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Bow Lake Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1124^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,160 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Bow Lake Elementary is a public Pre-K through 5th grade school in SeaTac, WA, serving 524 students as part of the Highline School District, but it currently ranks in the bottom 3% of all Washington elementary schools based on recent state test scores.

Academic proficiency at Bow Lake is significantly below both district and state averages, with only about 21% of students proficient in English, 23% in math, and 15% in science. While the school serves a community with high economic need, it is underperforming compared to other nearby schools with similar student populations, such as McMicken Heights Elementary and Tukwila Elementary, which have much higher proficiency rates. The school has also experienced one of the steepest performance declines in the area over the past decade.

Within the Highline School District, there is a wide performance gap; schools like Marvista Elementary perform well above state averages, while Bow Lake and Midway Elementary are in the bottom tier. Bow Lake receives relatively high per-student funding and has a lower student-teacher ratio than some better-performing schools, indicating that resources alone are not translating to improved student outcomes at this time.

524

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,751

Per pupil spending ?

75.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

18237 42nd Ave S
SeaTac, WA 98188-4525

(206) 631-3500

District: Highline School District

Students who attend Bow Lake Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Chinook Middle School
High:	Tyee High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

32.3%

Hispanic:

26.7%

Asian:

15.6%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 14th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (20% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg31%

Washington avg48%

1,124^th of 1,160

Washington public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th of 17Elementary Schools in the Highline School District

201^st of 247Highline 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	7.1	1124 of 1160	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	1143 of 1168	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	1147 of 1169	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.8	1130 of 1169	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.0	1069 of 1107	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.7	990 of 1130	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	888 of 1054	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.4	897 of 1056	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.6	897 of 1053	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.0	922 of 1067	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.9	966 of 1106	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	17.8	973 of 1097	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	9.4	1047 of 1092	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	20.5	939 of 1088	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	9.3	1026 of 1072	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	8.4	1021 of 1067	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	6.7	1035 of 1069	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	18.4	930 of 1051	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	5.1	1005 of 1031	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	10.0	965 of 1026	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	11.8	73 of 75	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.9	71 of 71	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	63 of 66	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	105 of 108	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.3	39 of 47	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.2	67 of 110	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.1	72 of 107	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	2.9	185 of 189	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.8	184 of 187	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	1.8	130 of 131	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.9	152 of 201	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	134 of 169	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	271 of 303	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.3	313 of 320	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	34.3	238 of 333	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	6.9	1068 of 1092	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.6	1062 of 1093	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.1	1066 of 1094	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.5	1075 of 1100	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.3	981 of 1008	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	966 of 1068	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	872 of 1004	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	25.2	536 of 659	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.1	625 of 651	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	614 of 633	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.0	584 of 694	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.2	419 of 501	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	514 of 697	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.7	385 of 540	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	11.6	973 of 1013	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.4	992 of 1024	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	970 of 1013	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	971 of 1019	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	736 of 854	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.0	776 of 979	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.3	650 of 835	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	10.5	1037 of 1098	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.5	1069 of 1099	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.4	1083 of 1099	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.3	1065 of 1113	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.0	996 of 1025	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.5	913 of 1075	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	818 of 999	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	27.1	168 of 197	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	27.6	433 of 566	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	513 of 637	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	17.2	905 of 1027	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.0	604 of 833	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)23rd percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)19th percentile+16 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)15th percentile+12 vs school

White (2019)12th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)11th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

African American (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Asian (2025)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

Math23%-20 vs state

English Language Arts21%-32 vs state

Science15%-34 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, August 13, 2013

I have a child that needs lots of help with reading. She is going in to 2nd grade and is well below grade level that is what the test says, so I called the principal and he tells me that's ok and they don't do anything until the third grade and if I want to get her help I have to go fined it and pay for it. The school should pay for it because it is a public school. Close Quote

Schools Near Bow Lake 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 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
Bow Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18237 42nd Ave S	SeaTac	98188	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-3500	524	33	15.7	75.6%	54 (10.3%)	169 (32.3%)	140 (26.7%)	82 (15.6%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (6.5%)	44 (8.4%)	7.1	1124^th of 1160 public elementary schools	3.1%		5	1143^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	2.1%	19	15.5	15.5	16.9	25.6	20.7	21.0	25.8	25.9	16.7	22.9	78.4	86.5	86.5	86.5	86.5	82.4	87.8	82.4	82.4	82.4	$21,751	$1,698	$20,053
McMicken Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3708 S 168th St	SeaTac	98188	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4300	484	32	15.0	76.0%	44 (9.1%)	141 (29.1%)	135 (27.9%)	100 (20.7%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.2%)	33 (6.8%)	22.7	937^th of 1160 public elementary schools	19.2%		22.8	928^th of 1168 public elementary schools	20.5%	9	39.7	39.7	38.4	27.3	41.8	35.7	43.7	26.0	26.5	32.8	81.8	92.1	85.2	85.2	85.2	88.6	90.9	84.1	88.6	88.6	$22,723	$1,840	$20,883
Madrona Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20301 32nd Ave South	SeaTac	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4100	317	20	15.7	77.0%	20 (6.3%)	65 (20.5%)	162 (51.1%)	14 (4.4%)	1 (0.3%)	34 (10.7%)	21 (6.6%)	17.4	994^th of 1160 public elementary schools	14.3%		7	1124^th of 1168 public elementary schools	3.8%	130	30.8	30.8	25.0	22.0	33.3	26.3	34.9		38.5	24.8	80.4	83.9	89.3	89.3	89.3	82.1	92.9	83.9	82.1	82.1	$23,482	$2,361	$21,121
Thorndyke Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4415 S 150th St	Seattle	98188	King County	Tukwila School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 901-7600	386	26	14.6	86.5%	37 (9.6%)	111 (28.8%)	138 (35.8%)	52 (13.5%)	2 (0.5%)	18 (4.7%)	16 (4.1%)	12.5	1057^th of 1160 public elementary schools	8.9%		6.1	1136^th of 1168 public elementary schools	2.7%	79	37.5	37.5	12.2	22.9	45.8	27.7	17.1	18.8	20.8	19.0	75.0	89.7	85.3	85.3	85.3	86.8	92.7	85.3	86.8	86.8	$24,603	$3,963	$20,641
Impact Public Schools	Public, Charter	K-5	3438 S. 148th Street	Tukwila	98168	King County	Impact \| Puget Sound Elementary	Yes	No	No	Yes	(206) 712-7640	505	32	15.7	69.7%	51 (10.1%)	260 (51.5%)	108 (21.4%)	49 (9.7%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	33 (6.5%)	44	626^th of 1160 public elementary schools	46.0%		51.3	545^th of 1168 public elementary schools	53.3%	81	45.7	45.7	48.0	49.4	44.7	47.7	54.7	46.1	37.0	47.2	80.0	92.2	85.6	85.6	85.6	92.2	95.6	88.9	92.2	92.2	$19,910	$2,039	$17,871
North Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	19835 8th Ave S	Des Moines	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4600	518	31	16.6	45.9%	179 (34.6%)	44 (8.5%)	149 (28.8%)	53 (10.2%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	88 (17.0%)	66.9	355^th of 1160 public elementary schools	69.4%		71.3	302^nd of 1168 public elementary schools	74.1%	53	66.7	66.7	47.4	47.7	68.7	54.7	61.8	53.5	61.5	58.8	89.7	97.7	96.6	96.6	96.6	95.4	94.3	95.4	95.4	95.4	$21,974	$1,257	$20,718
Tukwila Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5939 S 149th St	Tukwila	98168	King County	Tukwila School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 901-7500	458	22	20.4	71.4%	60 (13.1%)	93 (20.3%)	163 (35.6%)	92 (20.1%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.4%)	38 (8.3%)	36.5	721^st of 1160 public elementary schools	37.8%		29.4	830^th of 1168 public elementary schools	28.9%	109	49.3	49.3	49.4	35.0	47.3	44.7	45.2	41.9	30.7	39.4	76.2	81.0	81.0	81.0	81.0	79.4	88.9	81.0	79.4	79.4	$25,946	$3,209	$22,737
River Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	22420 Military Rd S	SeaTac	98198	King County	Kent School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 373-7320	697	42	16.6	72.7%	95 (13.6%)	150 (21.5%)	175 (25.1%)	176 (25.3%)	2 (0.3%)	53 (7.6%)	46 (6.6%)	4.3	1144^th of 1160 public elementary schools	1.4%		3.8	1157^th of 1168 public elementary schools	0.9%	13	19.8	19.8	17.1	10.2	20.5	15.5	19.1	14.3	15.9	16.3	68.9	78.3	79.3	79.3	79.3	75.5	87.7	76.4	75.5	75.5	$19,556	$1,556	$18,001
Midway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	22447 24th Ave S	Des Moines	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4400	548	31	17.8	78.1%	53 (9.7%)	101 (18.4%)	238 (43.4%)	97 (17.7%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (4.2%)	34 (6.2%)	3.5	1151^st of 1160 public elementary schools	0.8%		3.6	1161^st of 1168 public elementary schools	0.6%	10	15.3	15.3	14.9	15.3	19.0	16.2	18.4	11.8	11.8	14.1	77.4	83.5	88.7	87.8	87.8	85.2	92.2	89.6	85.2	85.2	$20,000	$1,473	$18,527
Marvista Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	19800 Marine View Dr SW	Normandy Park	98166	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4200	532	33	15.9	40.8%	225 (42.3%)	49 (9.2%)	131 (24.6%)	17 (3.2%)	2 (0.4%)	29 (5.5%)	78 (14.7%)	61.5	418^th of 1160 public elementary schools	64.0%		59.7	451^st of 1168 public elementary schools	61.4%	33	57.5	57.5	56.7	61.1	57.0	58.1	56.7	50.0	45.6	51.0	88.0	90.2	92.4	92.4	92.4	90.2	94.6	91.3	90.2	90.2	$20,295	$1,217	$19,078

Frequently Asked Questions about Bow Lake Elementary

How many students attend Bow Lake Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 524 students attended Bow Lake Elementary.

Is Bow Lake Elementary a good school?

Bow Lake Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.1% of Washington elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Bow Lake Elementary?

Students at Bow Lake Elementary are 32% African American, 27% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 10% White, 8% Two or more races, 6% Pacific Islander.

What district is Bow Lake Elementary in?

Highline School District

What schools do graduates of Bow Lake Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bow Lake Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Chinook Middle School
High : Tyee 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.