Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 98528

ZIP code 98528 has three elementary schools serving preschool through fifth grade: Sand Hill Elementary, Belfair Elementary, and Mary E. Theler Early Learning Center. All are part of the North Mason School District, which ranks below the statewide midpoint. Sand Hill is the largest school, with 537 students in grades K–5, followed by Belfair with 392 students in grades PK–5. Theler is a smaller early-learning program serving 54 students in PK–K.

Belfair Elementary has the strongest current overall performance among the two traditional elementary schools. It ranks in the 31st statewide percentile, compared with Sand Hill’s 27th percentile, and outperforms the district in English language arts, math, and science. Belfair’s strongest result is science, with 48.19% of students proficient, nearly matching the statewide rate and well ahead of Sand Hill’s 39.39%. It also performs better in fourth- and fifth-grade English language arts and has a slightly lower student-teacher ratio. However, Sand Hill Elementary is stronger in all-grade math and third-grade English language arts and math.

Sand Hill’s most notable feature is its improvement: its ranking rose by 227 places in one year, while proficiency increased in every tested subject, especially science and math. This suggests positive momentum, although its results remain below state averages. Both K–5 schools share a significant statewide gap in English language arts, while math is a relative strength compared with the district. Mary E. Theler Early Learning Center should be considered separately because it serves younger children and has no comparable state testing or ranking data. Overall, Belfair currently leads on measured performance, while Sand Hill offers the stronger recent-improvement story.