Summary:
Zip code 98443 has one listed elementary school, Waller Road Elementary, serving about 306 students in kindergarten through sixth grade in the Puyallup School District. Because there is only one school in the ZIP code, families cannot make a direct school-to-school comparison locally. Waller Road has a 13.8-to-1 student-teacher ratio, $20,703 in reported spending per student, and a 60.78% free- or reduced-price lunch rate, indicating that many students may benefit from additional academic and family support resources.
The school’s academic performance is mixed. In 2025–2026, proficiency was 37.14% in English language arts, 41.14% in math, and 39.53% in science. Math is the school’s relative strength and improved by 5.51 percentage points from the prior year, bringing it close to district and state averages. English language arts is the largest concern: the school’s rate was about 18 points below the district and 16 points below the state. Science was also below both comparison groups. Results vary considerably by grade. Sixth grade stood out, with 62.5% proficiency in English language arts and 55% in math—higher than both district and state rates—while fourth- and fifth-grade math and third- through fifth-grade English language arts were substantially weaker.
There are some encouraging signs for families considering Waller Road Elementary. Its overall ranking improved from the 28th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 35th percentile in 2025–2026, and its rating increased from one star to two. Still, the school remains below the statewide midpoint, and the strongest priorities appear to be improving literacy in grades 3–5, addressing fourth- and fifth-grade math, and strengthening fifth-grade science. The sixth-grade results may provide useful examples of practices that could support improvement in earlier grades.
Thank you for your feedback!