 1051	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	33.8	731 of 1031	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	26.7	807 of 1026	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	42.6	170 of 326	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.2	184 of 303	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.0	103 of 320	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.8	140 of 254	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.9	185 of 213	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	31.3	732 of 1020	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.6	772 of 1092	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.6	815 of 1093	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	796 of 1094	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.3	571 of 1100	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.9	623 of 1008	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.4	391 of 1068	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	78.7	192 of 1004	80.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	44.9	378 of 649	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.7	414 of 659	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.8	378 of 651	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.7	329 of 633	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.6	293 of 694	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.6	245 of 501	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	92.6	24 of 697	96.6%	★★★★★
2018	93.6	22 of 540	95.9%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	50.7	494 of 1008	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.0	576 of 1013	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.9	519 of 1024	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.7	649 of 1013	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.9	417 of 1019	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.8	492 of 854	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	89.5	29 of 979	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	85.2	40 of 835	95.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	32.8	750 of 1059	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.1	863 of 1098	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.2	674 of 1099	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.7	711 of 1099	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.8	668 of 1113	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.0	776 of 1025	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	71.9	293 of 1075	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	66.1	332 of 999	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	92 of 119	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.5	163 of 197	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	151 of 188	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.6	103 of 194	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.0	139 of 252	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.4	101 of 128	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	66.2	87 of 303	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	65.1	74 of 212	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	54.7	2 of 3	33.3%	★★★★☆
2022	49.6	3 of 3	0.0%	★★★★☆
2019	86.0	1 of 5	80.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	65.8	133 of 566	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	61.4	177 of 637	72.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	31.0	691 of 901	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.8	768 of 1007	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.1	709 of 1009	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.4	610 of 1011	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.5	428 of 1031	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.4	470 of 943	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.3	512 of 1027	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.3	356 of 833	57.3%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2019)77th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)51st percentile+21 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)48th percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2026)42nd percentile+12 vs school

Pacific Islander (2024)33rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)29th percentile~ school

Female (2026)28th percentile~ school

White (2026)23rd percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)23rd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts39%-14 vs state

Math38%-5 vs state

Science36%-15 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, March 4, 2020

My kid went to this school and they were cussing. He was only 6! Close Quote

Schools Near Chester H Thompson Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WCAS Science (2026)		SBAC English Language Arts (2026)				SBAC Math (2026)				% Completely Immunized (2024)	% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Diphtheria (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% Pertussis (2024)	% Tetanus (2024)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 5th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 3rd Grade	SBAC Math 4th Grade	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Measles KG	% Mumps KG	% Rubella KG	% Diphtheria KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% Pertussis KG	% Tetanus KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Chester H Thompson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	303 159th St E	Tacoma	98445	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-5800	688	41	16.6	67.2%	141 (20.5%)	45 (6.5%)	339 (49.3%)	17 (2.5%)	3 (0.4%)	46 (6.7%)	97 (14.1%)	29.3	802^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	29.5%		27.8	856^th of 1160 public elementary schools	26.2%	54	35.6	35.6	38.2	44.6	35.0	39.0	42.2	43.4	29.0	37.9	85.3	86.2	86.2	86.2	86.2	87.1	94.8	86.2	87.1	87.1	$20,098	$1,707	$18,391
Spanaway Elementary	Public	K-5	412 165th St S	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-5300	371	26	14.3	70.9%	127 (34.2%)	31 (8.4%)	90 (24.3%)	14 (3.8%)	4 (1.1%)	31 (8.4%)	74 (19.9%)	37.5	712^th of 1138 public elementary schools	37.4%		35.3	744^th of 1160 public elementary schools	35.9%	32	29.1	29.1	40.4	45.3	45.5	43.9	48.1	43.8	40.0	43.9	88.7	94.4	93.0	93.0	93.0	94.4	97.2	91.6	94.4	94.4	$21,595	$1,533	$20,062
Bethel Hope Early Learning Center	Public	PK-K	214 167th St. S	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-4100	163	7	23.2	74.2%	56 (34.4%)	13 (8.0%)	51 (31.3%)	3 (1.8%)	6 (3.7%)	5 (3.1%)	29 (17.8%)								(n/a)																					$20,475	$1,175	$19,300
Evergreen Elementary	Public	K-5	1311 172nd Street East	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-8200	530	36	14.6	66.4%	187 (35.3%)	42 (7.9%)	118 (22.3%)	28 (5.3%)	5 (0.9%)	33 (6.2%)	117 (22.1%)	36.3	733^rd of 1138 public elementary schools	35.6%		30.8	815^th of 1160 public elementary schools	29.7%	82	39.3	39.3	49.4	38.8	41.7	43.3	50.6	45.7	25.0	40.3	86.8	89.0	89.0	89.0	89.0	86.8	92.3	89.0	86.8	86.8	$18,239	$1,631	$16,608
Camas Prairie Elementary	Public	K-5	320 176th Street East	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-7400	529	39	13.5	67.9%	151 (28.5%)	47 (8.9%)	140 (26.5%)	29 (5.5%)	1 (0.2%)	57 (10.8%)	104 (19.7%)	55.5	486^th of 1138 public elementary schools	57.3%		62.1	410^th of 1160 public elementary schools	64.7%	76	48.0	48.0	46.6	55.6	47.9	49.6	55.8	53.5	51.0	53.4	86.4	89.8	89.8	89.8	89.8	87.5	94.3	88.6	87.5	87.5	$20,664	$1,504	$19,160
Elmhurst Elementary School	Public	K-5	420 133rd ST E	Tacoma	98445	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 298-3505	335	24	14.0	68.7%	105 (31.3%)	56 (16.7%)	71 (21.2%)	14 (4.2%)	3 (0.9%)	20 (6.0%)	66 (19.7%)	11.3	1019^th of 1138 public elementary schools	10.5%		14.2	1036^th of 1160 public elementary schools	10.7%	17	34.0	34.0	31.5	16.7	29.6	25.6	37.0	28.3	13.0	26.2	92.1	94.7	92.1	92.1	92.1	94.7	97.4	92.1	94.7	94.7	$21,953	$992	$20,961
Katherine G. Johnson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	16720 Waller Rd E	Tacoma	98446	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-3000	592	34	17.4	54.9%	157 (26.5%)	87 (14.7%)	112 (18.9%)	57 (9.6%)	9 (1.5%)	47 (7.9%)	123 (20.8%)	73.7	276^th of 1138 public elementary schools	75.7%		63.4	393^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	66.1%	117	67.7	67.7	53.3	62.3	63.4	59.6	58.9	60.7	52.7	57.8	89.9	92.1	92.1	92.1	92.1	91.0	96.6	92.1	91.0	91.0	$16,576	$1,246	$15,330
Brookdale Elementary	Public	K-5	611 132nd St S.	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 298-3105	483	32	15.0	69.2%	132 (27.3%)	59 (12.2%)	154 (31.9%)	19 (3.9%)	3 (0.6%)	34 (7.0%)	82 (17.0%)	25.3	858^th of 1138 public elementary schools	24.6%		33.3	778^th of 1160 public elementary schools	32.9%	80	39.1	39.1	37.7	30.7	38.2	35.4	44.9	35.2	28.1	35.4	80.4	82.1	83.9	83.9	83.9	80.4	85.7	83.9	80.4	80.4	$18,847	$1,005	$17,842
Naches Trail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	15505 Waller Road East	Tacoma	98446	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-8700	519	32	16.4	57.4%	193 (37.2%)	50 (9.6%)	117 (22.5%)	28 (5.4%)	5 (1.0%)	22 (4.2%)	104 (20.0%)	30.4	787^th of 1138 public elementary schools	30.8%		33.6	772^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	33.4%	15	41.1	41.1	35.9	41.6	33.9	37.6	46.9	45.5	16.1	37.6	91.1	92.9	96.4	96.4	96.4	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	$22,960	$1,689	$21,271
Collins Elementary	Public	K-5	1920 128th Street E	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 298-3405	466	31	15.0	55.4%	178 (38.2%)	41 (8.8%)	115 (24.7%)	40 (8.6%)	3 (0.6%)	23 (4.9%)	66 (14.2%)	46	598^th of 1138 public elementary schools	47.5%		36	729^th of 1160 public elementary schools	37.2%	131	61.8	61.8	34.7	42.7	60.5	45.0	37.8	50.0	42.1	42.6	93.1	93.1	94.3	94.3	94.3	93.1	94.3	93.1	93.1	93.1	$17,541	$1,011	$16,531

Frequently Asked Questions about Chester H Thompson Elementary

What district is Chester H Thompson Elementary in?

Bethel School District

What is the racial makeup of Chester H Thompson Elementary?

Students at Chester H Thompson Elementary are 49% Hispanic, 20% White, 14% Two or more races, 7% Pacific Islander, 7% African American, 2% Asian.

Is Chester H Thompson Elementary a good school?

Chester H Thompson Elementary ranks 802^nd of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Chester H Thompson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 688 students attended Chester H Thompson Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Chester H Thompson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Chester H Thompson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Spanaway Middle School
High : Spanaway Lake High School

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Latest Washington data All new data »

2025–26 SBAC & WCAS test scoresSep 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 8, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

2024–25 SBAC & WCAS test scoresSep 10, 2025

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.