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Lowell Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5
239th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools
Better than 79% of Washington elementary schools
Summary

Lowell Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Tacoma, Washington, serving 331 students in the Tacoma School District in an area with several nearby elementary schools, including Grant Elementary School, about 0.61 miles away. Lowell is a strong school overall, ranking 239th out of 1,138 Washington elementary schools and in the 79th percentile for 2025–2026. Its 4-star rating places it ahead of most schools statewide, although its standing has declined from the 86th percentile in 2024–2025 and the 89th percentile in 2023–2024.

Lowell’s biggest academic strengths are math and science. In 2025–2026, 59.49% of students were proficient in English language arts, 63.06% in math, and 80.36% in science. Those results exceed both district and state rates, with the school’s science performance standing out especially: Lowell had the highest reported science rate among nearby schools. It also outperformed most local schools in math, though Washington Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary School, and Sherman Elementary School currently posted stronger overall results. Lowell’s 63.06% math rate was close to Sherman’s 63.23%, while its science rate exceeded Sherman’s 72.22% and Grant’s 66.67%. Fourth-grade math data was suppressed by the state, so it should not be interpreted as zero or as evidence of weak performance.

The main concern is recent literacy performance. ELA proficiency fell from 80.50% in 2022–2023 to 59.49% in 2025–2026, while math declined more gradually and science remained strong after some fluctuation. Lowell’s 30.21% free- or reduced-price lunch rate is lower than at most nearby schools, though higher than at Washington and Sherman. Its 19:1 student-teacher ratio and $20,151 per-student spending are broadly typical for the comparison group. Overall, Lowell remains a strong Tacoma option, with particularly impressive science and solid math results, but families may want to pay close attention to the school’s efforts to rebuild its earlier ELA performance.

331
Students ?
19.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$20,151
Per pupil spending ?
30.2%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 810 Mr. Dahl DR
       Tacoma, WA  98403

(253) 571-7200

District: Tacoma School District


Students who attend Lowell Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Hilltop Heritage Middle School
High:    Stadium High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
61.3%
Two or more races:
17.5%
Hispanic:
13.6%
more
 See top rated Washington elementary schools

 Compare Lowell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 92nd percentile in 2016 → 79th in 2026
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 Tacoma School District
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2016
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school64%
District avg38%
Washington avg48%
239th of 1,138
Washington public elementary schools ?
Top 21%▼ down 13 pts since 2016
From top 8% (2016) to top 21% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
6th of 34Elementary Schools in the Tacoma School District
151st 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWashington percentileRating
202678.1239 of 113879.0%★★★★☆
202585.5159 of 116086.3%★★★★☆
202488.9124 of 116889.4%★★★★☆
202388.1130 of 116988.9%★★★★☆
202295.738 of 116996.7%★★★★★
202189.1119 of 110789.3%★★★★☆
201994.535 of 113096.9%★★★★★
201892.657 of 105494.6%★★★★★
201788.1106 of 105690.0%★★★★★
201689.986 of 105391.8%★★★★★
201589.986 of 106791.9%★★★★★
201385.799 of 110691.0%★★★★★
201279.0171 of 109784.4%★★★★☆
201184.2119 of 109289.1%★★★★☆
201082.9127 of 108888.3%★★★★☆
200979.2159 of 107285.2%★★★★☆
200877.9172 of 106783.9%★★★★☆
200773.5226 of 106978.9%★★★★☆
200672.8235 of 105177.6%★★★★☆
200584.7118 of 103188.6%★★★★☆
200472.4233 of 102677.3%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWashington percentileRating
202680.9178 of 102082.5%★★★★☆
202585.0144 of 109286.8%★★★★☆
202482.5171 of 109384.4%★★★★☆
202375.9232 of 109478.8%★★★★☆
202292.570 of 110093.6%★★★★★
202184.3141 of 100886.0%★★★★☆
201990.760 of 106894.4%★★★★★
201892.842 of 100495.8%★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWashington percentileRating
202673.9173 of 100882.8%★★★★☆
202581.0104 of 101389.7%★★★★☆
202472.6204 of 102480.1%★★★★☆
202387.349 of 101395.2%★★★★★
202298.81 of 101999.9%★★★★★
201998.03 of 97999.7%★★★★★
201885.737 of 83595.6%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWashington percentileRating
202670.5281 of 105973.5%★★★★☆
202584.7150 of 109886.3%★★★★☆
202492.070 of 109993.6%★★★★★
202392.371 of 109993.5%★★★★★
202296.026 of 111397.7%★★★★★
202189.7106 of 102589.7%★★★★☆
201995.418 of 107598.3%★★★★★
201891.069 of 99993.1%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWashington percentileRating
202676.3182 of 90179.8%★★★★☆
202583.7125 of 100787.6%★★★★☆
202488.674 of 100992.7%★★★★★
202386.1108 of 101189.3%★★★★☆
202296.16 of 103199.4%★★★★★
202184.5119 of 94387.4%★★★★☆
201992.522 of 102797.9%★★★★★
201892.317 of 83398.0%★★★★★
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 (2026)83rd percentile+4 vs school
Female (2026)83rd percentile+4 vs school
White (2026)80th percentile~ school
Male (2026)73rd percentile-6 vs school
By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?
Science80%+29 vs state
Math63%+20 vs state
English Language Arts59%+7 vs state

4.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Sunday, November 21, 2010

Open Quote My Observations; Dedicated and caring Teachers - High Student & Faculty morale - Good recess activity - Very Strong parental support and involvement - student assemblies/programs are SRO - Clean and well organized, though older facility.
I am a grandparent of age 72 who went through school in the golden age of the 1940s-50s. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Lowell Elementary School

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

Middle : Hilltop Heritage Middle School
High : Stadium High School

Students at Lowell Elementary School are 61% White, 18% Two or more races, 14% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 2% African American, 1% American Indian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 331 students attended Lowell Elementary School.

Lowell Elementary School ranks 239th of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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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.

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