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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 98038


At a glance
8
Schools
7,091
Students
3
5-star schools
Top rankedCedar River Elementary53rd of 1,138 Washington elementary schools
Biggest riser
Lake Wilderness Elementary up 21 spots statewide this year
Smallest classes
Shadow Lake Elementary 15.6 students per teacher
SchoolDigger ratings
5★
4★
1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)
Summary:

Zip code 98038 includes seven schools serving grades PK–12: six elementary schools for PK–5 and Tahoma Senior High School for grades 9–12. All are part of the highly rated Tahoma School District, ranked 10th of 238 Washington districts. No middle school is included in this list, so middle-grade performance cannot be evaluated here. Overall, the schools serve about 7,091 students, and every school performs above statewide averages in the reported all-grade subjects.

Cedar River Elementary is the strongest overall school, ranking in the 95th percentile statewide and leading the elementary group in ELA, math, and science. Rock Creek Elementary is another consistently strong option, exceeding district averages in all three subjects. Lake Wilderness Elementary ranks highly and is particularly strong in math and science. Glacier Park Elementary and Tahoma Elementary show mixed results, with math generally stronger than ELA or science. The elementary schools collectively outperform the district in math and science, while ELA results are more uneven.

Tahoma Senior High School ranks in the 90th percentile and stands out for its 84.17% ELA proficiency, 93.4% graduation rate, and low 4.4% dropout rate. Math and science are weaker than district averages, making them the high school’s clearest academic improvement areas. Shadow Lake Elementary is the lowest-ranked school in the group, particularly in ELA and math, with concerning third-grade results, although its science performance improved substantially. Families comparing schools should also consider enrollment, student-teacher ratios, and the fact that smaller schools can show larger year-to-year percentage swings.

Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private




Cities Near Zip Code 98038

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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.

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