Best Public Schools in Zip Code 99161

Summary:

Zip code 99161 in the Palouse, Washington area is served by four small public schools—one elementary, one middle, and two high schools—across the Palouse School District and Garfield School District, with a total of 236 students creating a close-knit, rural educational community.

Among these schools, Garfield at Palouse High School stands out as the top performer, ranking in the 91st percentile statewide with exceptional science scores, while Palouse Elementary has shown impressive recent improvement, jumping to a 4-star rating with strong math proficiency. In contrast, Palouse at Garfield Middle School faces a significant challenge in math, with proficiency notably below the state average, which is a point of concern given the elementary school's strength in the same subject.

An interesting finding is the difference in resource use between the two high schools; Palouse High School spends significantly more per student but has a lower ranking than Garfield at Palouse High, and they have dramatically different student-teacher ratios. All schools excel in English Language Arts, performing above the state average, indicating consistent strength in literacy instruction throughout the community.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)			SBAC English Language Arts (2025)					SBAC Math (2025)					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 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 4th Grade	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 10th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Garfield at Palouse High School	Public	9-12	600 E. Alder	Palouse	99161	Whitman County	Garfield School District	No	No	No	No	(509) 878-1921	45	1	32.3	48.9%	44 (97.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	89.1	39^th of 438 public high schools	91.1%					(n/a)		76.9	76.9									50.0	50.0	$20,178	$2,629	$17,548
Palouse High School	Public	9-12	600 E Alder Street	Palouse	99161	Whitman County	Palouse School District	No	No	No	No	(509) 878-1921	57	7	7.7	35.1%	52 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.8%)	70.5	108^th of 438 public high schools	75.3%					(n/a)		66.7	66.7									36.4	36.4	$35,485	$1,459	$34,025
Palouse Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	600 E Alder Street	Palouse	99161	Whitman County	Palouse School District	No	No	No	Yes	(509) 878-1921	100	10	10.4	47.0%	83 (83.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (13.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.0%)	67.6	344^th of 1160 public elementary schools	70.3%		59.3	455^th of 1168 public elementary schools	61.0%	111	52.6		52.6	69.2	52.6			66.7	76.9	47.4			68.9	$23,483	$1,583	$21,900
Palouse at Garfield Middle School	Public	6-8	600 E Alder Street	Palouse	99161	Whitman County	Palouse School District	No	No	No	No	(509) 635-1331	34	0		38.2%	30 (88.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.9%)	63.7	171^st of 534 public middle schools	68.0%		68.1	149^th of 535 public middle schools	72.1%	22						61.5	80.0	70.0			23.1		26.7	$8,198	$63	$8,135

Cities Near Zip Code 99161

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Palouse	0.18 mi	4	42^nd
Garfield	7.61 mi	2
Pullman	12.59 mi	6	36^th
Colfax	13.56 mi	2	47^th
Steptoe	14.55 mi	1

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.