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Centennial Elementary

Q: Is Centennial Elementary a good school?

Centennial Elementary ranks 240 th of 1160 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

240^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,160 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Centennial Elementary is a well-regarded public school serving about 430 students from Pre-K through 5th grade in the Olympia School District, consistently earning high marks for its strong academic performance.

Academically, Centennial stands out in the area, with student test scores in English and Math significantly higher than most nearby schools, including those in the North Thurston Public Schools and Tumwater School District. It has maintained a 4 or 5-star rating for over a decade. A particular strength is its effectiveness in supporting students from lower-income families, where it ranks exceptionally high statewide. The school achieves these strong results with a mid-range level of per-student spending compared to peers like McKenny Elementary, suggesting efficient operations. However, an area for growth is its performance with students in special education, where its ranking is more average.

When looking at trends, Centennial shares a common challenge with other local schools: a noticeable drop in Math scores in 5th grade. Its science scores, while solid, are slightly below the district average, which is interesting given its strength in other subjects. Compared to a virtual option like Washington Connections Academy - Mary M. Knight, Centennial and other traditional schools in the area perform significantly higher. Overall, Centennial remains one of the top-performing elementary schools in the Olympia region, offering a consistently strong academic foundation within a high-performing district.

434

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,735

Per pupil spending ?

21.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2637 45th Ave SE
Olympia, WA 98501-4864

(360) 596-8300

District: Olympia School District

Students who attend Centennial Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Washington Middle School
High:	Olympia High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.3%

Hispanic:

13.4%

Two or more races:

13.4%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Centennial Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 88th percentile in 2015 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Washington average (64% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of Washington elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Olympia School District

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg59%

Washington avg48%

240^th of 1,160

Washington public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 12% (2015) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 11Elementary Schools in the Olympia School District

46^th of 247Olympia 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	77.3	240 of 1160	79.3%	★★★★☆
2024	81.5	203 of 1168	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	83.5	184 of 1169	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	85.3	164 of 1169	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	88.6	123 of 1107	88.9%	★★★★☆
2019	90.1	84 of 1130	92.6%	★★★★★
2018	88.8	98 of 1054	90.7%	★★★★★
2017	86.5	121 of 1056	88.5%	★★★★☆
2016	86.5	125 of 1053	88.1%	★★★★☆
2015	85.1	132 of 1067	87.6%	★★★★☆
2013	87.0	82 of 1106	92.6%	★★★★★
2012	89.9	57 of 1097	94.8%	★★★★★
2011	91.2	51 of 1092	95.3%	★★★★★
2010	90.6	59 of 1088	94.6%	★★★★★
2009	92.6	38 of 1072	96.5%	★★★★★
2008	91.7	45 of 1067	95.8%	★★★★★
2007	92.6	42 of 1069	96.1%	★★★★★
2006	93.7	22 of 1051	97.9%	★★★★★
2005	84.7	119 of 1031	88.5%	★★★★☆
2004	88.0	79 of 1026	92.3%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2023	66.0	61 of 170	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	81.6	33 of 187	82.4%	★★★★☆
2019	78.4	42 of 201	79.1%	★★★★☆
2018	80.8	32 of 169	81.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	77.3	218 of 1092	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	76.8	227 of 1093	79.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.2	205 of 1094	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	81.6	181 of 1100	83.5%	★★★★☆
2021	82.5	156 of 1008	84.5%	★★★★☆
2019	88.5	89 of 1068	91.7%	★★★★★
2018	84.7	125 of 1004	87.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	79.7	88 of 651	86.5%	★★★★☆
2023	84.9	49 of 633	92.3%	★★★★★
2019	98.6	5 of 697	99.3%	★★★★★
2018	90.4	34 of 540	93.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	65 of 1013	93.6%	★★★★★
2024	73.1	194 of 1024	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	70.2	229 of 1013	77.4%	★★★★☆
2022	81.3	83 of 1019	91.9%	★★★★★
2021	73.4	138 of 854	83.8%	★★★★☆
2019	84.8	54 of 979	94.5%	★★★★★
2018	88.9	19 of 835	97.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	76.0	226 of 1098	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	82.7	170 of 1099	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	85.8	145 of 1099	86.8%	★★★★☆
2022	87.7	120 of 1113	89.2%	★★★★☆
2021	92.0	88 of 1025	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	91.1	67 of 1075	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	90.5	74 of 999	92.6%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	77.2	46 of 252	81.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	44.2	206 of 363	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.8	174 of 339	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.2	110 of 308	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	71.8	83 of 478	82.6%	★★★★☆
2019	61.4	152 of 566	73.1%	★★★★☆
2018	71.3	118 of 637	81.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	69.0	306 of 1007	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	80.0	176 of 1009	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	76.3	228 of 1011	77.4%	★★★★☆
2022	76.8	221 of 1031	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	85.0	112 of 943	88.1%	★★★★☆
2019	83.4	133 of 1027	87.0%	★★★★☆
2018	80.5	134 of 833	83.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)94th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2024)86th percentile+4 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)82nd percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)80th percentile~ school

Male (2025)79th percentile~ school

White (2025)70th percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2023)64th percentile-20 vs school

Special Education (2025)43rd percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts71%+18 vs state

Science61%+12 vs state

Math60%+18 vs state

3.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, April 15, 2016

It was not that long ago that I believed this was the top elementary school in the State. However, over that past two years the quality of education and standards has dropped visibly. First it was the Passport and geography program. Many students just did not study for the test and so the school, instead of enforcing the standards and holding students accountable for their studies decided to succumb to the lazy and made it voluntary and during recess....oh, that will make sure kids are inspired to study. My daughter is now in 4th grade and preparing (theoretically) for Middle School. How does Centennial get them ready? Well, the teacher stopped sending home homework at Christmas....have not seen any since. Apparently the school feels that homework would interfere with the kids video games and TV time and so they do not want them to stress over homework. Again, emphasizing progress.....my 4th grade daughter is doing the same math she was doing in 2nd and 3rd grade. Very disappointing. During Spring Break we travelled and took a friend of my daughter who is in the same class. She had no clue how to perform division problems because she had not been taught division yet...I mean we are at the end of 4th grade and they have not done division yet. Reading Olympics are no longer reading Olympics....just reading. Kids were required during February to read 100 minutes a week at home (14 minutes a day)....the kids could not count minutes read at school. My daughter read 4,400 minutes. Those kids who did not turn in reading slips - they got to read at school and count their minutes. Now that will ensure these kids read at home. It seems the new answer is to teach at the lowest level, discourage learning standards and allow the lazy to decide the standards for those who really want to excel. I am so disappointed this year! Having said that the Music and PE programs are top notch as is the Office Staff. If you were expecting your kids to learn excellence here this year, think again. You will have to greatly supplement learning at home if you want your kid to be ready for Middle School....assuming of course Washington Middle School is still a place of learning and instruction with some semblance of standards. Close Quote

Schools Near Centennial 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 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	% 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
Centennial Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2637 45th Ave SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-8300	434	24	17.7	21.7%	253 (58.3%)	14 (3.2%)	58 (13.4%)	43 (9.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	58 (13.4%)	77.3	240^th of 1160 public elementary schools	79.3%		81.5	203^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	82.6%	37	61.5		61.5	76.7	71.3	63.9				70.7	74.7	59.8	45.7				60.4	84.2	86.0	87.7	87.7	87.7	87.7	87.7	87.7	87.7	87.7	$17,735	$371	$17,364
McKenny Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3250 Morse Merryman Rd SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-8400	322	19	16.9	29.8%	159 (49.4%)	6 (1.9%)	62 (19.3%)	33 (10.2%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	41 (12.7%)	67.7	340^th of 1160 public elementary schools	70.7%		76	264^th of 1168 public elementary schools	77.4%	76	65.0		65.0	43.4	70.2	70.0				60.0	39.6	72.3	55.0				55.0	70.0	75.0	75.0	75.0	75.0	75.0	82.5	75.0	75.0	75.0	$19,918	$676	$19,242
Pioneer Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1655 Carlyon Ave SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-6500	384	21	17.9	19.8%	225 (58.6%)	12 (3.1%)	53 (13.8%)	29 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	35 (9.1%)	75.4	254^th of 1160 public elementary schools	78.1%		82.1	201^st of 1168 public elementary schools	82.8%	53	59.3		59.3	68.3	69.2	74.1				70.4	79.4	44.6	51.7				58.6	77.4	83.9	88.7	88.7	88.7	83.9	88.7	83.9	83.9	83.9	$18,742	$228	$18,515
Horizons Elementary	Public	K-5	4601 67th Ave SE	Lacey	98513	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(360) 412-4710	580	32	17.8	38.8%	260 (44.8%)	36 (6.2%)	126 (21.7%)	33 (5.7%)	3 (0.5%)	11 (1.9%)	111 (19.1%)	63.2	396^th of 1160 public elementary schools	65.9%		53.6	513^th of 1168 public elementary schools	56.1%	117	59.6		59.6	59.1	51.7	64.2				58.8	61.4	49.4	45.0				51.4	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	97.7	$17,339	$642	$16,697
Peter G Schmidt Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	237 Dennis Street SE	Tumwater	98501	Thurston County	Tumwater School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 709-7200	606	40	15.0	44.9%	361 (59.6%)	8 (1.3%)	107 (17.7%)	14 (2.3%)	8 (1.3%)	6 (1.0%)	101 (16.7%)	46.1	601^st of 1160 public elementary schools	48.2%		58.3	465^th of 1168 public elementary schools	60.2%	136	55.6		55.6	52.0	49.4	46.5				49.3	60.0	37.7	30.2				43.2	94.6	96.8	97.9	97.9	97.9	97.9	95.7	96.8	97.9	97.9	$18,168	$1,041	$17,127
Michael T Simmons Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1205 2nd Avenue SW	Tumwater	98512	Thurston County	Tumwater School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 709-7100	457	35	13.1	43.5%	291 (63.7%)	13 (2.8%)	76 (16.6%)	22 (4.8%)	9 (2.0%)	4 (0.9%)	42 (9.2%)	67.5	346^th of 1160 public elementary schools	70.2%		69.6	324^th of 1168 public elementary schools	72.3%	22	62.4		62.4	50.0	60.3	57.0				55.8	60.3	65.3	51.8				58.7	93.9	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	95.4	96.9	96.9	95.4	95.4	$19,675	$1,121	$18,554
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	K-5	213 21st Ave SE	Olympia	98501	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-6400	300	17	17.5	33.3%	177 (59.0%)	4 (1.3%)	35 (11.7%)	5 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (12.3%)	60	430^th of 1160 public elementary schools	62.9%		58.6	461^st of 1168 public elementary schools	60.5%	31	64.6		64.6	48.7	55.8	66.7				57.5	39.5	56.8	47.8				48.4	85.1	87.2	93.6	93.6	93.6	89.4	85.1	89.4	89.4	89.4	$18,124	$237	$17,887
Washington Connections Academy - Mary M. Knight	Public, Virtual	K-8	111 Tumwater Blvd SE	Tumwater	98501	Thurston County	Mary M Knight School District	No	No	Yes	No	(360) 338-6340	600	26	23.5	32.8%	348 (58.0%)	7 (1.2%)	95 (15.8%)	7 (1.2%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	137 (22.8%)	24.9	909^th of 1160 public elementary schools	21.6%		24.8	901^st of 1168 public elementary schools	22.9%	8	40.7	51.8	47.2	40.0	39.2	46.7	47.6	40.3	51.2	44.6	34.0	23.5	20.3	18.8	23.1	25.9	24.1	89.7	92.3	92.3	92.3	92.3	92.3	92.3	89.7	92.3	92.3	$10,689	$00	$10,689
Mountain View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1900 College St SE	Lacey	98503	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 412-4630	776	48	16.0	64.9%	299 (38.5%)	40 (5.2%)	260 (33.5%)	34 (4.4%)	3 (0.4%)	27 (3.5%)	113 (14.6%)	26.4	880^th of 1160 public elementary schools	24.1%		39.6	680^th of 1168 public elementary schools	41.8%	200	44.3		44.3	43.8	37.8	31.5				37.8	43.3	35.4	22.5				34.0	90.0	92.3	93.9	93.9	93.9	92.3	94.6	90.8	92.3	92.3	$18,946	$1,931	$17,015
Chambers Prairie Elementary School	Public	K-5	6501 Virginia St SE	Lacey	98513	Thurston County	North Thurston Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 412-4400	490	33	14.7	57.8%	203 (41.4%)	39 (8.0%)	100 (20.4%)	24 (4.9%)	9 (1.8%)	17 (3.5%)	98 (20.0%)	35	749^th of 1160 public elementary schools	35.4%		41.1	664^th of 1168 public elementary schools	43.2%	85	40.5		40.5	41.3	46.6	41.3				43.1	41.3	47.2	36.3				41.8	90.5	90.5	92.9	92.9	92.9	90.5	91.7	92.9	90.5	90.5	$18,204	$1,191	$17,014

Frequently Asked Questions about Centennial Elementary

What schools do graduates of Centennial Elementary attend?

Students who attend Centennial Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Washington Middle School
High : Olympia High School

Is Centennial Elementary a good school?

Centennial Elementary ranks 240^th of 1160 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Centennial Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 434 students attended Centennial Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Centennial Elementary?

Students at Centennial Elementary are 58% White, 13% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 10% Asian, 3% African American, 2% Pacific Islander.

What district is Centennial Elementary in?

Olympia School District

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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.