Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Tacoma School District

This page covers 35 elementary schools in Tacoma School District. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

35
Schools Ranked
Washington
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 35
1
rank
Reed Elementary School
Grades PK–05361 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($23,190/student)
61
/100
Student:Teacher
13.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$23,190
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
73%
High economic need
2
rank
Browns Point Elementary School
Grades KG–05434 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($23,190/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
17.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$23,190
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
19%
Low economic need
3
rank
Lowell Elementary School
Grades KG–05319 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($23,190/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
16.7:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$23,190
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
25%
Low economic need
4
rank
Grant Elementary School
Grades KG–05339 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($23,190/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
15.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
43/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$23,190
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
30%
Low economic need
5
rank
Jefferson Elementary School
Grades PK–05303 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($23,190/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
15.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
43/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$23,190
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
39%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
Point Defiance Elementary School
Grades KG–05333 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($23,190/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
16.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
43/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$23,190
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
26%
Low economic need
7
rank
Crescent Heights Elementary School
Grades KG–05396 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($23,190/student)
56
/100
Student:Teacher
16.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$23,190
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
37%
Low economic need
8
rank
N.E. Tacoma Elementary School
Grades PK–05367 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($23,190/student)
55
/100
Student:Teacher
16.3:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
46/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$23,190
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
49%
Near nat'l 52.2%
9
rank
Skyline Elementary School
Grades PK–05326 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($23,190/student)
55
/100
Student:Teacher
14.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
43/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$23,190
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
48%
Near nat'l 52.2%
10
rank
Washington Elementary School
Grades PK–05358 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($23,190/student)
55
/100
Student:Teacher
17.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
43/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$23,190
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
20%
Low economic need
25 more elementary schools in Tacoma School District not shown here.
View all schools in Tacoma School District
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
35
Elementary Schools
66
Total Schools
61
#1 Score
53
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Compare Tacoma School District with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.