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Pioneer Elementary School

Q: Is Pioneer Elementary School a good school?

Pioneer Elementary School ranks 133 rd of 1160 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades K-5

133^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,160 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 89% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Pioneer Elementary School is a highly-rated public K-5 school serving 481 students in Gig Harbor, WA, as part of the high-performing Peninsula School District.

Academically, Pioneer consistently outperforms state averages, with science being a particular area of strength where it leads most district peers. The school has shown remarkable recent improvement, jumping to the 89th percentile statewide, and it achieves these strong results with efficient per-student spending compared to similar schools like Purdy Elementary and Harbor Heights Elementary. Notably, Pioneer demonstrates exceptional effectiveness with specific student groups, such as those from low socioeconomic backgrounds and students in special education, where its ranking improved dramatically in the most recent year.

Pioneer shares a very similar academic and demographic profile with its closest neighbors, Discovery Elementary and Swift Water Elementary, all serving a less economically disadvantaged population than some other district schools like Minter Creek Elementary. This contrasts sharply with schools in the neighboring Tacoma School District, such as Point Defiance Elementary School, which generally perform below state averages. Parents can be confident in Pioneer's upward trajectory, strong district context, and proven ability to support diverse learners effectively.

481

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,828

Per pupil spending ?

13.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8402 Skansie Ave
Gig Harbor, WA 98332

(253) 530-3500

District: Peninsula School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.3%

Two or more races:

11.2%

Hispanic:

9.1%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Pioneer Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 84th percentile in 2021 → 89th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Washington average (75% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of Washington elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2021

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school75%

District avg64%

Washington avg48%

133^rd of 1,160

Washington public elementary schools ?

Top 11%▲ up 5 pts since 2021

From top 16% (2021) to top 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 10Elementary Schools in the Peninsula School District

25^th of 247Peninsula 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	87.7	133 of 1160	88.5%	★★★★☆
2024	74.3	279 of 1168	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	81.4	206 of 1169	82.4%	★★★★☆
2022	77.4	250 of 1169	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	82.9	177 of 1107	84.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	91.6	79 of 1092	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	76.3	234 of 1093	78.6%	★★★★☆
2023	77.5	218 of 1094	80.1%	★★★★☆
2022	67.2	332 of 1100	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.0	244 of 1008	75.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	86.9	62 of 1013	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	60.4	363 of 1024	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	83.6	165 of 1098	85.0%	★★★★☆
2024	70.8	297 of 1099	73.0%	★★★★☆
2023	81.9	180 of 1099	83.6%	★★★★☆
2022	82.3	180 of 1113	83.8%	★★★★☆
2021	86.3	136 of 1025	86.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	52.2	89 of 188	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.1	79 of 194	59.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	74.7	58 of 363	84.0%	★★★★☆
2024	45.7	185 of 339	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.8	95 of 308	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.6	148 of 478	69.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	81.3	156 of 1007	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	60.9	384 of 1009	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.9	288 of 1011	71.5%	★★★★☆
2022	67.4	321 of 1031	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	76.5	195 of 943	79.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)94th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)93rd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)85th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)85th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)84th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)53rd percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

Science82%+33 vs state

English Language Arts71%+18 vs state

Math70%+27 vs state

3.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, March 5, 2022

Pioneer is the most sought after school in the district with there being a lottery to get your kid in there. Their specialty classes are art & tinkering, innovation, music & PE which rotate on a weekly basis. So yes your kid has PE for a week straight.
I suppose this school is great for your typical child but if your child has any behavioral or academic challenges I highly recommend hiring an educational advocate to help you navigate the IEP process. Don’t make the mistake I did by not hiring one, I didn’t know any better.
I was told by my child’s new school that their IEP from Pioneer was one of the most poorly written IEP’s that they’ve ever seen. Not a single educational goal, only behavioral but as soon as the IEP was signed all communication which was great in the beginning cut down to minimal. Next thing I find out my child was spending quite a bit of time with the special ed teacher even though there was NO educational goal nor was this written into their IEP. They only reached out once bribing my child with candy & edible treats was no longer working for them. Not acceptable to be loading my child up with dyes, sugars & toxins and it’s no wonder things were on the decline. They had a wonderful speech therapist but she went out on a year long maternity leave so they only have a virtual therapist now for the kids.
I will add that the school counselor Mr Sullivan is a saint and the school is very lucky to have him. Close Quote

Schools Near Pioneer Elementary School

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
Pioneer Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	8402 Skansie Ave	Gig Harbor	98332	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	Yes	No	No	(253) 530-3500	481	30	16.3	13.3%	362 (75.3%)	3 (0.6%)	44 (9.1%)	18 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (11.2%)	87.7	133^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	88.5%		74.3	279^th of 1168 public elementary schools	76.1%	146	82.4	82.4	72.8	61.3	79.7	71.3	79.0	65.3	64.9	70.0	95.0	98.8	97.5	97.5	97.5	98.8	100.0	95.0	98.8	98.8	$16,828	$239	$16,589
Discovery Elementary School	Public	K-5	4905 Rosedale St NW	Gig Harbor	98335	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 530-1200	380	21	18.0	25.3%	289 (76.1%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (11.3%)	9 (2.4%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	35 (9.2%)	86.9	144^th of 1160 public elementary schools	87.6%		89.3	120^th of 1168 public elementary schools	89.7%	24	78.4	78.4	61.4	70.7	78.4	70.9	69.6	74.1	63.5	68.6	92.9	95.2	97.6	97.6	97.6	95.2	95.2	95.2	95.2	95.2	$16,737	$429	$16,308
Swift Water Elementary	Public	K-5	10811 Harbor Hill Drive	Gig Harbor	98332	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 530-4900	519	31	16.6	13.5%	377 (72.6%)	2 (0.4%)	47 (9.1%)	23 (4.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (13.1%)	85.7	153^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	86.8%		84.5	168^th of 1168 public elementary schools	85.6%	15	67.8	67.8	70.1	70.9	73.6	71.6	67.1	73.4	64.4	68.2	92.0	93.0	93.0	93.0	93.0	93.0	96.0	93.0	93.0	93.0	$18,308	$259	$18,049
Artondale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	6219 40th Street NW	Gig Harbor	98335	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 530-1100	413	24	17.2	16.7%	334 (80.9%)	3 (0.7%)	27 (6.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (10.9%)	86.9	141^st of 1160 public elementary schools	87.8%		77.3	249^th of 1168 public elementary schools	78.7%	108	71.4	71.4	74.2	67.4	76.6	73.4	83.9	65.3	59.7	69.2	94.1	96.1	98.0	98.0	98.0	94.1	96.1	96.1	94.1	94.1	$19,219	$395	$18,824
Harbor Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4002 36th St NW	Gig Harbor	98335	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 530-1800	397	25	16.0	20.9%	273 (68.8%)	8 (2.0%)	57 (14.4%)	9 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	47 (11.8%)	90.7	103^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	91.1%		88.4	126^th of 1168 public elementary schools	89.2%	23	87.7	87.7	79.3	60.0	86.2	75.3	88.7	68.3	69.2	74.7	93.4	93.4	93.4	93.4	93.4	93.4	95.1	93.4	93.4	93.4	$20,871	$249	$20,622
Purdy Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	13815 62nd Ave NW	Gig Harbor	98332	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 530-4600	483	30	15.8	20.7%	390 (80.7%)	2 (0.4%)	45 (9.3%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.5%)	91.4	93^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	92.0%		90.4	107^th of 1168 public elementary schools	90.8%	14	81.9	81.9	68.1	80.0	83.8	78.2	66.7	81.2	72.4	73.7	90.6	90.6	93.8	93.8	93.8	90.6	93.8	90.6	90.6	90.6	$18,518	$258	$18,260
Voyager Elementary	Public	K-5	10615 Kopachuck Dr NW	Gig Harbor	98335	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 530-4800	443	27	16.7	12.2%	359 (81.0%)	2 (0.5%)	33 (7.4%)	13 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (8.1%)	87.5	134^th of 1160 public elementary schools	88.4%		86.4	150^th of 1168 public elementary schools	87.2%	16	74.2	74.2	66.7	68.4	76.4	70.9	75.4	71.1	65.2	70.1	90.2	91.8	93.4	93.4	93.4	90.2	93.4	93.4	90.2	90.2	$16,842	$372	$16,470
Minter Creek Elementary	Public	K-5	12617 118th Ave NW	Gig Harbor	98329	Pierce County	Peninsula School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 530-4300	272	17	16.1	40.4%	206 (75.7%)	2 (0.7%)	29 (10.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	32 (11.8%)	64.7	380^th of 1160 public elementary schools	67.2%		63.7	399^th of 1168 public elementary schools	65.8%	19	63.8	63.8	51.2	61.4	52.1	54.8	53.5	63.6	52.1	56.3	82.5	87.5	90.0	90.0	90.0	85.0	90.0	87.5	85.0	85.0	$19,445	$911	$18,535
Point Defiance Elementary School	Public	K-5	4330 N Visscher St	Tacoma	98407	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-6900	301	19	16.2	33.9%	191 (63.5%)	13 (4.3%)	39 (13.0%)	16 (5.3%)	4 (1.3%)	7 (2.3%)	31 (10.3%)	78.5	227^th of 1160 public elementary schools	80.4%		78.3	237^th of 1168 public elementary schools	79.7%	10	64.2	64.2	64.2	65.2	69.2	66.2	66.0	60.9	59.6	62.3	88.9	88.9	97.2	97.2	97.2	91.7	91.7	97.2	91.7	91.7	$20,644	$680	$19,964
Tacoma Online Elementary School	Public, Virtual	K-5	6501 N.23rd St.	Tacoma	98406	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(253) 571-1545	144	11	12.8	66.0%	34 (23.6%)	28 (19.4%)	37 (25.7%)	7 (4.9%)	2 (1.4%)	8 (5.6%)	28 (19.4%)								(n/a)			66.7			41.7	66.7			38.5	71.4	76.2	76.2	76.2	76.2	76.2	76.2	76.2	76.2	76.2	$21,210	$1,472	$19,738

Frequently Asked Questions about Pioneer Elementary School

What district is Pioneer Elementary School in?

Peninsula School District

What is the racial makeup of Pioneer Elementary School?

Students at Pioneer Elementary School are 75% White, 11% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 4% Asian.

Is Pioneer Elementary School a good school?

Pioneer Elementary School ranks 133^rd of 1160 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Pioneer Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 481 students attended Pioneer Elementary School.

Rate Pioneer Elementary 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.