Summary:
ZIP code 98148 has one listed elementary school, North Hill Elementary, serving students from Pre-K through 5th grade in Des Moines, Washington. The school enrolls 518 students and is part of the Highline School District. With a 16.6-to-1 student-teacher ratio and nearly 46% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, North Hill serves a diverse community with a range of student needs.
North Hill performs considerably better than the district overall and somewhat better than Washington statewide averages. In 2025–26, 60.32% of students met standards in English language arts, compared with 34.68% districtwide and 52.81% statewide. Math proficiency was 48.18%, above the district’s 24.30% and the state’s 43.11%. Science was the school’s strongest subject, with 69.88% proficiency compared with 32.82% in the district and 50.95% statewide. Performance was especially strong in upper-grade ELA: proficiency increased from 48.28% in third grade to 70.24% in fifth grade. Fifth-grade science also reached 69.88%.
For parents, the main strength is North Hill’s consistently strong performance relative to its district, especially in science and ELA. The main area to watch is math: the school’s all-grade result fell from 58.78% in 2024–25 to 48.18% in 2025–26, with third-grade math at 42.53%, below the statewide third-grade rate. The school remains above average overall, ranking in the 69th percentile among Washington elementary schools, although that is down from the 74th percentile two years earlier. Overall, North Hill appears to be a solid local option, with notable academic strengths and a clear need for continued math improvement.
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