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Dower Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1073^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,160 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Dower Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 337 students from Pre-K through 5th grade in Lakewood, Washington, as part of the Clover Park School District.

Academically, the school is currently performing significantly below state averages, with less than a third of students proficient in English and less than a quarter proficient in Math and Science. Its statewide ranking has declined sharply over the past decade, placing it among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Washington. The school serves a high-need population, with about three-quarters of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and it spends more per student than most nearby schools, at nearly $25,000 per child.

Interesting comparisons with nearby schools highlight that challenges can be met with effective practices. For instance, Custer Elementary School, less than a mile away in the same district, serves a nearly identical student population and spends a similar amount per student but performs 38 percentile points higher statewide. Furthermore, all elementary schools in the Clover Park School District perform below the state average, but Dower's dramatic decline and low performance, especially for specific student groups, stands out even within the district. This suggests that while district-wide factors may pose challenges, individual school leadership and instructional methods play a critical role in student outcomes.

337

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,921

Per pupil spending ?

74.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7817 Dower Rd West
Lakewood, WA 98499-2333

(253) 583-5240

District: Clover Park School District

Students who attend Dower Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Lochburn Middle School
High:	Clover Park High School
	General William H. Harrison Preparatory School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

25.8%

African American:

24.6%

White:

16.6%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Dower Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 27th percentile in 2015 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (25% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg33%

Washington avg48%

1,073^rd of 1,160

Washington public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to bottom 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 16Elementary Schools in the Clover Park School District

179^th of 247Clover Park 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	11.2	1073 of 1160	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	975 of 1168	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	942 of 1169	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	908 of 1169	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.2	756 of 1107	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.1	766 of 1130	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.4	827 of 1054	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	34.0	725 of 1056	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.6	530 of 1053	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	31.4	777 of 1067	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	43.0	682 of 1106	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	35.7	780 of 1097	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	38.4	727 of 1092	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	24.7	890 of 1088	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	43.5	653 of 1072	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	32.7	770 of 1067	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	26.9	840 of 1069	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.7	920 of 1051	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	45.2	597 of 1031	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	69.3	271 of 1026	73.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	38.7	63 of 108	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	10.8	1035 of 1092	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	972 of 1093	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	962 of 1094	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.2	959 of 1100	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.7	857 of 1008	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.3	680 of 1068	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.5	693 of 1004	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	42.1	379 of 694	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.8	425 of 697	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.9	431 of 540	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	842 of 1013	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.9	681 of 1024	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.5	692 of 1013	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	710 of 1019	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.4	456 of 854	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.1	286 of 979	70.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	993 of 1098	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	29.5	780 of 1099	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.9	756 of 1099	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.7	774 of 1113	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.3	564 of 1025	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.7	735 of 1075	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	19.8	847 of 999	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	17.5	221 of 252	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	13.6	471 of 478	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	508 of 637	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	30.8	739 of 1009	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.7	635 of 1011	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.1	816 of 1031	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.3	517 of 943	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.3	688 of 1027	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	18.8	727 of 833	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2022)45th percentile+23 vs school

African American (2022)42nd percentile+19 vs school

White (2024)27th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)17th percentile+9 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)12th percentile-10 vs school

Male (2025)10th percentile~ school

Female (2025)5th percentile~ school

Special Education (2022)1st percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts30%-23 vs state

Math24%-19 vs state

Science21%-29 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, June 23, 2017

Our child attended Dower for two years. She had two great teachers, Ms.Fowler and Mrs. Whitaker. The only good things my we will take from the school is they do a great job teaching to be respectful! Other then that I absolutely hated the school. The pickup area is an accident waiting to happen. The office is not professional and they have attitudes in there at times which is not acceptable! MRS. Shattuck was always nice though. My daughter has severe allergies and was given food over 20 times that she should not have had. I got responses like "oh I forgot " and " I have so many kids to remember" well I tell ya what that is NOT an excuse! Instead of spending money on new computers that kids that young should not be in in the first place, maybe spend it in training the staff how to follow a care plan! And how to safely get kids to their cars at pick up! I have the simplest instruction...never give my child any food I will send any and all she needs with her. They couldn't even follow it. I worked in healthcare over 10 years and had to remember way more about my patients and I would have been fired had I given a patient foods they were not supposed to have. There is no excuse. The last straw was when she came home with a peanut bar. Be proud Dower staff, if she had eaten it she might not be here! We gave out home back and all the $$$ we put into it and moved her to a different district. When I called the district about all the issues the response was to homeschool my child. Um no! She has every right to a proper education just like all other kids. How about train your staff properly! This school also does not have music or art or anything fun! They make the kids run at their recess. Recess should be free play! They are too stuck on test scores but the way they run it is just hurting the kids. Wayyyyy too much homework. I am so glad we moved! Best decision ever! I do not recommend this school if your child has any food allergies or medical issues at all. And I do not recommend if your child has any learning issues. It pretty much sucked! Close Quote

Schools Near Dower Elementary School

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 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
Dower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7817 Dower Rd West	Lakewood	98499	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 583-5240	337	22	15.6	74.5%	56 (16.6%)	83 (24.6%)	87 (25.8%)	16 (4.7%)	3 (0.9%)	47 (13.9%)	40 (11.9%)	11.2	1073^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	7.5%		19.7	975^th of 1168 public elementary schools	16.5%	98	20.8	20.8	26.2	29.2	34.6	30.3	28.6	22.9	21.2	23.9	86.8	88.7	92.5	92.5	92.5	90.6	98.1	90.6	90.6	90.6	$24,921	$1,845	$23,076
Custer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7801 Steilacoom Blvd SW	Lakewood	98498	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 583-5230	358	21	17.0	74.0%	90 (25.1%)	54 (15.1%)	97 (27.1%)	15 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.3%)	68 (19.0%)	43.1	640^th of 1160 public elementary schools	44.8%		27.9	853^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	27.0%	213	59.3	59.3	35.0	38.7	70.4	45.9	45.0	25.8	44.4	38.8	86.9	90.2	88.5	88.5	88.5	88.5	91.8	88.5	88.5	88.5	$27,154	$1,819	$25,334
Four Heroes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9101 Lakewood Dr SW	Lakewood	98499	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 583-5340	541	38	14.1	84.7%	62 (11.5%)	64 (11.8%)	302 (55.8%)	19 (3.5%)	2 (0.4%)	43 (7.9%)	45 (8.3%)	21	958^th of 1160 public elementary schools	17.4%		13.8	1056^th of 1168 public elementary schools	9.6%	98	21.8	21.8	45.8	34.4	37.6	38.7	41.1	26.4	23.0	29.2	93.3	96.6	96.6	96.6	96.6	94.4	96.6	96.6	94.4	94.4	$20,983	$2,570	$18,413
Oakbrook Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7802 83rd AVE SW	Lakewood	98498	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 583-5330	285	19	14.8	61.8%	75 (26.3%)	51 (17.9%)	49 (17.2%)	20 (7.0%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (4.9%)	56 (19.6%)	32	802^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	30.9%		36.5	728^th of 1168 public elementary schools	37.7%	74	40.7	40.7	46.8	38.6	42.6	42.4	44.7	36.8	33.3	38.0	91.9	94.6	100.0	100.0	100.0	91.9	94.6	100.0	91.9	91.9	$21,566	$1,540	$20,026
Park Lodge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6300 100th ST SW	Lakewood	98499	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 583-5350	363	28	12.8	78.5%	36 (9.9%)	62 (17.1%)	183 (50.4%)	9 (2.5%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.0%)	32 (8.8%)	8.3	1110^th of 1160 public elementary schools	4.3%		12.6	1076^th of 1168 public elementary schools	7.9%	34	21.0	21.0	27.7	25.5	30.7	28.1	21.5	18.0	16.1	18.6	93.0	94.7	100.0	100.0	100.0	94.7	98.3	98.3	94.7	94.7	$22,719	$2,821	$19,898
Manitou Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4330 S 66th St	Tacoma	98409	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-5300	429	22	19.2	76.0%	74 (17.2%)	94 (21.9%)	117 (27.3%)	28 (6.5%)	6 (1.4%)	31 (7.2%)	78 (18.2%)	10.9	1076^th of 1160 public elementary schools	7.2%		15.4	1031^st of 1168 public elementary schools	11.7%	45	34.4	34.4	20.0	28.3	31.8	26.4	20.0	17.0	25.4	20.8	79.7	81.2	87.0	87.0	87.0	81.2	88.4	84.1	81.2	81.2	$21,532	$2,640	$18,892
Oak Grove	Public	K-6	8805 Steilacoom Blvd SW	Lakewood	98498	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 756-2522	11	3	3.4	27.3%	4 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (45.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (18.2%)								(n/a)																					$21,360	$2,465	$18,894
Lakeview Hope Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	10501 47th AVE SW	Lakewood	98499	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 583-5320	540	39	13.8	84.1%	59 (10.9%)	52 (9.6%)	271 (50.2%)	24 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (8.9%)	50 (9.3%)	12.9	1051^st of 1160 public elementary schools	9.4%		10.2	1096^th of 1168 public elementary schools	6.2%	45	30.1	30.1	22.1	24.7	41.8	30.6	27.3	15.1	27.2	23.3	89.7	95.9	94.9	94.9	94.9	90.7	95.9	94.9	90.7	90.7	$22,791	$2,358	$20,433
Idlewild Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	10806 Idlewild Rd SW	Lakewood	98498	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 583-5290	380	25	15.0	51.6%	186 (48.9%)	44 (11.6%)	78 (20.5%)	14 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	56 (14.7%)	26.5	877^th of 1160 public elementary schools	24.4%		20.4	963^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	17.6%	86	31.8	31.8	51.5	38.2	29.4	39.7	51.5	33.8	12.5	33.0	95.1	96.7	96.7	96.7	96.7	95.1	96.7	96.7	95.1	95.1	$20,801	$1,295	$19,506
Chambers Elementary	Public	K-4	9101 56th Ave W	University Place	98467	Pierce County	University Place School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 566-5650	493	32	15.1	40.0%	224 (45.4%)	54 (11.0%)	88 (17.8%)	41 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	77 (15.6%)	85.5	161^st of 1160 public elementary schools	86.1%		83.7	180^th of 1168 public elementary schools	84.6%	19			60.2	72.3		66.5	69.9	80.4		75.4	96.6	97.8	97.8	97.8	97.8	96.6	98.9	97.8	96.6	96.6	$18,135	$713	$17,421

Frequently Asked Questions about Dower Elementary School

What district is Dower Elementary School in?

Clover Park School District

Is Dower Elementary School a good school?

Dower Elementary School ranks in the bottom 7.5% of Washington elementary schools.

How many students attend Dower Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 337 students attended Dower Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Dower Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Dower Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Lochburn Middle School
High : Clover Park High School
High : General William H. Harrison Preparatory School

What is the racial makeup of Dower Elementary School?

Students at Dower Elementary School are 26% Hispanic, 25% African American, 17% White, 14% Pacific Islander, 12% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 1% Not Specified.

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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.