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North Hill Elementary

Q: Is North Hill Elementary a good school?

North Hill Elementary ranks 357 th of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

357^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

North Hill Elementary is a PK–5 school in Des Moines, Washington, serving 518 students in the Highline School District and offering comparatively strong academic performance in an area with wide differences among nearby schools. It ranks 357th of 1,138 Washington elementary schools, placing it in the 69th percentile and earning three stars. North Hill has remained above the statewide midpoint in every reported year and currently ranks well above the district, which is in the 17th percentile statewide.

The school’s 2025–2026 proficiency rates were 60.32% in English language arts, 48.18% in math, and 69.88% in science. Those results exceed both state and district averages, with science standing out as the clearest strength. North Hill also compares favorably with most nearby schools. The closest high-performing comparison, Marvista Elementary, ranks slightly higher overall and has somewhat better ELA and math results, but North Hill leads Marvista in science and has a notably stronger fifth-grade ELA result. North Hill also ranks ahead of Gregory Heights Elementary and substantially outperforms most other nearby schools, including Des Moines Elementary, McMicken Heights Elementary, and Midway Elementary.

For families weighing academic trends, science and upper-grade literacy are major positives: fifth-grade ELA reached 70.24%, while ELA rose steadily from third through fifth grade. Math is the main area to monitor, falling 10.60 percentage points in the latest year despite remaining above state and district rates. Results also vary by grade, with lower math performance in third and fifth grade. North Hill appears effective for several economically disadvantaged student groups, but the latest results for special education students and English learners were weaker or more variable. Overall, it is a strong local option, particularly for families seeking a school that substantially outperforms its district and most surrounding elementary schools.

518

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,974

Per pupil spending ?

45.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

19835 8th Ave S
Des Moines, WA 98148-2246

(206) 631-4600

District: Highline School District

Students who attend North Hill Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sylvester Middle School
High:	Mount Rainier High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.6%

Hispanic:

28.8%

Two or more races:

17.0%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare North Hill Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 70th percentile in 2016 → 69th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Washington average (56% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Highline School District

✓Above the Washington median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg30%

Washington avg48%

357^th of 1,138

Washington public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 17Elementary Schools in the Highline School District

198^th of 238Highline 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	66.0	357 of 1138	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.9	355 of 1160	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.3	302 of 1168	74.1%	★★★★☆
2023	69.1	336 of 1169	71.3%	★★★★☆
2022	65.1	376 of 1169	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.6	361 of 1107	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.8	345 of 1130	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	83.6	157 of 1054	85.1%	★★★★☆
2017	74.6	256 of 1056	75.8%	★★★★☆
2016	69.5	315 of 1053	70.1%	★★★★☆
2015	71.1	277 of 1067	74.0%	★★★★☆
2013	55.6	518 of 1106	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.1	514 of 1097	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	48.7	583 of 1092	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.1	625 of 1088	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	39.5	709 of 1072	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	40.4	675 of 1067	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	53.9	509 of 1069	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.4	470 of 1051	55.3%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	43.2	120 of 187	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.8	121 of 201	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.1	111 of 169	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	45.6	159 of 326	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	75.0	53 of 303	82.5%	★★★★☆
2024	54.1	122 of 320	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.3	82 of 213	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	64.8	327 of 1020	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.9	381 of 1092	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.7	356 of 1093	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.7	451 of 1094	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.0	520 of 1100	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.5	412 of 1008	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.8	292 of 1068	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	83.4	132 of 1004	86.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	68.0	143 of 649	78.0%	★★★★☆
2025	74.5	112 of 659	83.0%	★★★★☆
2024	85.4	48 of 651	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	87.8	35 of 633	94.5%	★★★★★
2022	71.4	120 of 694	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	61.1	123 of 501	75.4%	★★★★☆
2019	67.9	173 of 697	75.2%	★★★★☆
2018	85.0	47 of 540	91.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	65.9	283 of 1008	71.9%	★★★★☆
2025	77.6	139 of 1013	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	84.7	68 of 1024	93.4%	★★★★★
2023	74.2	187 of 1013	81.5%	★★★★☆
2022	67.7	226 of 1019	77.8%	★★★★☆
2021	52.8	341 of 854	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.1	114 of 979	88.4%	★★★★☆
2018	84.9	43 of 835	94.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	70.9	278 of 1059	73.7%	★★★★☆
2025	68.7	318 of 1098	71.0%	★★★★☆
2024	75.9	241 of 1099	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	78.9	207 of 1099	81.2%	★★★★☆
2022	75.2	266 of 1113	76.1%	★★★★☆
2021	66.8	309 of 1025	69.9%	★★★★☆
2019	62.4	394 of 1075	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	80.7	176 of 999	82.4%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	125 of 197	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.4	67 of 188	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.2	118 of 194	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.3	181 of 252	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.6	79 of 128	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	82.1	30 of 303	90.1%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	37.4	284 of 432	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	69.2	69 of 339	79.6%	★★★★☆
2023	40.0	185 of 308	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.6	160 of 478	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.2	138 of 637	78.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	75.6	193 of 901	78.6%	★★★★☆
2025	68.7	307 of 1007	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.0	240 of 1009	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	69.9	297 of 1011	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	72.7	269 of 1031	73.9%	★★★★☆
2021	67.5	294 of 943	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.1	359 of 1027	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	81.8	116 of 833	86.1%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)79th percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)78th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)74th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)72nd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)68th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)51st percentile-17 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)37th percentile-33 vs school

Asian (2022)36th percentile-32 vs school

Special Education (2026)34th percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

Science70%+19 vs state

English Language Arts60%+8 vs state

Math48%+5 vs state

4.4

5 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★3

4★1

3★1

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Tuesday, November 8, 2011

My daughter had gone to this school from 1st grade thru 6th grade and enjoyed her time there. She is in the ILC special education program this school had great staff and work so GOOD well my daughter. There are some improvements needed and I would agree the front office needs some more friendly tone in their voice and yes the counsolers should work with both the parents and student more. As for the special needs classroom, there are some teachers who could do better in working with the parents, but they could do better in preparing the students for middle school. Otherwise it was a friendly school, that works hard at making sure each student learns the best they can. I so wish there were more teachers and school like this... Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, August 29, 2011

The staff is great at north hill. There are areas to improve, mostly their office staff(rude on the phone!) and the counselors are very nice but need to listen to parents more. The principal is amazing!!!! I think they are improving. I have had several kids go through this school. They are pretty good at a lot of things and as long as they keep improving at the things they need to they will be just fine. The office staff needs some work too! Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, February 2, 2010

This school has excellent staff and counselors, offers half and full day kindergarten and has music, physical education and reading programs. They also have many opportunities to visit the library and computer rooms. They are working on go green program, achieving a level 2 in the 2009-2010 school year. They offer a girls softball program for 3rd-6th grade. Close Quote

Schools Near North Hill 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
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	357^th of 1138 public elementary schools	68.6%		66.9	355^th of 1160 public elementary schools	69.4%	2	69.9	69.9	48.3	63.2	70.2	60.3	42.5	57.9	45.2	48.2	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
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%)	68.4	327^th of 1138 public elementary schools	71.3%		61.5	418^th of 1160 public elementary schools	64.0%	91	64.4	64.4	62.2	65.5	54.8	61.1	58.1	56.3	38.4	51.3	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
Des Moines Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	22001 9th Ave S	Des Moines	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-3700	500	32	15.6	62.6%	111 (22.2%)	84 (16.8%)	145 (29.0%)	58 (11.6%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.4%)	84 (16.8%)	21.4	887^th of 1138 public elementary schools	22.1%		23.2	931^st of 1160 public elementary schools	19.7%	44	32.1	32.1	37.7	37.1	30.8	35.8	35.1	36.0	17.3	31.2	89.0	94.5	94.5	94.5	94.5	94.5	97.3	94.5	94.5	94.5	$23,049	$1,917	$21,132
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%)	6.6	1076^th of 1138 public elementary schools	5.4%		17.4	994^th of 1160 public elementary schools	14.3%	82	19.2	19.2	22.4	29.2	25.5	25.5	15.5	20.8	6.4	14.4	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
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%)	3.4	1102^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	3.2%		3.5	1151^st of 1160 public elementary schools	0.8%	49	17.6	17.6	10.1	10.4	19.7	13.4	19.2	9.2	13.3	14.0	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
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%)	7.2	1067^th of 1138 public elementary schools	6.2%		7.1	1124^th of 1160 public elementary schools	3.1%	57	25.0	25.0	12.2	25.3	27.9	21.7	18.9	21.5	17.2	19.3	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
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%)	4.5	1088^th of 1138 public elementary schools	4.4%		4.3	1144^th of 1160 public elementary schools	1.4%	56	21.6	21.6	15.5	12.6	17.0	15.1	20.6	18.6	13.0	17.2	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
Gregory Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	16216 19th Ave SW	Burien	98166	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-3800	488	30	16.4	51.0%	164 (33.6%)	23 (4.7%)	196 (40.2%)	30 (6.1%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.9%)	60 (12.3%)	53.7	499^th of 1138 public elementary schools	56.2%		44.3	622^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	46.4%	123	47.0	47.0	62.3	54.7	50.0	55.2	62.3	44.0	35.4	46.1	92.1	94.7	94.7	94.7	94.7	94.7	96.1	93.4	94.7	94.7	$21,747	$2,510	$19,237
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%)	21	896^th of 1138 public elementary schools	21.3%		22.7	937^th of 1160 public elementary schools	19.2%	41	31.1	31.1	28.4	38.4	41.9	36.1	32.5	38.4	18.9	30.5	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
Parkside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2104 S 247th St	Des Moines	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4700	535	28	18.7	80.2%	85 (15.9%)	113 (21.1%)	141 (26.4%)	115 (21.5%)	2 (0.4%)	30 (5.6%)	48 (9.0%)	6.5	1077^th of 1138 public elementary schools	5.4%		9.3	1103^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	4.9%	26	23.9	23.9	16.7	26.9	20.5	21.7	22.6	20.4	11.4	18.2	87.7	93.2	95.9	95.9	95.9	91.8	97.3	93.2	91.8	91.8	$20,831	$1,473	$19,358

Frequently Asked Questions about North Hill Elementary

What district is North Hill Elementary in?

Highline School District

What is the racial makeup of North Hill Elementary?

Students at North Hill Elementary are 35% White, 29% Hispanic, 17% Two or more races, 10% Asian, 8% African American.

What schools do graduates of North Hill Elementary attend?

Students who attend North Hill Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sylvester Middle School
High : Mount Rainier High School

How many students attend North Hill Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 518 students attended North Hill Elementary.

Is North Hill Elementary a good school?

North Hill Elementary ranks 357^th of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate North Hill 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.