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Panther Lake Elementary School

Q: Is Panther Lake Elementary School a good school?

Panther Lake Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.0% of Washington elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Panther Lake Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 427 students attended Panther Lake Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Panther Lake Elementary School?

Students at Panther Lake Elementary School are 33% Hispanic, 24% African American, 14% White, 13% Pacific Islander, 10% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Panther Lake Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Panther Lake Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Illahee Middle School High : Todd Beamer High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

990^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Panther Lake Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Federal Way, Washington, serving 427 students in the Federal Way School District amid a cluster of nearby elementary schools. The school ranked in the 13th percentile statewide for 2025–26, with a one-star rating, although that was a notable improvement from the 3rd percentile the previous year. Its student-teacher ratio was 16.7-to-1, and 83.84% of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals, the highest rate among the nearby comparison schools.

Academic results remain below both district and state averages. In 2025–26, 31.55% of students were proficient in English language arts, 22.04% in math, and 29.51% in science. Math is the clearest concern: Panther Lake ranked near the bottom of its local comparison group in math, and only 15.79% of fourth graders were proficient. Fifth-grade math was also weak at 18.33%. Results did improve from the prior year in all three subjects, including a 9.04-point increase in ELA, but the longer-term pattern has been uneven rather than consistently upward. Subgroup effectiveness rankings are also generally low, particularly for female students and students from low-income households.

Nearby schools show that performance varies considerably within the same general area. Lakeland Elementary School ranked at the 46th percentile, while Brigadoon Elementary School ranked at the 39th percentile. Closer comparisons include Enterprise Elementary School and Sherwood Forest Elementary School, both of which outperformed Panther Lake in ELA, math, and science. N.E. Tacoma Elementary School, in the nearby Tacoma School District, had substantially stronger results but serves a different student population and district context. Overall, the most important priorities appear to be strengthening fourth- and fifth-grade math, sustaining recent gains, and examining the instructional and student-support practices used by stronger nearby schools.

427

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,410

Per pupil spending ?

83.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

84%

Kindergartners complete for all required immunizations (2025-26)

Exemptions: 1.3% (any vaccine)

34424 1st Av S
Federal Way, WA 98003-6501

(253) 945-3600

District: Federal Way School District

Students who attend Panther Lake Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Illahee Middle School
High:	Todd Beamer High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

32.8%

African American:

24.1%

White:

13.6%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Panther Lake Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 13th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (27% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Science scores 21 pts below the Washington average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school27%

District avg33%

Washington avg48%

990^th of 1,138

Washington public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 23Elementary Schools in the Federal Way School District

183^rd of 238Federal Way 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	13.2	990 of 1138	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.8	1129 of 1160	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.0	1067 of 1168	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	1088 of 1169	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.1	1134 of 1169	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.2	999 of 1107	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	1089 of 1130	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	931 of 1054	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.1	918 of 1056	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.5	916 of 1053	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.4	738 of 1067	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	49.6	606 of 1106	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.3	639 of 1097	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.7	795 of 1092	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	55.1	479 of 1088	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.2	507 of 1072	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	53.6	525 of 1067	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.1	543 of 1069	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	60.3	411 of 1051	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	57.1	451 of 1031	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	49.2	536 of 1026	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	26.1	67 of 82	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.8	52 of 71	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.8	38 of 66	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	13.4	107 of 110	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	30.1	92 of 107	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2018	43.4	107 of 169	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	19.5	281 of 326	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.9	223 of 320	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.3	190 of 254	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.8	212 of 333	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	9.6	984 of 1020	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.6	1023 of 1092	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	1008 of 1093	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	1047 of 1094	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.4	1044 of 1100	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	956 of 1008	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	972 of 1068	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.2	907 of 1004	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	543 of 649	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.4	514 of 659	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.6	543 of 651	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	565 of 633	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.3	638 of 694	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	45.6	223 of 501	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	16.8	642 of 697	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	492 of 540	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	28.1	8 of 8	0.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	23.2	854 of 1008	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.0	991 of 1013	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	840 of 1024	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	944 of 1013	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	980 of 1019	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	787 of 854	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.3	923 of 979	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.0	751 of 835	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	19.2	910 of 1059	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.2	1074 of 1098	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	997 of 1099	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	1021 of 1099	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.1	1095 of 1113	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.6	907 of 1025	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.0	1040 of 1075	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.2	820 of 999	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	71.7	2 of 5	60.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	11.6	964 of 1027	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.1	749 of 833	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Pacific Islander (2019)60th percentile+56 vs school

Asian (2018)37th percentile+25 vs school

African American (2026)18th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)16th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile~ school

Male (2026)14th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)14th percentile~ school

White (2019)6th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)4th percentile-9 vs school

Homeless (2024)<1st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts32%-21 vs state

Science30%-21 vs state

Math22%-21 vs state

2.3

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, October 7, 2017

Very poor school. I removed my daughter toward the end of the school year last year due to bullying and classroom disruptions. Principal refused to handle situation so I removed my daughter from the environment. Turn over for teachers is very high, two years in a row almost half of the staff quit. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, February 12, 2010

This is the most wonderful elementary school in the Federal Way School District. The teachers are wonderful and give their all to ther students and their community. My children are lucky to have teachers who care so much for them. Close Quote

Schools Near Panther Lake Elementary School

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WCAS Science (2026)			SBAC English Language Arts (2026)							SBAC Math (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 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	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Panther Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	34424 1st Av S	Federal Way	98003	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 945-3600	427	26	16.7	83.8%	58 (13.6%)	103 (24.1%)	140 (32.8%)	28 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (12.6%)	42 (9.8%)	13.2	990^th of 1138 public elementary schools	13.0%		6.8	1129^th of 1160 public elementary schools	2.7%	139	29.5		29.5	34.8	26.3	32.8				31.6	30.4	15.8	18.3				22.0	84%	1.3%	$18,410	$1,559	$16,851
Enterprise Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	35101 5th Ave SW	Federal Way	98023	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 945-2600	450	28	16.1	67.8%	95 (21.1%)	88 (19.6%)	128 (28.4%)	68 (15.1%)	3 (0.7%)	33 (7.3%)	35 (7.8%)	30.1	789^th of 1138 public elementary schools	30.7%		24.5	916^th of 1160 public elementary schools	21.0%	127	40.3		40.3	38.7	38.4	50.8				42.3	39.5	30.1	32.8				34.3	80.8%	0%	$22,320	$1,693	$20,626
Sherwood Forest Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	34600 12th Av SW	Federal Way	98023	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 945-3800	325	24	13.5	68.9%	70 (21.5%)	42 (12.9%)	93 (28.6%)	55 (16.9%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (6.8%)	42 (12.9%)	33.2	760^th of 1138 public elementary schools	33.2%		35.1	747^th of 1160 public elementary schools	35.6%	13	38.8		38.8	26.6	51.0	49.0				40.9	34.4	48.1	32.7				38.2	86%	7%	$23,940	$1,932	$22,008
Silver Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1310 SW 325th St	Federal Way	98023	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 945-3900	382	24	16.2	74.6%	58 (15.2%)	78 (20.4%)	117 (30.6%)	33 (8.6%)	1 (0.3%)	49 (12.8%)	46 (12.0%)	18.5	929^th of 1138 public elementary schools	18.4%		22.7	936^th of 1160 public elementary schools	19.3%	7	26.4		26.4	33.3	39.3	34.0				35.5	30.0	32.8	22.6				28.8	84.8%	0%	$19,588	$1,342	$18,246
Mirror Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	625 S 314th St	Federal Way	98003	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 945-3300	491	31	15.8	82.3%	65 (13.2%)	86 (17.5%)	171 (34.8%)	70 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.9%)	75 (15.3%)	14.3	973^rd of 1138 public elementary schools	14.5%		9.6	1098^th of 1160 public elementary schools	5.3%	125	35.1		35.1	26.7	21.0	36.4				27.4	20.9	27.3	30.7				26.2	75.6%	2.2%	$19,164	$1,277	$17,887
Olympic View Elementary School	Public	K-8	2626 SW 327th St	Federal Way	98023	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 945-3500	547	32	17.2	82.6%	59 (10.8%)	79 (14.4%)	238 (43.5%)	44 (8.0%)	4 (0.7%)	47 (8.6%)	76 (13.9%)	9.9	1038^th of 1138 public elementary schools	8.8%		8.4	1109^th of 1160 public elementary schools	4.4%	71	23.6	28.6	24.4	22.2	21.5	32.9	16.7	23.1	35.7	24.9	25.9	18.8	21.9	17.4	19.2	21.4	21.6	93.8%	0%	$18,986	$1,224	$17,761
N.E. Tacoma Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5412 29th St Ne	Tacoma	98422	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-6933	418	23	17.8	53.8%	138 (33.0%)	27 (6.5%)	110 (26.3%)	62 (14.8%)	6 (1.4%)	8 (1.9%)	67 (16.0%)	63.5	384^th of 1138 public elementary schools	66.3%		61.2	421^st of 1160 public elementary schools	63.7%	37	56.9		56.9	49.3	58.2	53.5				53.6	56.3	64.2	43.9				55.4	87%	7.2%	$21,142	$654	$20,488
Lakeland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	35827 32nd Av S	Auburn	98001	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 945-3000	418	25	16.7	61.0%	151 (36.1%)	34 (8.1%)	103 (24.6%)	53 (12.7%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (2.2%)	66 (15.8%)	45	611^th of 1138 public elementary schools	46.3%		25	905^th of 1160 public elementary schools	22.0%	294	41.5		41.5	50.0	43.6	43.1				45.7	56.6	42.3	43.1				47.5	73.1%	13.4%	$19,609	$1,298	$18,312
Brigadoon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3601 SW 336th ST	Federal Way	98023	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 945-2400	366	23	16.1	65.8%	85 (23.2%)	52 (14.2%)	117 (32.0%)	44 (12.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (5.2%)	48 (13.1%)	38.8	697^th of 1138 public elementary schools	38.8%		34.8	753^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	35.1%	56	28.9		28.9	44.4	53.2	35.6				44.5	46.0	63.0	17.8				42.9	85.7%	3.6%	$22,744	$1,890	$20,854
Lake Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	303 SW 308th St	Federal Way	98023	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 945-2900	390	24	16.5	77.9%	62 (15.9%)	57 (14.6%)	169 (43.3%)	30 (7.7%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (6.2%)	47 (12.1%)	13.4	988^th of 1138 public elementary schools	13.2%		8.1	1112^th of 1160 public elementary schools	4.1%	124	21.6		21.6	33.3	30.4	30.8				31.5	29.8	26.1	19.2				25.3	83.8%	5.9%	$23,523	$1,563	$21,959

Frequently Asked Questions about Panther Lake Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Panther Lake Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Panther Lake Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Illahee Middle School
High : Todd Beamer High School

How many students attend Panther Lake Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 427 students attended Panther Lake Elementary School.

What district is Panther Lake Elementary School in?

Federal Way School District

What is the racial makeup of Panther Lake Elementary School?

Students at Panther Lake Elementary School are 33% Hispanic, 24% African American, 14% White, 13% Pacific Islander, 10% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

Is Panther Lake Elementary School a good school?

Panther Lake Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.0% of Washington elementary schools.

Rate Panther Lake Elementary School!

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Latest Washington data All new data »

2016–17 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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.