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Lister Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1049^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Lister Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Tacoma, Washington, serving 376 students in a relatively high-need community, with 78.72% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and a 17.3-to-1 student-teacher ratio.

Lister’s current academic results are a significant concern. In 2025–26, 23.73% of students were proficient in English language arts, 20.34% in math, and 26.42% in science—below both the Tacoma School District and Washington state rates in every subject. Math was the weakest subject overall, while English language arts showed the largest decline, falling from 39.77% in 2022–23 to 23.73% in 2025–26. Fourth grade stands out as the most urgent area: only 16.95% of fourth graders were proficient in ELA and 10.17% in math. Lister ranked at the 8th percentile statewide, although that was a modest improvement from the 5th percentile the previous year.

Lister also generally trails nearby schools on current test results. Its math proficiency rate was the lowest among the comparison schools, while its ELA and science results were near the bottom. Nearby Mann Elementary School and Lyon Elementary School were notably stronger, with more than 45% proficiency in ELA, over 41% in math, and more than 63% in science. Nearby Waller Road Elementary and Impact Public Schools also outperformed Lister in all three subjects. Lister’s relatively high per-student spending—$23,364—does not by itself explain the results, suggesting that instructional focus, intervention, staffing, and grade-level support deserve attention. Historical results for English learners and Hispanic students were more positive, providing potential areas for the school to study and build upon.

376

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,364

Per pupil spending ?

78.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2106 E 44th St
Tacoma, WA 98404

(253) 571-2900

District: Tacoma School District

Students who attend Lister Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	First Creek Middle School
High:	Lincoln High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

22.6%

Two or more races:

22.1%

Hispanic:

18.1%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Lister Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (23% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 29 pts below the Washington average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg38%

Washington avg48%

1,049^th of 1,138

Washington public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

31^st of 34Elementary Schools in the Tacoma School District

151^st of 238Tacoma 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	9.1	1049 of 1138	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.6	1099 of 1160	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.0	969 of 1168	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	951 of 1169	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.9	888 of 1169	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	5.0	1100 of 1107	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.4	912 of 1130	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.2	936 of 1054	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	12.0	973 of 1056	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.9	973 of 1053	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	13.6	966 of 1067	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.0	1053 of 1106	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.1	1014 of 1097	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	15.3	987 of 1092	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	24.3	898 of 1088	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.7	954 of 1072	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.9	823 of 1067	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	24.6	870 of 1069	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.7	776 of 1051	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	46.1	583 of 1031	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	29.2	775 of 1026	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	17.2	77 of 82	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.8	67 of 75	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.3	70 of 71	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	42.8	60 of 110	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.3	97 of 107	9.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2019	21.4	170 of 201	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	56.8	114 of 320	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.4	165 of 254	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.8	201 of 248	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.3	239 of 333	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	16.0	907 of 1020	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.4	1046 of 1092	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	866 of 1093	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.1	882 of 1094	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.7	726 of 1100	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.8	894 of 1068	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.9	887 of 1004	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	48.1	337 of 651	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.0	581 of 697	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.5	336 of 540	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	10.6	975 of 1008	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.2	889 of 1013	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.7	711 of 1024	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.9	719 of 1013	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.5	626 of 1019	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.3	575 of 979	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	7.7	1022 of 1059	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	12.0	1022 of 1098	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	870 of 1099	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	871 of 1099	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.5	738 of 1113	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.9	800 of 1075	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.7	893 of 999	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	4.3	118 of 119	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.8	195 of 197	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	179 of 188	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.1	165 of 194	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.2	156 of 252	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	6.0	128 of 128	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	66.6	83 of 303	72.6%	★★★★☆
2018	20.1	177 of 212	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	37.5	287 of 478	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.7	420 of 566	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	607 of 637	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2023	26.7	808 of 1011	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.6	843 of 1027	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.1	799 of 833	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)64th percentile+47 vs school

Hispanic (2024)48th percentile+31 vs school

Special Education (2022)40th percentile+16 vs school

White (2023)20th percentile~ school

Asian (2019)15th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)11th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)6th percentile~ school

Male (2026)3rd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)3rd percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)1st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

Science26%-25 vs state

English Language Arts24%-29 vs state

Math20%-23 vs state

2.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★0

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Thursday, January 16, 2020

I was in the first graduating class at Lister and at the time it made us ready for Gault Jr high so I rate Lister good. I went to Lister the year of 1950. Close Quote

Schools Near Lister Elementary School

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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 6th 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 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
Lister Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2106 E 44th St	Tacoma	98404	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-2900	376	22	17.3	78.7%	49 (13.0%)	85 (22.6%)	68 (18.1%)	58 (15.4%)	3 (0.8%)	30 (8.0%)	83 (22.1%)	9.1	1049^th of 1138 public elementary schools	7.8%		9.6	1099^th of 1160 public elementary schools	5.3%	50	26.4	26.4	26.2	17.0	28.3		23.7	33.9	10.2	15.1		20.3	82.1	89.7	89.7	89.7	89.7	82.1	89.7	87.2	82.1	82.1	$23,364	$3,717	$19,647
Blix Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1302 E 38th St	Tacoma	98404	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-7400	442	26	17.1	71.9%	88 (19.9%)	43 (9.7%)	187 (42.3%)	53 (12.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.6%)	54 (12.2%)	15.3	959^th of 1138 public elementary schools	15.7%		16	1013^th of 1160 public elementary schools	12.7%	54	26.6	26.6	26.7	38.7	26.6		30.7	35.0	29.0	20.3		28.0	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	94.6	$21,433	$2,124	$19,309
Roosevelt Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3550 E Roosevelt Ave	Tacoma	98404	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-4400	270	17	15.9	75.9%	35 (13.0%)	53 (19.6%)	89 (33.0%)	18 (6.7%)	11 (4.1%)	22 (8.1%)	41 (15.2%)	14.3	971^st of 1138 public elementary schools	14.7%		11.4	1070^th of 1160 public elementary schools	7.8%	99	36.1	36.1	30.0	30.6	27.8		29.5	30.0	19.4	25.0		25.0	84.2	86.8	89.5	89.5	89.5	92.1	94.7	89.5	92.1	92.1	$25,563	$2,777	$22,786
Sheridan Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5317 E McKinley Ave	Tacoma	98404	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-5900	525	30	17.6	69.1%	75 (14.3%)	59 (11.2%)	224 (42.7%)	58 (11.0%)	4 (0.8%)	29 (5.5%)	75 (14.3%)	12.5	1003^rd of 1138 public elementary schools	11.9%		14.7	1028^th of 1160 public elementary schools	11.4%	25	31.1	31.1	25.7	29.3	23.0		26.1	32.4	20.7	25.7		26.1	87.9	87.9	89.4	89.4	89.4	87.9	89.4	87.9	87.9	87.9	$20,782	$1,856	$18,926
Waller Road Elementary	Public	K-6	6312 Waller Rd E	Tacoma	98443	Pierce County	Puyallup School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 841-8745	306	22	13.8	60.8%	159 (52.0%)	6 (2.0%)	65 (21.2%)	15 (4.9%)	16 (5.2%)	3 (1.0%)	42 (13.7%)	36.1	735^th of 1138 public elementary schools	35.4%		29.4	831^st of 1160 public elementary schools	28.4%	96	39.5	39.5	30.8	32.1	25.6	62.5	37.1	53.9	30.2	30.2	55.0	41.1	84.6	87.2	87.2	87.2	87.2	89.7	89.7	84.6	89.7	89.7	$20,703	$1,166	$19,537
Impact Public Schools	Public, Charter	K-5	1301 E 34th Street	Tacoma	98404	Pierce County	Impact \| Commencement Bay Elementary	Yes	No	No	Yes	(206) 769-3429	232	17	13.6	65.9%	50 (21.6%)	56 (24.1%)	63 (27.2%)	7 (3.0%)	3 (1.3%)	5 (2.2%)	48 (20.7%)	33.2	759^th of 1138 public elementary schools	33.3%		44.9	613^th of 1160 public elementary schools	47.2%	146	50.0	50.0	37.0	50.0	46.9		43.7	33.3	27.5	39.4		33.1	86.9	86.9	90.2	90.2	90.2	86.9	93.4	88.5	86.9	86.9	$21,390	$699	$20,692
Boze Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1140 E 65th St	Tacoma	98404	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-4105	485	28	17.3	67.6%	47 (9.7%)	50 (10.3%)	182 (37.5%)	67 (13.8%)	4 (0.8%)	43 (8.9%)	92 (19.0%)	20.6	899^th of 1138 public elementary schools	21.0%		22.1	946^th of 1160 public elementary schools	18.4%	47	37.1	37.1	35.4	36.1	44.4		38.6	24.6	26.7	24.2		25.1	93.0	98.6	100.0	100.0	100.0	97.2	100.0	94.4	97.2	97.2	$22,103	$1,607	$20,496
Lyon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	101 E 46th St	Tacoma	98404	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-4800	381	22	17.0	67.7%	101 (26.5%)	39 (10.2%)	114 (29.9%)	32 (8.4%)	4 (1.0%)	21 (5.5%)	70 (18.4%)	48.1	572^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	49.7%		25.8	889^th of 1160 public elementary schools	23.4%	317	63.5	63.5	41.5	28.9	62.8		45.3	52.4	34.1	42.3		42.8	88.9	88.9	88.9	88.9	88.9	88.9	94.4	88.9	88.9	88.9	$22,365	$2,324	$20,041
Fawcett Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	126 E. 60th Street	Tacoma	98404	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-4700	426	26	16.1	65.3%	129 (30.3%)	36 (8.5%)	108 (25.4%)	39 (9.2%)	6 (1.4%)	22 (5.2%)	86 (20.2%)	23.9	868^th of 1138 public elementary schools	23.7%		21.9	950^th of 1160 public elementary schools	18.1%	82	37.2	37.2	44.8	27.4	33.3		34.9	50.0	18.0	28.6		31.6	98.4	98.4	100.0	100.0	100.0	98.4	100.0	98.4	98.4	98.4	$20,834	$2,100	$18,734
Mann Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1002 S 52nd St	Tacoma	98408	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-6300	340	19	17.8	66.2%	80 (23.5%)	63 (18.5%)	78 (22.9%)	27 (7.9%)	2 (0.6%)	14 (4.1%)	76 (22.4%)	47.3	581^st of 1138 public elementary schools	48.9%		49.6	562^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	51.6%	19	63.8	63.8	44.8	47.2	51.1		47.5	41.4	50.0	31.9		41.4	90.9	93.2	93.2	93.2	93.2	93.2	90.9	93.2	93.2	93.2	$22,470	$1,862	$20,608

Frequently Asked Questions about Lister Elementary School

Is Lister Elementary School a good school?

Lister Elementary School ranks in the bottom 7.8% of Washington elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Lister Elementary School?

Students at Lister Elementary School are 23% African American, 22% Two or more races, 18% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 13% White, 8% Pacific Islander.

What district is Lister Elementary School in?

Tacoma School District

What schools do graduates of Lister Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Lister Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : First Creek Middle School
High : Lincoln High School

How many students attend Lister Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 376 students attended Lister Elementary School.

Rate Lister Elementary School!

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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.