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Shining Mountain Elementary

Q: Is Shining Mountain Elementary a good school?

Shining Mountain Elementary ranks 863 rd of 1160 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Shining Mountain Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 613 students attended Shining Mountain Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Shining Mountain Elementary?

Students at Shining Mountain Elementary are 28% White, 25% Hispanic, 19% Two or more races, 12% Pacific Islander, 11% African American, 5% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Shining Mountain Elementary attend?

Students who attend Shining Mountain Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Bethel Middle School High : Bethel High School

Public Grades K-5

863^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,160 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Shining Mountain Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 613 students in Spanaway, Washington, within the Bethel School District, and it faces significant academic challenges despite receiving above-average funding per student.

The school's performance in English Language Arts and Math is below both the district average and that of most nearby schools, such as Pioneer Valley Elementary and Elk Plain School of Choice. Notably, even when compared to schools with similar student populations, like Camas Prairie Elementary, Shining Mountain's academic results are lower, suggesting its challenges aren't solely due to demographics. Performance has been volatile year-to-year, and there are concerning gaps in specific grades, particularly in 5th-grade Math and 3rd-grade ELA.

However, the school shows a relative strength in Science, where it outperforms the district average. This strength, combined with its higher per-student spending, indicates potential opportunities for improvement through targeted programs and consistent instructional strategies to help all students succeed.

613

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,655

Per pupil spending ?

65.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

21615 38th Ave E
Spanaway, WA 98387-6827

(253) 800-5200

District: Bethel School District

Students who attend Shining Mountain Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bethel Middle School
High:	Bethel High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

28.2%

Hispanic:

25.3%

Two or more races:

19.2%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Shining Mountain Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 35th percentile in 2015 → 26th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (39% vs 48% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school39%

District avg43%

Washington avg48%

863^rd of 1,160

Washington public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

138^th of 247Bethel 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
2025	27.4	863 of 1160	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.6	761 of 1168	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.4	868 of 1169	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.5	774 of 1169	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.2	869 of 1107	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	832 of 1130	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.9	739 of 1054	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	27.4	798 of 1056	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.1	855 of 1053	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	37.5	694 of 1067	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	40.4	706 of 1106	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.0	706 of 1097	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	39.7	710 of 1092	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.1	624 of 1088	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	25.1	867 of 1072	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	36.1	729 of 1067	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	24.4	877 of 1069	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	33.1	759 of 1051	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	29.9	764 of 1031	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	56.8	441 of 1026	57.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	35.1	53 of 75	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	80.2	10 of 108	90.7%	★★★★★
2019	46.8	54 of 110	50.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	35.4	190 of 303	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.2	216 of 320	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	28.9	796 of 1092	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.2	646 of 1093	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	773 of 1094	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	774 of 1100	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.8	837 of 1008	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.0	754 of 1068	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.8	707 of 1004	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	51.6	297 of 659	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.0	436 of 651	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.1	266 of 633	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.3	347 of 694	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.3	270 of 501	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.6	219 of 697	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.0	224 of 540	58.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	44.2	572 of 1013	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.9	599 of 1024	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.2	622 of 1013	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.7	437 of 1019	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.6	602 of 854	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.8	581 of 979	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.1	541 of 835	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	836 of 1098	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	802 of 1099	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	874 of 1099	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.9	699 of 1113	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.5	828 of 1025	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.6	767 of 1075	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.9	690 of 999	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	36.6	38 of 50	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	47 of 50	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	27.7	166 of 197	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	63.1	56 of 188	70.2%	★★★★☆
2023	32.1	145 of 194	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.8	160 of 252	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	15.2	116 of 128	9.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.0	217 of 303	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.0	136 of 212	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	28.4	3 of 3	0.0%	★★★★☆
2023	52.1	1 of 1	0.0%	★★★★★
2022	65.4	1 of 3	66.7%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	23.7	404 of 478	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	561 of 637	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	28.6	772 of 1007	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.5	624 of 1009	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.1	869 of 1011	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.1	776 of 1031	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.3	854 of 943	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.3	890 of 1027	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.7	751 of 833	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)55th percentile+29 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile+18 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)37th percentile+12 vs school

African American (2025)29th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)27th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2022)24th percentile-10 vs school

Male (2025)24th percentile~ school

White (2025)23rd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)16th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2022)15th percentile-18 vs school

Pacific Islander (2024)<1st percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

Science44%-6 vs state

English Language Arts40%-13 vs state

Math34%-9 vs state

4.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, September 25, 2011

Like any school, has positives and negatives but is definitely on the upswing! No Excuses University School! Close Quote

Schools Near Shining Mountain Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)			SBAC English Language Arts (2025)							SBAC Math (2025)							% 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	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 8th 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 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 3rd Grade	SBAC Math 4th Grade	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th 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
Shining Mountain Elementary	Public	K-5	21615 38th Ave E	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-5200	613	38	16.2	65.7%	173 (28.2%)	65 (10.6%)	155 (25.3%)	28 (4.6%)	2 (0.3%)	72 (11.7%)	118 (19.2%)	27.4	863^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	25.6%		34.6	761^st of 1168 public elementary schools	34.8%	102	43.8		43.8	29.7	45.3	46.1				39.8	35.6	37.6	25.8				33.6	90.0	94.0	95.0	95.0	95.0	91.0	96.0	94.0	91.0	91.0	$18,655	$1,501	$17,154
Elk Plain School of Choice	Public	K-8	22015 22nd Avenue East	Spanaway	98397	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-7900	574	34	17.0	39.7%	322 (56.1%)	50 (8.7%)	76 (13.2%)	17 (3.0%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.9%)	101 (17.6%)	54.1	502^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	56.7%		58	469^th of 1168 public elementary schools	59.8%	33	54.7	46.5	50.7	53.2	45.5	55.3	45.6	63.3	53.5	53.1	63.8	45.5	45.3	43.0	47.4	45.1	47.4	88.6	88.6	93.2	93.2	93.2	88.6	88.6	90.9	88.6	88.6	$18,221	$745	$17,476
Centennial Elementary	Public	K-5	24353 Mathias Rd E	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-7700	540	36	14.9	67.0%	263 (48.7%)	19 (3.5%)	128 (23.7%)	4 (0.7%)	7 (1.3%)	26 (4.8%)	93 (17.2%)	46.4	599^th of 1160 public elementary schools	48.4%		51.5	539^th of 1168 public elementary schools	53.9%	60	50.5		50.5	56.3	43.1	54.1				51.8	46.0	42.3	41.2				43.1	80.4	86.6	83.9	83.9	83.9	83.9	89.3	83.9	83.9	83.9	$18,744	$1,370	$17,374
Pioneer Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	7315 Eustis Hunt Road	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-8900	524	34	15.5	56.5%	213 (40.6%)	39 (7.4%)	120 (22.9%)	15 (2.9%)	2 (0.4%)	44 (8.4%)	91 (17.4%)	70	312^th of 1160 public elementary schools	73.1%		63.5	400^th of 1168 public elementary schools	65.8%	88	54.4		54.4	68.2	52.9	64.1				61.8	63.6	60.9	53.3				59.2	92.0	94.3	94.3	94.3	94.3	93.1	97.7	92.0	93.1	93.1	$18,584	$1,190	$17,394
North Star Elementary	Public	K-5	7719 224th Street East	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-8800	446	31	14.5	52.0%	251 (56.3%)	10 (2.2%)	79 (17.7%)	10 (2.2%)	3 (0.7%)	20 (4.5%)	72 (16.1%)	57	470^th of 1160 public elementary schools	59.5%		60.9	435^th of 1168 public elementary schools	62.8%	35	54.6		54.6	51.7	59.2	50.0				53.3	62.8	56.3	35.2				51.0	86.3	89.0	89.0	89.0	89.0	89.0	91.8	86.3	89.0	89.0	$18,421	$996	$17,425
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%)	64.7	381^st of 1160 public elementary schools	67.2%		62.7	415^th of 1168 public elementary schools	64.5%	34	49.5		49.5	55.6	64.0	62.4				60.7	57.6	59.0	48.5				55.0	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
Katherine G. Johnson Elementary School	Public	K-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%)	63.4	393^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	66.1%		67.8	340^th of 1168 public elementary schools	70.9%	53	58.1		58.1	51.2	57.1	60.7				55.6	54.7	51.7	58.3				54.8	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
Rocky Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	6514 260th Street East	Graham	98338	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 800-5000	430	28	15.3	60.9%	232 (54.0%)	13 (3.0%)	90 (20.9%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	14 (3.3%)	74 (17.2%)	50	557^th of 1160 public elementary schools	52.0%		41.1	665^th of 1168 public elementary schools	43.1%	108	46.2		46.2	48.6	61.0	46.9				52.6	63.9	57.1	18.5				47.7	89.9	89.9	92.4	92.4	92.4	89.9	94.9	89.9	89.9	89.9	$19,718	$1,480	$18,237
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%)	30.8	815^th of 1160 public elementary schools	29.7%		40.6	671^st of 1168 public elementary schools	42.6%	144	34.4		34.4	36.5	43.0	46.7				42.1	46.4	39.2	32.2				39.1	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%)	62.1	410^th of 1160 public elementary schools	64.7%		67.6	347^th of 1168 public elementary schools	70.3%	63	50.0		50.0	58.2	57.5	55.2				56.8	59.7	51.6	55.0				55.0	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

Frequently Asked Questions about Shining Mountain Elementary

What district is Shining Mountain Elementary in?

Bethel School District

Is Shining Mountain Elementary a good school?

Shining Mountain Elementary ranks 863^rd of 1160 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Shining Mountain Elementary?

Students at Shining Mountain Elementary are 28% White, 25% Hispanic, 19% Two or more races, 12% Pacific Islander, 11% African American, 5% Asian.

How many students attend Shining Mountain Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 613 students attended Shining Mountain Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Shining Mountain Elementary attend?

Students who attend Shining Mountain Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bethel Middle School
High : Bethel High School

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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.