Best Public Schools in Zip Code 99216

Schools serving ZIP code 99216 include 10 public schools offering grades from prekindergarten through 12, with four elementary schools, one middle school, three high schools, and two alternative or online programs. The area is served by the Central Valley School District and the East Valley School District (Spokane). School options range from small programs with 50 students to University High School, which enrolls 1,410 students. Overall, Central Valley schools generally have stronger rankings and academic results than East Valley schools, although program type, grade span, enrollment, and student needs vary considerably.

The strongest elementary and middle-grade results come from Continuous Curriculum School, Summit School, and McDonald Elementary School. Summit reported the highest overall proficiency, with 71.06% in English language arts, 61.11% in math, and 76.12% in science. Continuous Curriculum ranked highest statewide among these schools at the 85th percentile and showed the largest year-over-year improvement, especially in science. McDonald ranked in the 79th percentile and combined strong results with the lowest reported student-teacher ratio, 12.9 to 1. Math is the most common academic challenge across the ZIP code, while science is a notable strength at the highest-performing elementary schools.

Among traditional high schools, University High School is the clear leader, with a 62nd-percentile ranking, 93.7% graduation rate, and 2.6% dropout rate. Its English language arts proficiency was strong at 68.90%, though math and science were considerably lower. East Valley High School had lower academic results and graduation outcomes, while Trentwood School and East Valley Middle School ranked below the leading Central Valley schools. EV Parent Partnership, EV Online, and Central Valley Virtual Learning High School should be assessed separately because their alternative or virtual models, small enrollments, suppressed results, and older outcome data make direct comparisons less meaningful.