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Best Schools in Tacoma, WA
Tacoma, WA has 138 public schools (27 high, 23 middle, 73 elementary) serving 71,284 students. On average they score 42% on state proficiency tests against a projected 33%, so schools in Tacoma exceed expectations. Rankings below compare each school’s actual results with the projection for its socioeconomic context.
Best High Schools in Tacoma, WA
The top high schools in Tacoma, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Curtis Senior High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
University Place School District • Public • Grades 10 - 12 • 1349 Students
2. Science And Math Institute
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 610 Students
3. Industrial Design Engineering And Arts
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 420 Students
4. Puyallup High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Puyallup School District • Public • Grades 10 - 12 • 1701 Students
5. Stadium High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1571 Students
6. Bethel High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Bethel School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 1739 Students
7. Fife High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Fife School District • Public • Grades 10 - 12 • 879 Students
8. General William H. Harrison Preparatory School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Clover Park School District • Public • Grades 6 - 12 • 727 Students
9. Graham Kapowsin High School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Bethel School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 2011 Students
10. Tacoma School Of The Arts
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades 9 - 12 • 624 Students
Best Middle Schools in Tacoma, WA
The top middle schools in Tacoma, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Narrows View Intermediate
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
University Place School District • Public • Grades 5 - 7 • 712 Students
2. Harbor Ridge Middle School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Peninsula School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 596 Students
3. Mason Middle School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 659 Students
4. Aylen Jr High
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Puyallup School District • Public • Grades 7 - 9 • 711 Students
5. Hunt Middle School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 400 Students
6. Meeker Middle School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 586 Students
7. Cougar Mountain Middle School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Bethel School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 614 Students
8. Truman Middle School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 435 Students
9. Wainwright Intermediate School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades 4 - 8 • 373 Students
10. Spanaway Middle School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Bethel School District • Public • Grades 6 - 8 • 720 Students
Best Elementary Schools in Tacoma, WA
The top elementary schools in Tacoma, ranked by actual test performance against the projection for each school’s socioeconomic context.
1. Browns Point Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 434 Students
2. Jefferson Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 303 Students
3. Lowell Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 319 Students
4. University Place Primary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
University Place School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 4 • 501 Students
5. Washington Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 358 Students
6. Sherman Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 443 Students
7. Beachwood Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Clover Park School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 5 • 410 Students
8. Point Defiance Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 333 Students
9. Grant Elementary School
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
Tacoma School District • Public • Grades KG - 5 • 339 Students
10. Evergreen Primary
SchoolGrade
Actual Test Scores
Projected Test Scores
University Place School District • Public • Grades Pre K - 4 • 540 Students
Education & Community Snapshot in Tacoma, WA
City-level factors that shape the learning environment around local schools.
Community Factors
Tacoma, WA has a total population of 253,075 with 23% of that population attending schools. The adult high school graduation rate is 91%, and 32% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Students in Tacoma, WA
K-12 Students
High School Graduates
Adults 25+ with HS diplomas
College Graduates
Adults 25+ with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
Demographics statistics provided by Best Neighborhood Tacoma, WA.
Safety
Crime Grades summarize reported incidents per 1,000 residents. Use them as neighborhood context, not a school rating.
Overall Crime Grade
50.79 per 1,000 Residents
Violent Crime Grade
7.36 per 1,000 Residents
Property Crime Grade
43.43 per 1,000 Residents
Crime statistics provided by CrimeGrade in Tacoma, WA.
Connectivity
Connectivity influences learning at home. We summarize internet infrastructure, typical download speed, and a digital connectivity index for Tacoma, WA.
ISP Report Card
Internet Infrastructure Grade
Average Download Speed
Speed Most Residents Can Get
Digital Connectivity Index
ISP Connectivity Demand Report
To read more about these statistics, please visit Tacoma, WA Internet Health Assessment.
Questions About Schools in Tacoma, WA
How many schools are in Tacoma, WA?
Tacoma, WA has 138 public schools: 27 high schools, 23 middle schools and 73 elementary schools, serving 71,284 students in total.
How do schools in Tacoma perform on state tests?
On average, 138 schools in Tacoma score 42% proficient on state assessments. Given the socioeconomic context of their students we project 33%, so on average schools in Tacoma exceed expectations.
How does SchoolGrade rank the best schools in Tacoma?
Every public school gets a SchoolGrade from A+ to F based on the share of students at or above the state proficiency bar. The Impact Grade compares that result with what we would expect given the school’s student and community context, so schools that outperform their circumstances stand out. Schools cannot pay to change a grade. Read the full methodology.
Best Schools in Cities Near Tacoma, WA
Explore nearby cities to widen your school search.
- Actual: 50%
- Projected: 37%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 34%
- Projected: 20%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 46%
- Projected: 36%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 47%
- Projected: 38%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 38%
- Projected: 24%
- Impact Grade: Greatly Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 34%
- Projected: 26%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 55%
- Projected: 50%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 36%
- Projected: 24%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
- Actual: 36%
- Projected: 31%
- Impact Grade: Meets Expectations
- Actual: 48%
- Projected: 38%
- Impact Grade: Exceeds Expectations
Every school in Tacoma
78 of 94 schools in Tacoma carry a SchoolGrade (16 have no school-level proficiency results in our source data). Grade distribution:
A: 10B: 10C: 22D: 29F: 7
All 94 public schools we grade in Tacoma. The ranked lists above show the top ten per level; every school has its own page.
High schools (10)
- Dr Dolores Silas High School
- Fife High School
- Foss High School
- Franklin Pierce High School
- Lincoln High School
- Mount Tahoma High School
- Oakland High School
- Stadium High School
- Tacoma Online High School
- Washington High School
Middle and junior high schools (17)
- Angelo Giaudrone Middle School
- Baker Middle School
- Bryant Montessori Middle School
- Columbia Junior High School
- First Creek Middle School
- Gray Middle School
- Hilltop Heritage Middle School
- Hunt Middle School
- Mason Middle School
- Meeker Middle School
- Morris Ford Middle School
- Perry G Keithley Middle School
- Spanaway Middle School
- Stewart Middle School
- Tacoma Online Middle School
- Truman Middle School
- Wainwright Intermediate School
Elementary and primary schools (50)
- Arlington Elementary School
- Birney Elementary School
- Blix Elementary School
- Boze Elementary School
- Brookdale Elementary
- Browns Point Elementary School
- Central Avenue Elementary
- Chester H Thompson Elementary
- Christensen Elementary
- Clover Creek Elementary
- Collins Elementary
- Crescent Heights Elementary School
- Delong Elementary School
- Downing Elementary School
- Early Learning Center
- Edison Elementary School
- Elmhurst Elementary School
- Fawcett Elementary School
- Fern Hill Elementary School
- Fife Elementary School
- Franklin Elementary School
- Grant Elementary School
- Harvard Elementary
- Helen Stafford Elementary School
- James Sales Elementary
- Jefferson Elementary School
- Katherine G Johnson Elementary School
- Larchmont Elementary School
- Lister Elementary School
- Lowell Elementary School
- Lyon Elementary School
- Manitou Park Elementary School
- Mann Elementary School
- Mccarver Elementary School
- Midland Elementary
- Naches Trail Elementary
- Ne Tacoma Elementary School
- Point Defiance Elementary School
- Reed Elementary School
- Roosevelt Elementary School
- Sheridan Elementary School
- Sherman Elementary School
- Skyline Elementary School
- Stanley Elementary School
- Tacoma Online Elementary School
- Waller Road Elementary
- Washington Elementary School
- Whitman Elementary School
- Whittier Elementary School
- Willard Early Learning Center
Other schools and academies (17)
- Bryant Montessori School
- Comm Based Trans Program
- Fife Open Doors
- Gates Secondary School
- Geiger Montessori School
- Impact Public Schools
- Industrial Design Engineering And Arts
- Insight School Of Wa Open Doors Program
- Madison Headstart
- Remann Hall Juvenile Detention Center
- Science And Math Institute
- Special Services
- Summit Public School Olympus
- Tacoma Open Doors
- Tacoma School Of The Arts
- The School At Pearl Youth Residence
- Thompson Preschool
Private schools (19)
Private schools have a SchoolGrade only where their state publishes their test results.
- Annie Wright Schools
- Cascade Christian Schools - Frederickson Elem.
- Charles Wright Academy
- Concordia Christian Academy
- Concordia Christian Academy
- Evergreen Lutheran High School
- Faith Baptist Christian Academy
- Faith Lutheran School
- Imagination School
- Life Christian Academy
- Parkland Lutheran Church & School
- Sound Christian Academy
- St Charles Borromeo Catholic School
- St Mary's Academy
- St Patrick Catholic School
- Tacoma Christian Academy
- The Cor Deo School
- The Seabury School
- Visitation Catholic Stem Academy