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Helen Stafford Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

915^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Helen Stafford Elementary School is a public school in Tacoma, Washington, serving 453 students in prekindergarten through grade 5 in the Tacoma School District. The school serves a high-need community, with 74.39% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Its current statewide ranking is at the 20th percentile, an improvement from the 7th percentile in 2020–21, although it remains below the statewide midpoint.

Academic results show both progress and areas for improvement. Math is the school’s clearest relative strength: 31.86% of students were proficient in 2025–26, slightly above the district average of 31.16% and higher than most nearby comparison schools. Math proficiency has risen steadily from 26.37% in 2022–23, though results decline from grade 3 to grades 4 and 5. English language arts proficiency was 32.68%, substantially below the district’s 44.33%, making literacy the most important academic priority. Science proficiency was 33.87%, also below the district average, and has varied considerably from year to year. Encouragingly, all three subjects are above their 2022–23 results.

Compared with nearby schools, Helen Stafford is in the middle-to-lower range overall: it trails Edison Elementary School, Fern Hill Elementary School, and Fawcett Elementary School, but ranks ahead of several others. James Sales Elementary is an especially notable comparison because it serves a similarly high-need population yet performs considerably better in all three tested subjects. Staffing is an important context: Helen Stafford has the highest student-teacher ratio among the listed nearby schools, at 19:1, and relatively low per-student spending. For families, the overall picture is a school showing meaningful improvement, with math momentum to build on and a continuing need for stronger literacy, science consistency, and upper-grade support.

453

Students ?

19.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,167

Per pupil spending ?

74.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1615 South 92nd St
Tacoma, WA 98444

(253) 571-4300

District: Tacoma School District

Students who attend Helen Stafford Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Baker Middle School
High:	Mount Tahoma High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

29.6%

Asian:

17.4%

Two or more races:

17.0%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Helen Stafford Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 7th percentile in 2021 → 20th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 20th (2026) from a 7th-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (32% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 20 pts below the Washington average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg38%

Washington avg48%

915^th of 1,138

Washington public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 28 pts since 2016

From bottom 48% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd 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	19.5	915 of 1138	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.3	1009 of 1160	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	1011 of 1168	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	1027 of 1169	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	1033 of 1169	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.5	1030 of 1107	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.4	716 of 1130	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	732 of 1054	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.7	585 of 1056	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.9	549 of 1053	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	48.7	553 of 1067	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	57.8	479 of 1106	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	43.4	670 of 1097	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.7	797 of 1092	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	35.5	758 of 1088	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	20.5	912 of 1072	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	30.3	56 of 75	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	100 of 108	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	68.7	24 of 110	78.2%	★★★★☆
2018	41.4	60 of 107	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	45 of 103	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	15.2	169 of 189	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	137 of 163	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	162 of 170	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	173 of 187	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.9	120 of 131	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.3	136 of 201	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	19.8	151 of 169	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	226 of 326	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.3	150 of 303	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.8	208 of 320	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.2	45 of 248	81.9%	★★★★☆
2018	64.1	59 of 333	82.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	18.5	879 of 1020	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.2	963 of 1092	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	966 of 1093	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.6	996 of 1094	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	1007 of 1100	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.2	982 of 1008	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	802 of 1068	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	776 of 1004	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	516 of 649	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	568 of 659	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.1	434 of 651	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.8	603 of 694	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	58.2	259 of 697	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.1	186 of 540	65.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	29.5	782 of 1008	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.3	788 of 1013	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	784 of 1024	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.5	872 of 1013	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	923 of 1019	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	57.6	405 of 979	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.1	440 of 835	47.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	24.2	850 of 1059	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.1	957 of 1098	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	954 of 1099	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	880 of 1099	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.7	973 of 1113	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.0	952 of 1025	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	47.0	583 of 1075	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.5	600 of 999	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	31.2	94 of 119	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.0	124 of 194	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.3	205 of 303	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2018	33.8	437 of 637	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	27.9	768 of 1009	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.1	570 of 1011	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	11.1	983 of 1031	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.6	851 of 943	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	39.2	690 of 1027	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.6	519 of 833	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Asian (2026)56th percentile+37 vs school

Special Education (2018)31st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)31st percentile+11 vs school

African American (2025)25th percentile+12 vs school

White (2024)24th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile+3 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)21st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)20th percentile~ school

Male (2026)20th percentile~ school

Female (2026)14th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

Science34%-17 vs state

English Language Arts33%-20 vs state

Math32%-11 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Helen Stafford 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 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
Helen Stafford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1615 South 92nd St	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-4300	453	24	19.0	74.4%	67 (14.8%)	59 (13.0%)	134 (29.6%)	79 (17.4%)	2 (0.4%)	35 (7.7%)	77 (17.0%)	19.5	915^th of 1138 public elementary schools	19.6%		16.3	1009^th of 1160 public elementary schools	13.0%	94	33.9	33.9	29.2	30.8	38.7	32.7	39.1	29.5	27.4	31.9	84.4	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	$20,167	$1,389	$18,777
Fern Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8442 S Park Ave	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-3888	311	17	18.1	71.1%	63 (20.3%)	32 (10.3%)	119 (38.3%)	26 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.8%)	50 (16.1%)	25.4	855^th of 1138 public elementary schools	24.9%		40.8	668^th of 1160 public elementary schools	42.4%	187	32.7	32.7	41.3	35.0	35.4	37.3	52.2	32.5	18.4	34.1	91.4	94.3	91.4	91.4	91.4	94.3	100.0	91.4	94.3	94.3	$23,035	$2,656	$20,379
Christensen Elementary	Public	K-5	10232 Barnes Lane S	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 298-3305	346	23	15.0	74.3%	67 (19.4%)	55 (15.9%)	111 (32.1%)	9 (2.6%)	5 (1.4%)	42 (12.1%)	57 (16.5%)	10	1036^th of 1138 public elementary schools	9.0%		29.8	826^th of 1160 public elementary schools	28.8%	210	22.8	22.8	31.4	26.0	38.6	31.5	32.0	27.4	21.1	26.7	87.5	94.6	96.4	96.4	96.4	91.1	96.4	92.9	91.1	91.1	$19,640	$1,042	$18,598
Birney Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7627 South Sheridan Ave	Tacoma	98408	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-4600	476	33	14.3	71.6%	102 (21.4%)	59 (12.4%)	145 (30.5%)	60 (12.6%)	5 (1.1%)	37 (7.8%)	68 (14.3%)	14.2	974^th of 1138 public elementary schools	14.4%		12.9	1050^th of 1160 public elementary schools	9.5%	76	28.6	28.6	36.4	32.4	22.2	30.5	25.8	32.4	14.3	24.4	89.7	91.0	91.0	91.0	91.0	91.0	94.9	91.0	91.0	91.0	$23,598	$3,293	$20,305
Larchmont Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8601 E B St	Tacoma	98445	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-6200	303	20	14.9	71.6%	56 (18.5%)	36 (11.9%)	104 (34.3%)	30 (9.9%)	2 (0.7%)	24 (7.9%)	51 (16.8%)	15.7	956^th of 1138 public elementary schools	16.0%		23.2	932^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	19.7%	24	23.4	23.4	33.3	32.4	27.7	30.9	35.9	37.8	14.9	28.5	93.0	95.4	95.4	97.7	97.7	95.4	97.7	93.0	95.4	95.4	$25,507	$3,983	$21,524
James Sales Elementary	Public	K-5	1301 113th Street S	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 298-4205	387	24	16.1	75.2%	101 (26.1%)	49 (12.7%)	129 (33.3%)	11 (2.8%)	6 (1.6%)	36 (9.3%)	55 (14.2%)	44.3	620^th of 1138 public elementary schools	45.5%		50.2	554^th of 1160 public elementary schools	52.2%	66	42.1	42.1	48.6	37.7	51.7	45.4	51.4	40.5	49.2	46.7	86.9	88.5	91.8	91.8	91.8	88.5	90.2	88.5	88.5	88.5	$20,098	$1,027	$19,072
Arlington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7202 South Pine Street	Tacoma	98409	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-3200	390	23	17.2	75.9%	86 (22.1%)	74 (19.0%)	100 (25.6%)	39 (10.0%)	6 (1.5%)	25 (6.4%)	60 (15.4%)	12.3	1005^th of 1138 public elementary schools	11.7%		10.1	1090^th of 1160 public elementary schools	6.0%	85	23.5	23.5	22.8	45.7	19.2	28.4	26.3	23.9	15.4	21.9	86.4	88.6	90.9	90.9	90.9	88.6	90.9	90.9	88.6	88.6	$21,816	$2,456	$19,360
Lakeview Hope Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	10501 47th AVE SW	Lakewood	98499	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 583-5320	540	39	13.8	84.1%	59 (10.9%)	52 (9.6%)	271 (50.2%)	24 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	48 (8.9%)	50 (9.3%)	13.7	981^st of 1138 public elementary schools	13.8%		12.9	1051^st of 1160 public elementary schools	9.4%	70	28.2	28.2	31.4	25.3	29.4	28.5	31.4	28.7	23.5	27.7	89.7	95.9	94.9	94.9	94.9	90.7	95.9	94.9	90.7	90.7	$22,791	$2,358	$20,433
Edison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5830 S Pine St	Tacoma	98409	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-1700	413	26	16.0	70.9%	103 (24.9%)	71 (17.2%)	123 (29.8%)	29 (7.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.4%)	76 (18.4%)	30.2	788^th of 1138 public elementary schools	30.8%		27.9	853^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	26.5%	65	44.4	44.4	35.6	32.9	57.4	40.5	34.3	31.5	38.9	34.5	85.2	88.9	92.6	92.6	92.6	87.0	90.7	87.0	87.0	87.0	$21,992	$2,237	$19,755
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Helen Stafford Elementary School

How many students attend Helen Stafford Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 453 students attended Helen Stafford Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Helen Stafford Elementary School?

Students at Helen Stafford Elementary School are 30% Hispanic, 17% Asian, 17% Two or more races, 15% White, 13% African American, 8% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Helen Stafford Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Helen Stafford Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Baker Middle School
High : Mount Tahoma High School

Is Helen Stafford Elementary School a good school?

Helen Stafford Elementary School ranks in the bottom 19.6% of Washington elementary schools.

What district is Helen Stafford Elementary School in?

Tacoma School District

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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.