Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 98409

ZIP code 98409 has four elementary schools serving students in Tacoma School District: Manitou Park Elementary School, Edison Elementary School, Arlington Elementary School, and Tacoma Online Elementary School. The schools enroll about 1,376 students in grades PK–5, except Tacoma Online, which serves grades K–5. The area’s schools generally serve students with substantial economic needs, and the district is rated two stars and ranks in the lower half of Washington districts.

Edison Elementary School is the strongest traditional school in the area. It has the highest state ranking among the brick-and-mortar schools and leads them in overall ELA, math, and science proficiency. Edison is also the only traditional school above the district average in math and science, with especially strong fifth-grade ELA results. Its student-teacher ratio of 16.0 is the lowest among the traditional schools. Arlington Elementary School has shown meaningful improvement in its statewide ranking and fourth-grade ELA performance, but its overall results remain below district averages. Its fifth-grade ELA and math results are particular areas of concern.

Tacoma Online Elementary School reports the highest overall proficiency rates—78.57% in ELA and 71.43% in math—but its smaller enrollment, suppressed grade-level results, and online format make direct comparisons less certain. Manitou Park Elementary School has the greatest performance concerns among the traditional schools, ranking in the eighth state percentile and posting the lowest overall math and science results. Its fourth-grade ELA and math scores are especially low. Overall, families comparing these schools will find Edison to be the most consistently strong traditional option, Tacoma Online to have promising but less-comparable reported results, Arlington to be improving, and Manitou Park to need the most academic support.