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Spanaway Elementary

Q: Is Spanaway Elementary a good school?

Spanaway Elementary ranks 712 th of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

712^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 37% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Spanaway Elementary is a K–5 school in Spanaway, Washington, serving 371 students in a relatively high-need community within the Bethel School District. About 70.89% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25, while the student-teacher ratio was a favorable 14.3:1. Per-student spending was $21,595 in 2023–24. The school ranked at the 37th percentile statewide in 2025–26 and received two stars—below the state midpoint, but a notable improvement from the 21st percentile in 2023–24.

Math is the school’s clearest academic strength. In 2025–26, 43.86% of students were proficient in math, slightly above the state rate of 43.11% and above the district’s 38.16%. English language arts proficiency was also 43.86%, an improvement from 37.43% in 2023–24, though still below district and state averages. Science is the biggest concern: only 29.09% of students were proficient, compared with 44.41% in the district and 50.95% statewide. This was also a decline from 37.25% the previous year. Parents may want to ask how the school is strengthening science instruction, particularly in fifth grade.

Local comparisons show a mixed picture. Camas Prairie Elementary, which serves a similarly high share of students qualifying for meal assistance, outperformed Spanaway in ELA, math, and science. Clover Creek Elementary and Katherine G. Johnson Elementary School are substantially stronger overall, while Spanaway performs better than Naches Trail Elementary and Chester H Thompson Elementary in several measures. Subgroup results are uneven, with stronger recent rankings for low-income and multiracial students than for the school overall, and a notable gap between male and female student rankings. Overall, Spanaway shows encouraging momentum in ELA and math, but science and continued gaps with top nearby schools remain important priorities.

371

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,595

Per pupil spending ?

70.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

412 165th St S
Spanaway, WA 98387-8624

(253) 800-5300

District: Bethel School District

Students who attend Spanaway Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Spanaway Middle School
High:	Spanaway Lake High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.2%

Hispanic:

24.3%

Two or more races:

19.9%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Spanaway Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 38th percentile in 2016 → 37th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (42% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Science scores 22 pts below the Washington average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg44%

Washington avg48%

712^th of 1,138

Washington public elementary schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^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	37.5	712 of 1138	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.3	744 of 1160	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.6	922 of 1168	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.6	785 of 1169	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.7	869 of 1169	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.3	895 of 1107	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.0	748 of 1130	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.8	791 of 1054	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.4	780 of 1056	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	40.9	650 of 1053	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.7	679 of 1067	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	24.9	905 of 1106	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.0	967 of 1097	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	14.8	995 of 1092	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	15.5	989 of 1088	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	40.5	689 of 1072	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	49.2	575 of 1067	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	35.3	743 of 1069	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.9	724 of 1051	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	41.7	650 of 1031	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	54.5	468 of 1026	54.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	75.8	54 of 320	83.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	34.4	708 of 1020	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.7	650 of 1092	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.0	879 of 1093	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	766 of 1094	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.6	918 of 1100	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.2	846 of 1008	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.2	743 of 1068	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	18.8	854 of 1004	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	48.3	352 of 649	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.2	205 of 659	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.8	350 of 651	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.7	260 of 633	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.6	321 of 694	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.1	247 of 501	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.7	129 of 697	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	39.0	329 of 540	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	54.0	453 of 1008	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.7	426 of 1013	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.8	601 of 1024	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.2	481 of 1013	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.1	669 of 1019	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.3	582 of 854	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.9	299 of 979	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.5	514 of 835	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	47.5	573 of 1059	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.5	763 of 1098	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.2	842 of 1099	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.7	712 of 1099	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.4	739 of 1113	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.7	837 of 1025	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.3	679 of 1075	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.0	578 of 999	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	49.0	49 of 119	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.9	150 of 197	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.0	146 of 194	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.4	206 of 252	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.1	245 of 303	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	175 of 212	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	46.6	501 of 901	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.6	605 of 1007	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.3	760 of 1009	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	764 of 1011	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.3	850 of 1031	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.7	876 of 943	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	33.7	748 of 1027	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)83rd percentile+62 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)59th percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)55th percentile+18 vs school

Male (2026)46th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)46th percentile+8 vs school

White (2026)44th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)31st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts44%-9 vs state

Math44%~ state avg

Science29%-22 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, May 22, 2015

I honestly think most of these teachers are setting our children up for failure.. Since my kids have gone to this school they really haven't learned much and in areas my kids are struggling their teachers really haven't even TRIED to explain the lesson in ways they COULD understand. My oldest son comes home angry and frustrated because he is confused with his assignments and gets into trouble if he doesn't finish them! They slap him with EXTREMELY confusing math that I can't even begin to help him with because I dont even understand it (common core) and if he doesn't understand it because the teacher fails to help him with it so that he CAN understand it he wont be able to do the assignments which then leads to him failing math altogether.. Iv numerously heard about kids at that school bullying my oldest son and I have called the school and reported it more then once but it still hasn't been taken care of! I took my younger son out of this school and enrolled him into another and next school year my oldest will no longer go to this school either. I'm fed up! My children will not be set up to fail. Period. This school has GOT to hire teachers that will actually take the time to TEACH our children and HELP them when they are confused instead of ignore their struggles and this school has GOT to get this bullying crap under control cuz the damage it does to our children is completely ridiculous and infuriating! I do NOT recommend enrolling your child/children into this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Spanaway 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Clover Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	16715 36th Avenue East	Tacoma	98446	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-7800	617	39	15.9	51.5%	201 (32.6%)	63 (10.2%)	133 (21.6%)	44 (7.1%)	3 (0.5%)	53 (8.6%)	120 (19.4%)	70.8	306^th of 1138 public elementary schools	73.1%		64.7	381^st of 1160 public elementary schools	67.2%	75	65.4	65.4	48.1	66.7	65.4	59.8	52.4	59.8	53.9	55.2	94.8	94.8	97.9	97.9	97.9	94.8	99.0	96.9	94.8	94.8	$17,145	$1,176	$15,968

Frequently Asked Questions about Spanaway Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Spanaway Elementary?

Students at Spanaway Elementary are 34% White, 24% Hispanic, 20% Two or more races, 8% African American, 8% Pacific Islander, 4% Asian, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Spanaway Elementary attend?

Students who attend Spanaway Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Spanaway Middle School
High : Spanaway Lake High School

What district is Spanaway Elementary in?

Bethel School District

How many students attend Spanaway Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 371 students attended Spanaway Elementary.

Is Spanaway Elementary a good school?

Spanaway Elementary ranks 712^th of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Spanaway Elementary!

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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.