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Black Lake Elementary

Q: Is Black Lake Elementary a good school?

Black Lake Elementary ranks 421 st of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

421^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,138 Washington Elementary Schools

Better than 63% of Washington elementary schools

Summary

Black Lake Elementary is a K–5 school serving 382 students on Belmore-Black Lake Road in Olympia and is part of the relatively strong Tumwater School District. The school ranks in the 63rd percentile statewide and has a 3-star rating for 2025–2026. Overall, it performs above Washington averages in English language arts and math, with proficiency rates of 58.01% and 50.56%, respectively. Its science rate, 50.82%, is about equal to the state average but below the district rate.

Among nearby Tumwater schools, Black Lake is competitive: it has the second-highest ELA and math results behind Michael T Simmons Elementary and Tumwater Hill Elementary. Its math rate is notably higher than Tumwater Hill and Peter G Schmidt Elementary. However, it trails the stronger nearby Olympia schools, especially Pioneer Elementary School and Centennial Elementary, in all three subjects. Black Lake does outperform several other area schools, including Garfield Elementary School and McLane Elementary School.

The most important caution is that schoolwide averages hide a major fifth-grade math weakness: proficiency was 25.00%, compared with 68.18% in third grade and 57.41% in fourth grade. ELA also declines after third grade, while science has fallen from 61.43% in 2023–2024 to 50.82% currently. Recent results decreased in all three subjects, although ELA and math remain above state averages. Families may therefore want to ask how the school supports upper-elementary students, particularly in fifth-grade math and science. Black Lake’s student-teacher ratio is 15.9 to 1, and its reported free/reduced-price lunch rate is moderate compared with nearby Tumwater schools.

382

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,917

Per pupil spending ?

33.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

83.6%

Kindergartners complete for all required immunizations (2025-26)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

6345 Belmore-Black Lake Road
Olympia, WA 98512

(360) 709-7350

District: Tumwater School District

Students who attend Black Lake Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Tumwater Middle School
High:	A G West Black Hills High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.2%

Two or more races:

12.8%

Hispanic:

12.0%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Black Lake Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 86th percentile in 2016 → 63rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Washington average (54% vs 48% meeting standards)

✓Above the Washington median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2016

!Near the bottom of Tumwater School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school54%

District avg53%

Washington avg48%

421^st of 1,138

Washington public elementary schools ?

Top 37%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From top 14% (2016) to top 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Tumwater School District

61^st of 238Tumwater 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	60.8	421 of 1138	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.4	385 of 1160	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.8	412 of 1168	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.0	438 of 1169	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	78.7	232 of 1169	80.2%	★★★★☆
2021	48.9	526 of 1107	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	82.2	178 of 1130	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	83.4	164 of 1054	84.4%	★★★★☆
2017	87.3	115 of 1056	89.1%	★★★★☆
2016	83.6	151 of 1053	85.7%	★★★★☆
2015	76.4	227 of 1067	78.7%	★★★★☆
2013	81.3	154 of 1106	86.1%	★★★★☆
2012	84.8	104 of 1097	90.5%	★★★★★
2011	85.1	114 of 1092	89.6%	★★★★☆
2010	88.4	76 of 1088	93.0%	★★★★★
2009	83.1	122 of 1072	88.6%	★★★★☆
2008	83.1	115 of 1067	89.2%	★★★★☆
2007	70.5	272 of 1069	74.6%	★★★★☆
2006	76.7	188 of 1051	82.1%	★★★★☆
2005	65.7	337 of 1031	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	83.4	123 of 1026	88.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	57.8	424 of 1020	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.4	391 of 1092	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.4	349 of 1093	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.2	365 of 1094	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.5	245 of 1100	77.7%	★★★★☆
2021	37.8	597 of 1008	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	77.2	229 of 1068	78.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.6	217 of 1004	78.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	59.8	379 of 1008	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.6	343 of 1013	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.1	549 of 1024	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.1	436 of 1013	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	87.2	50 of 1019	95.1%	★★★★★
2021	70.1	159 of 854	81.4%	★★★★☆
2019	88.6	32 of 979	96.7%	★★★★★
2018	91.2	10 of 835	98.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	66.3	332 of 1059	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.4	325 of 1098	70.4%	★★★★☆
2024	59.0	428 of 1099	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.0	475 of 1099	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.2	207 of 1113	81.4%	★★★★☆
2021	56.8	392 of 1025	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	86.2	130 of 1075	87.9%	★★★★☆
2018	87.9	96 of 999	90.4%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	73.3	60 of 252	76.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2023	51.9	132 of 308	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.0	57 of 478	88.1%	★★★★☆
2021	51.9	71 of 158	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	85.4	44 of 566	92.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	55.0	403 of 901	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.8	477 of 1007	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.2	443 of 1009	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.6	460 of 1011	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.3	235 of 1031	77.2%	★★★★☆
2021	47.6	484 of 943	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.1	282 of 1027	72.5%	★★★★☆
2018	69.7	255 of 833	69.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2022)76th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)69th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)62nd percentile~ school

Female (2026)58th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2023)57th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)55th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts58%+5 vs state

Science51%~ state avg

Math51%+7 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, October 18, 2014

If you have a child that needs an IEP or other accommodations do not send your child to Blacklake! I have yet to talk to a parent that has a professional experience with them. Not only was I flat out lied to on several occasions, they also by their own admission did IEPs wrong and incorrectly gathered data for evaluations. If you need to deal with the school or the district always bring witnesses. On several occasions I needed my witnesses to stand up and say what really happened. Protect yourself and your special child and find another district if you can. My experience has been devastating. Close Quote

Schools Near Black Lake Elementary

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WCAS Science (2026)			SBAC English Language Arts (2026)							SBAC Math (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 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	Vaccination: Kindergartners complete for all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Black Lake Elementary	Public	K-5	6345 Belmore-Black Lake Road	Olympia	98512	Thurston County	Tumwater School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 709-7350	382	24	15.9	33.8%	272 (71.2%)	2 (0.5%)	46 (12.0%)	9 (2.4%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	49 (12.8%)	60.8	421^st of 1138 public elementary schools	63.0%		64.4	385^th of 1160 public elementary schools	66.8%	36	50.8		50.8	66.7	51.9	54.1				58.0	68.2	57.4	25.0				50.6	83.6%	0%	$17,917	$274	$17,643
Tumwater Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3120 Ridgeview St SW	Tumwater	98512	Thurston County	Tumwater School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 709-7300	400	24	16.4	37.5%	215 (53.8%)	14 (3.5%)	85 (21.3%)	35 (8.8%)	5 (1.3%)	2 (0.5%)	43 (10.8%)	61.3	414^th of 1138 public elementary schools	63.6%		55.2	492^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	57.6%	78	54.8		54.8	65.5	62.9	61.3				63.1	64.3	41.9	29.0				44.4	97.7%	0%	$17,741	$871	$16,870
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%)	65.1	369^th of 1138 public elementary schools	67.6%		67.5	346^th of 1160 public elementary schools	70.2%	23	72.4		72.4	42.0	50.0	77.3				56.5	45.7	48.8	64.5				53.0	92.2%	3.9%	$19,675	$1,121	$18,554
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%)	48.2	570^th of 1138 public elementary schools	49.9%		46.1	601^st of 1160 public elementary schools	48.2%	31	52.9		52.9	45.8	55.7	43.0				48.4	54.2	50.0	25.9				44.0	89.5%	1.2%	$18,168	$1,041	$17,127
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%)	28	819^th of 1138 public elementary schools	28.0%		24.9	909^th of 1160 public elementary schools	21.6%	90	46.3	38.1	40.9	54.4	29.1	41.8	39.7	36.8	31.7	37.7	46.7	23.6	19.6	20.8	18.2	10.5	20.7			$10,689	$00	$10,689
McLane Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Delphi Rd SW	Olympia	98502	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 596-6600	407	26	15.7	40.8%	239 (58.7%)	11 (2.7%)	75 (18.4%)	33 (8.1%)	3 (0.7%)	5 (1.2%)	41 (10.1%)	39.1	696^th of 1138 public elementary schools	38.8%		42.8	644^th of 1160 public elementary schools	44.5%	52	38.8		38.8	48.7	43.3	53.7				48.8	47.4	36.7	29.9				38.4	80.4%	2.2%	$17,786	$868	$16,918
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%)	55.1	492^nd of 1138 public elementary schools	56.8%		60	430^th of 1160 public elementary schools	62.9%	62	74.0		74.0	39.6	51.2	65.9				51.9	36.4	38.5	51.2				41.9	75%	2.5%	$18,124	$237	$17,887
Garfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	325 Plymouth St NW	Olympia	98502	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 596-6900	314	24	13.2	60.5%	152 (48.4%)	9 (2.9%)	55 (17.5%)	16 (5.1%)	4 (1.3%)	6 (1.9%)	49 (15.6%)	33.5	755^th of 1138 public elementary schools	33.7%		29.2	837^th of 1160 public elementary schools	27.8%	82	57.1		57.1	36.7	38.5	52.4				42.3	26.5	28.2	38.1				30.8	82.6%	4.3%	$20,985	$1,929	$19,056
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%)	80.3	217^th of 1138 public elementary schools	80.9%		75.4	254^th of 1160 public elementary schools	78.1%	37	71.0		71.0	81.8	56.5	68.7				69.2	76.1	53.2	52.2				60.6	95%	0%	$18,742	$228	$18,515
Julia Butler Hansen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1919 Road Sixty Five NW	Olympia	98502	Thurston County	Olympia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 596-7400	412	28	14.6	53.6%	195 (47.3%)	25 (6.1%)	82 (19.9%)	19 (4.6%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (2.2%)	59 (14.3%)	58.7	444^th of 1138 public elementary schools	61.0%		42.2	657^th of 1160 public elementary schools	43.4%	213	70.7		70.7	47.1	52.5	66.7				55.9	51.0	42.4	38.3				43.5	94.4%	2.8%	$19,621	$852	$18,769

Frequently Asked Questions about Black Lake Elementary

What district is Black Lake Elementary in?

Tumwater School District

How many students attend Black Lake Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 382 students attended Black Lake Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Black Lake Elementary?

Students at Black Lake Elementary are 71% White, 13% Two or more races, 12% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Black Lake Elementary attend?

Students who attend Black Lake Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Tumwater Middle School
High : A G West Black Hills High School

Is Black Lake Elementary a good school?

Black Lake Elementary ranks 421^st of 1138 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Black Lake Elementary!

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Latest Washington data All new data »

2016–17 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

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.