Best Public Schools in Zip Code 98321

Summary:

The White River School District serves the Buckley, WA area (zip code 98321) with eight public schools spanning early learning through high school, including a reengagement program, and the district ranks in the top 15% statewide.

Families will find a consistently well-regarded district, with Mountain Meadow Elementary standing out as a top performer in the state, achieving exceptional test scores in English, math, and science. In comparison, Foothills Elementary shows lower proficiency rates. The district's main White River High School excels with a graduation rate far above the state average, though math proficiency declines significantly by high school, a trend that begins at Glacier Middle School.

Overall, the White River School District provides strong outcomes, particularly in graduation rates and elementary education. Key considerations include the wide range in per-student spending between schools and the specialized support offered by smaller programs like the White River Reengagement Program. The district's uniform high ranking suggests stable, effective leadership across all its schools.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)				SBAC English Language Arts (2025)								SBAC Math (2025)								% 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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 5th Grade	WCAS Science 8th Grade	WCAS Science 11th 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 10th 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 10th 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
Elk Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	340 White River Park Rd	Buckley	98321	Pierce County	White River School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 829-3354	564	34	16.5	31.2%	412 (73.0%)	8 (1.4%)	88 (15.6%)	6 (1.1%)	6 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	42 (7.4%)	71	303^rd of 1160 public elementary schools	73.9%		73.9	282^nd of 1168 public elementary schools	75.9%	21	55.2			55.2	62.2	61.4	63.5					62.4	66.2	52.5	59.4					58.7	91.6	92.8	91.6	91.6	91.6	92.8	94.0	91.6	92.8	92.8	$16,506	$866	$15,640
Mountain Meadow Elementary	Public	1-5	11812 Mundy Loss Rd	Buckley	98321	Pierce County	White River School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 829-3356	443	25	17.7	27.1%	319 (72.0%)	11 (2.5%)	51 (11.5%)	11 (2.5%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	47 (10.6%)	93	72^nd of 1160 public elementary schools	93.8%		96.3	30^th of 1168 public elementary schools	97.4%	42	67.1			67.1	72.9	86.5	85.2					81.7	81.4	86.7	73.9					80.7											$15,706	$377	$15,329
Foothills Elementary	Public	1-5	10621 234th Ave E.	Buckley	98321	Pierce County	White River School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 829-3355	470	31	15.1	49.8%	304 (64.7%)	10 (2.1%)	90 (19.1%)	8 (1.7%)	2 (0.4%)	11 (2.3%)	45 (9.6%)	55.9	486^th of 1160 public elementary schools	58.1%		59.7	448^th of 1168 public elementary schools	61.6%	38	47.0			47.0	63.0	55.9	53.0					57.3	62.4	42.6	43.0					49.5											$16,780	$278	$16,502
Glacier Middle School	Public	6-8	240 North C St	Buckley	98321	Pierce County	White River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(360) 829-3395	999	49	20.5	36.9%	726 (72.7%)	19 (1.9%)	160 (16.0%)	13 (1.3%)	10 (1.0%)	2 (0.2%)	69 (6.9%)	68.7	143^rd of 534 public middle schools	73.2%		72.9	123^rd of 535 public middle schools	77.0%	20		48.9		48.9				62.4	65.7	59.6		62.6				43.5	52.6	41.2		45.7											$14,481	$525	$13,956
White River Special Educational Services	Public	PK-K	240 North A Street	Buckley	98321	Pierce County	White River School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 829-3952	6	0			4 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																															$4,351	$131	$4,221
White River High School	Public	9-12	26928 120th St E	Buckley	98321	Pierce County	White River School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 829-3352	1,340	59	22.7	31.3%	1,026 (76.6%)	13 (1.0%)	184 (13.7%)	21 (1.6%)	8 (0.6%)	3 (0.2%)	82 (6.1%)	59.2	159^th of 438 public high schools	63.7%		63.3	141^st of 437 public high schools	67.7%	18			48.7	48.7							76.1	76.1							32.0	32.0											$15,520	$263	$15,256
White River Reengagement Program	Public	9-12	26928 120th St E	Buckley	98321	Pierce County	White River School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 829-0600	40	0		65.0%	28 (70.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (10.0%)	2 (5.0%)	1 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (12.5%)								(n/a)																															$4,351	$131	$4,221
White River Homeschool	Public, Alternative	K-12	240 N A Street	Buckley	98321	Pierce County	White River School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 829-0600	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
White River Early Learning Center	Public	PK-K	27515 120th Street East	Buckley	98321	Pierce County	White River School District	No	No	No	No	(360) 829-5830	360	19	18.9	33.6%	248 (68.9%)	8 (2.2%)	58 (16.1%)	10 (2.8%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	33 (9.2%)								(n/a)																					84.4	87.3	87.3	87.3	87.3	87.0	92.0	85.9	87.0	87.0	$19,676	$807	$18,869

Cities Near Zip Code 98321

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Buckley	0.67 mi	10	52^nd
Enumclaw	3.36 mi	8	80^th
Sumner	3.79 mi	6	35^th
Wilkeson	4.11 mi	1	48^th
Bonney Lake	4.23 mi	9	15^th

See the top WA Washington cities

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.