Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 98579

Elementary schools in ZIP code 98579 include two schools in the Rochester School District, serving nearly 1,000 students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the Rochester area. Rochester Primary School serves prekindergarten through second grade, while Grand Mound Elementary serves grades 3–5. The schools are nearly identical in enrollment, with 488 students at Rochester Primary and 507 at Grand Mound.

The schools have different operating profiles. Rochester Primary reports a lower student–teacher ratio, 15.1 compared with 18.8 at Grand Mound, and higher per-student spending, about $19,997 versus $16,952. These differences may reflect grade levels, staffing models, early-childhood programs, or student services, and they do not by themselves indicate academic quality. Both schools serve substantial numbers of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, with reported rates of 62.5% at Rochester Primary and 66.47% at Grand Mound. The district is ranked 67th of 238 Washington districts, placing it in the 72nd percentile with a four-star rating.

Grand Mound is the only school with assessment results in the supplied data, so its performance cannot be directly compared with Rochester Primary, which serves younger students. In 2025–26, Grand Mound exceeded district and state results in math, with 44.51% of students proficient, and its science proficiency reached 51.12%, slightly above the state rate. English language arts was weaker at 46.95%, below both the district and state. Grade-level results show ELA improving from third to fifth grade, while math declined from 48.94% in third grade to 40.22% in fifth grade. Science showed the largest year-over-year gain, increasing nearly 10 percentage points, making it the most encouraging recent trend; fifth-grade math and ELA remain important areas for families to examine.