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Carl Sandburg Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

102^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Carl Sandburg Elementary is a PK–5 school in Kirkland serving 391 students in the high-performing Lake Washington School District. Located in a particularly strong school area, it is near Henry David Thoreau Elementary and Juanita Elementary, and offers a favorable 15.3-to-1 student-teacher ratio. The district ranks 4th out of 238 Washington districts, while Carl Sandburg ranks 102nd out of 1,138 elementary schools statewide, placing it in the 91st percentile with a 5-star rating.

Academic results are substantially above Washington averages. In 2025–26, 77.55% of students were proficient in English language arts, 70.41% in math, and 73.33% in science. However, because the district is exceptionally strong, Carl Sandburg’s results were below district averages in all three subjects. Peter Kirk Elementary is the clearest nearby academic leader, outperforming Carl Sandburg in all three subjects and ranking in the 97th percentile statewide. Henry David Thoreau Elementary has a nearly identical statewide ranking, with somewhat stronger science but lower ELA and slightly lower math results. Carl Sandburg generally outperforms nearby Helen Keller Elementary, Alexander Graham Bell Elementary, Robert Frost Elementary, and Juanita Elementary across the tested subjects.

For families evaluating the school, the main areas to monitor are fifth grade and science. Fifth-grade proficiency trails district averages by 10.71 points in ELA, 9.70 points in math, and 7.43 points in science. Science also fell from above 80% in each of the prior three reported years to 73.33% most recently, while math has remained near 70% after declining from 2022–23. The school’s low 8.7% free/reduced-price lunch rate and strong staffing ratio provide useful context, but they do not explain individual outcomes. Discovery Community School, a separate 71-student program sharing the address, has limited comparable data because several results are suppressed. Overall, Carl Sandburg remains a strong local option with consistently high statewide performance.

391

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,101

Per pupil spending ?

8.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12801 - 84th Ave NE
Kirkland, WA 98034-2600

(425) 936-2700

District: Lake Washington School District

Students who attend Carl Sandburg Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Finn Hill Middle School
High:	Juanita High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.2%

Asian:

15.6%

Two or more races:

14.1%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Carl Sandburg Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 97th percentile in 2016 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Washington average (74% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Washington elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school74%

District avg78%

Washington avg48%

102^nd of 1,138

Washington public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 3% (2016) to top 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 28Elementary Schools in the Lake Washington School District

4^th of 238Lake Washington 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	91.0	102 of 1138	91.0%	★★★★★
2025	91.0	99 of 1160	91.5%	★★★★★
2024	90.4	104 of 1168	91.1%	★★★★★
2023	93.0	77 of 1169	93.4%	★★★★★
2022	84.2	175 of 1169	85.0%	★★★★☆
2021	86.9	136 of 1107	87.7%	★★★★☆
2019	87.0	124 of 1130	89.0%	★★★★☆
2018	91.8	66 of 1054	93.7%	★★★★★
2017	93.8	43 of 1056	95.9%	★★★★★
2016	94.6	29 of 1053	97.2%	★★★★★
2015	91.2	69 of 1067	93.5%	★★★★★
2013	83.9	122 of 1106	89.0%	★★★★☆
2012	84.4	107 of 1097	90.2%	★★★★★
2011	74.4	227 of 1092	79.2%	★★★★☆
2010	77.3	191 of 1088	82.4%	★★★★☆
2009	82.5	125 of 1072	88.3%	★★★★☆
2008	82.1	128 of 1067	88.0%	★★★★☆
2007	77.5	174 of 1069	83.7%	★★★★☆
2006	75.1	211 of 1051	79.9%	★★★★☆
2005	70.6	276 of 1031	73.2%	★★★★☆
2004	78.0	177 of 1026	82.7%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	68.1	32 of 103	68.9%	★★★★☆
2025	47.0	102 of 189	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	83.7	158 of 1020	84.5%	★★★★☆
2025	85.6	139 of 1092	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	86.8	129 of 1093	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	86.0	128 of 1094	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	84.0	161 of 1100	85.4%	★★★★☆
2021	89.1	99 of 1008	90.2%	★★★★★
2019	85.8	122 of 1068	88.6%	★★★★☆
2018	91.2	58 of 1004	94.2%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	95.8	35 of 1059	96.7%	★★★★★
2025	92.2	64 of 1098	94.2%	★★★★★
2024	92.0	73 of 1099	93.4%	★★★★★
2023	95.7	31 of 1099	97.2%	★★★★★
2022	83.2	168 of 1113	84.9%	★★★★☆
2021	81.3	181 of 1025	82.3%	★★★★☆
2019	87.5	118 of 1075	89.0%	★★★★☆
2018	91.4	63 of 999	93.7%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	61.8	128 of 432	70.4%	★★★★☆
2025	78.1	46 of 363	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	71.7	107 of 566	81.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	80.7	143 of 901	84.1%	★★★★☆
2025	85.3	102 of 1007	89.9%	★★★★☆
2024	85.3	114 of 1009	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	90.6	66 of 1011	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	80.4	179 of 1031	82.6%	★★★★☆
2021	74.8	208 of 943	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	76.4	224 of 1027	78.2%	★★★★☆
2018	84.5	89 of 833	89.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Male (2026)97th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)85th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)84th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2026)70th percentile-21 vs school

Asian (2026)69th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts78%+25 vs state

Science73%+22 vs state

Math70%+27 vs state

4.0

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, March 11, 2021

We moved here a few years ago monthly because of Sandburg. We have not been disappointed, our kids love going there... Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, March 11, 2021

Great facilities, great kids and teachers, love it there Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, September 6, 2019

I moved my children from this school after too many issues with lack of rules and follow through. The worst art was that there is zero accountability for leadership when mistakes were made, a simple sorry and we will do better next time would have sufficed. Close Quote

Schools Near Carl Sandburg 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
Carl Sandburg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12801 - 84th Ave NE	Kirkland	98034	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 936-2700	391	25	15.3	8.7%	216 (55.2%)	4 (1.0%)	41 (10.5%)	61 (15.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	55 (14.1%)	91	102^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	91.0%		91	99^th of 1160 public elementary schools	91.5%	3	73.3	73.3	84.8	79.0	70.7	77.6	72.9	75.8	64.0	70.4	93.8	95.8	97.9	97.9	97.9	95.8	93.8	95.8	95.8	95.8	$19,101	$163	$18,937
Discovery Community School	Public	K-5	12801 84th NE	Kirkland	98034	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 936-2704	71	3	21.8	7.0%	34 (47.9%)	1 (1.4%)	4 (5.6%)	23 (32.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (12.7%)								(n/a)									50.0	75.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	$13,448	$163	$13,285
Henry David Thoreau Elementary	Public	K-5	8224 NE 138th	Kirkland	98034	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 936-2720	404	24	17.0	16.1%	224 (55.4%)	5 (1.2%)	47 (11.6%)	80 (19.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	45 (11.1%)	90.9	103^rd of 1138 public elementary schools	90.9%		87	140^th of 1160 public elementary schools	87.9%	37	79.4	79.4	74.6	69.3	76.1	72.9	74.6	70.8	64.7	69.8	89.4	93.9	97.0	97.0	97.0	95.5	90.9	92.4	95.5	95.5	$19,299	$163	$19,136
Juanita Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9635 NE 132nd	Kirkland	98034	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 936-2570	394	26	14.9	22.6%	173 (43.9%)	21 (5.3%)	74 (18.8%)	75 (19.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (12.2%)	65.8	362^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	68.2%		74.6	262^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	77.4%	100	51.9	51.9	56.7	57.7	55.8	56.7	66.7	55.8	45.1	56.4	93.9	95.9	95.9	95.9	95.9	95.9	98.0	93.9	95.9	95.9	$18,786	$163	$18,622
Moorlands Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	15115 84 Av NE	Kenmore	98028	King County	Northshore School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 408-5100	579	30	19.1	10.7%	303 (52.3%)	16 (2.8%)	70 (12.1%)	124 (21.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (11.2%)	92.8	83^rd of 1138 public elementary schools	92.7%		92.9	74^th of 1160 public elementary schools	93.6%	9	86.8	86.8	80.5	78.8	79.3	79.4	65.9	73.5	66.0	68.8	91.7	94.4	93.1	93.1	93.1	94.4	91.7	93.1	94.4	94.4	$17,352	$217	$17,135
Helen Keller Elementary	Public	K-5	13820 - 108th NE	Kirkland	98034	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 936-2580	300	20	14.6	31.3%	127 (42.3%)	15 (5.0%)	61 (20.3%)	41 (13.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	54 (18.0%)	61.9	405^th of 1138 public elementary schools	64.4%		59.5	437^th of 1160 public elementary schools	62.3%	32	54.6	54.6	65.5	42.6	71.1	58.4	60.0	42.6	51.1	50.9	95.2	95.2	95.2	95.2	95.2	95.2	97.6	95.2	95.2	95.2	$21,781	$163	$21,617
Arrowhead Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6725 NE Arrowhead DR	Kenmore	98028	King County	Northshore School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 408-4000	332	20	16.9	31.6%	187 (56.3%)	10 (3.0%)	69 (20.8%)	35 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	29 (8.7%)	87.5	148^th of 1138 public elementary schools	87.0%		89.6	114^th of 1160 public elementary schools	90.2%	34	75.0	75.0	64.3	80.4	85.0	76.7	57.1	66.7	72.5	65.4	95.9	95.9	95.9	95.9	95.9	95.9	95.9	95.9	95.9	95.9	$23,584	$709	$22,875
Alexander Graham Bell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11212 NE 112th	Kirkland	98033	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 936-2510	503	33	15.3	29.4%	212 (42.1%)	21 (4.2%)	135 (26.8%)	89 (17.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	40 (8.0%)	65.9	360^th of 1138 public elementary schools	68.4%		66.5	361^st of 1160 public elementary schools	68.9%	1	60.4	60.4	56.8	57.3	64.6	58.9	58.1	49.3	44.9	51.5	93.2	97.3	98.6	98.6	98.6	95.9	97.3	97.3	95.9	95.9	$18,656	$163	$18,492
Robert Frost Elementary	Public	K-5	11801 NE 140th	Kirkland	98034	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	No	No	Yes	(425) 936-2560	424	33	12.8	32.3%	186 (43.9%)	15 (3.5%)	131 (30.9%)	48 (11.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (10.1%)	66.3	352^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	69.1%		64.6	382^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	67.1%	30	52.9	52.9	58.0	58.4	61.4	59.3	52.2	62.3	46.5	53.9	91.7	94.4	97.2	97.2	97.2	98.6	94.4	95.8	98.6	98.6	$20,523	$605	$19,917
John Rogers Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4030 NE 109 St	Seattle	98125	King County	Seattle School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 252-4320	248	14	17.4	55.2%	87 (35.1%)	59 (23.8%)	48 (19.4%)	24 (9.7%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	26 (10.5%)	39.5	686^th of 1138 public elementary schools	39.7%		52.5	524^th of 1160 public elementary schools	54.8%	162	54.8	54.8	35.3	45.2	53.1	43.2	45.1	45.2	25.0	40.0	86.7	86.7	90.0	90.0	90.0	86.7	93.3	90.0	86.7	86.7	$26,013	$1,430	$24,583

Frequently Asked Questions about Carl Sandburg Elementary

What schools do graduates of Carl Sandburg Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carl Sandburg Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Finn Hill Middle School
High : Juanita High School

What is the racial makeup of Carl Sandburg Elementary?

Students at Carl Sandburg Elementary are 55% White, 16% Asian, 14% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 2% Not Specified, 1% Pacific Islander, 1% African American.

How many students attend Carl Sandburg Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 391 students attended Carl Sandburg Elementary.

What district is Carl Sandburg Elementary in?

Lake Washington School District

Is Carl Sandburg Elementary a good school?

Yes. Carl Sandburg Elementary ranks in the top 9.0% of Washington elementary schools.

Rate Carl Sandburg 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.