Best Public Schools in Zip Code 98444

Summary:

This analysis covers nine public schools in Tacoma's 98444 zip code, serving grades PK-12 across the Franklin Pierce School District and Tacoma School District, with most schools facing higher-than-average economic challenges.

The standout school is Industrial Design Engineering and Arts (IDEA), a high school with a 4-star rating, strong test scores, and a 95.5% graduation rate. In contrast, Washington High School has a lower rating, and Perry G Keithley Middle School faces significant academic challenges, ranking in the 4th percentile. Among elementary schools, James Sales Elementary shows notable improvement and solid performance despite high poverty rates.

Overall, school performance varies widely within the area. While the specialized high school (IDEA) excels, the comprehensive high school and middle school struggle. Several elementary schools, including Brookdale Elementary and Christensen Elementary, perform near or above state averages in some subjects, demonstrating that individual school programs can lead to success. Parents should note the pronounced performance differences between schools at similar grade levels.

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
Brookdale Elementary	Public	K-5	611 132nd St S.	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 298-3105	483	32	15.0	69.2%	132 (27.3%)	59 (12.2%)	154 (31.9%)	19 (3.9%)	3 (0.6%)	34 (7.0%)	82 (17.0%)	33.3	778^th of 1160 public elementary schools	32.9%		29.9	817^th of 1168 public elementary schools	30.1%	39	48.1			48.1	39.7	39.8	46.3					41.9	39.7	42.1	32.9					38.3	80.4	82.1	83.9	83.9	83.9	80.4	85.7	83.9	80.4	80.4	$18,847	$1,005	$17,842
Christensen Elementary	Public	K-5	10232 Barnes Lane S	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 298-3305	346	23	15.0	74.3%	67 (19.4%)	55 (15.9%)	111 (32.1%)	9 (2.6%)	5 (1.4%)	42 (12.1%)	57 (16.5%)	29.8	826^th of 1160 public elementary schools	28.8%		16.2	1023^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	12.4%	197					46.8	29.3	51.1					41.9	44.4	19.0	33.3					32.5	87.5	94.6	96.4	96.4	96.4	91.1	96.4	92.9	91.1	91.1	$19,640	$1,042	$18,598
Collins Elementary	Public	K-5	1920 128th Street E	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 298-3405	466	31	15.0	55.4%	178 (38.2%)	41 (8.8%)	115 (24.7%)	40 (8.6%)	3 (0.6%)	23 (4.9%)	66 (14.2%)	36	729^th of 1160 public elementary schools	37.2%		35.5	747^th of 1168 public elementary schools	36.0%	18	51.6			51.6	33.3	43.6	52.4					42.9	34.8	37.7	42.2					38.1	93.1	93.1	94.3	94.3	94.3	93.1	94.3	93.1	93.1	93.1	$17,541	$1,011	$16,531
James Sales Elementary	Public	K-5	1301 113th Street S	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 298-4205	387	24	16.1	75.2%	101 (26.1%)	49 (12.7%)	129 (33.3%)	11 (2.8%)	6 (1.6%)	36 (9.3%)	55 (14.2%)	50.2	554^th of 1160 public elementary schools	52.2%		61	434^th of 1168 public elementary schools	62.8%	120	50.0			50.0	43.2	46.0	61.5					49.2	43.2	48.4	54.7					48.2	86.9	88.5	91.8	91.8	91.8	88.5	90.2	88.5	88.5	88.5	$20,098	$1,027	$19,072
Perry G Keithley Middle School	Public	6-8	12324 12th Ave S	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 298-4307	804	45	17.8	68.8%	195 (24.3%)	92 (11.4%)	266 (33.1%)	38 (4.7%)	8 (1.0%)	79 (9.8%)	126 (15.7%)	8	510^th of 534 public middle schools	4.5%		7.5	521^st of 535 public middle schools	2.6%	11		19.3		19.3				25.4	22.4	25.3		24.4				15.6	13.6	14.5		14.5											$19,335	$1,860	$17,475
Washington High School	Public	9-12	12420 Ainsworth Ave S	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 298-4705	989	56	17.6	69.1%	232 (23.5%)	122 (12.3%)	329 (33.3%)	66 (6.7%)	7 (0.7%)	88 (8.9%)	144 (14.6%)	25.4	337^th of 438 public high schools	23.1%		23.8	347^th of 437 public high schools	20.6%	10			44.2	44.2							47.3	47.3							14.7	14.7											$19,983	$1,829	$18,154
Fern Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	8442 S Park Ave	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-3888	311	17	18.1	71.1%	63 (20.3%)	32 (10.3%)	119 (38.3%)	26 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.8%)	50 (16.1%)	40.8	668^th of 1160 public elementary schools	42.4%		46.2	606^th of 1168 public elementary schools	48.1%	62	56.4			56.4	37.1	26.7	66.7					42.2	41.7	31.1	48.7					39.8	91.4	94.3	91.4	91.4	91.4	94.3	100.0	91.4	94.3	94.3	$23,035	$2,656	$20,379
Helen Stafford Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1615 South 92nd St	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-4300	453	24	19.0	74.4%	67 (14.8%)	59 (13.0%)	134 (29.6%)	79 (17.4%)	2 (0.4%)	35 (7.7%)	77 (17.0%)	16.3	1009^th of 1160 public elementary schools	13.0%		17	1011^th of 1168 public elementary schools	13.4%	2	26.7			26.7	28.2	37.9	24.3					29.5	32.1	39.7	20.0					29.9	84.4	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	85.9	$20,167	$1,389	$18,777
Industrial Design Engineering and Arts	Public, Magnet	9-12	6701 S Park Ave	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	Yes	No	No	(253) 571-7906	392	22	17.5	46.7%	186 (47.4%)	30 (7.7%)	83 (21.2%)	11 (2.8%)	5 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	69 (17.6%)	70.7	105^th of 438 public high schools	76.0%		50.6	213^th of 437 public high schools	51.3%	108			73.4	73.4							68.2	68.2							34.1	34.1											$18,920	$569	$18,351

Cities Near Zip Code 98444

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Tacoma	0.35 mi	101	192^nd
Lakewood	2.31 mi	29	248^th
Spanaway	2.93 mi	16	194^th
Joint Base Lewis McChord	3.8 mi	6	112^th
Puyallup	5.13 mi	38	116^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.