Curious about the worst schools in Washington with low academic and student outcomes? The state has one of the nation’s highest net spend per student, at $17,428. It ranks fifteenth in government spending, fourth in starting teacher salary, and first in teacher salary and compensation.
With such a huge investment in faculty and educational campuses, it’s surprising that the state ranks 28th in student performance, 30th in SAT scores, and 31st in the overall school system. Washington also has the fifth-worst college-going rate in the nation.
Today’s article focuses on the poorly performing schools in the state. We’ll explore student performance, equity achievements, parent and student reviews, and GreatSchools.org rankings. We’ll also assess disciplinary case reports, graduation rates, and college outcomes. The information used comes from publicly available performance data.
Notably, the schools in this guide aren’t defined by their poor performance or graduation rates. They may rank highly in other vital metrics. Parents may need to effectively research the different school options before enrolling.
Amistad Elementary School
123 S Kent St, Kennewick, WA 99336
Found in Kennewick, WA, Amistad Elementary is a public school serving preschool through fifth-grade students. It is part of the Kennewick School District and has a student population of 866. The school aims to provide an environment where all students reach their highest potential.
Academically, the school falls well below expectations in standard assessments. From the 2022 Spring Smarter Balanced Assessment data, only 7.9% of the students met or exceeded the proficiency requirements set for math. Additionally, English proficiency requirements were only achieved by 13.7% of the students. 21.1% met the same requirements for science.
The performance is well below the district and state averages. 43% of the district students passed the math test, similar to 49% of the state learners. The district proficiency average for English Language Arts was 54%, and 58% for the state mean.
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The school ranked at position #1080 (tie) for math proficiency and #1081 (tie) for reading proficiency out of 1086 ranked elementary schools. GreatSchools.org gave Amistad Elementary a 1/10 overall rating.
Additionally, only 44% of the students at Amistad Elementary regularly attended school. The school has an 86% minority enrollment, with 93% of the students coming from economically disadvantaged families. The huge number of at-risk students makes it challenging to minimize the equity gap, with the learners falling behind in their performance compared to their peers.
Edison Elementary School
201 S Dawes St, Kennewick, WA 99336
Edison Elementary is a public school in the Kennewick School District. It serves roughly 344 “Eagles” in prekindergarten through fifth grade. The school aims to help all students feel safe, known, and valued in their pursuit of education.
Edison Elementary’s performance in standardized test scores is below expectations. Students that met math requirements were 11.9% for the 2022 Spring assessment. Additionally, only 16.9% met the proficiency requirements in English and 15.5% in science.
The school’s performance places it in the bottom third of the worst schools in the state based on academic achievements. U.S. News ranked it as position #1045 (tie) in reading proficiency and #1059 (tie) based on previous assessment data.
79% of students come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Equity assessment data indicates that these at-risk students are falling behind their peers in educational progress, with a 1/10 rating compared to a 5/10 rating for the rest. District data shows only 48.3% of the students attend school regularly.
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Madrona Elementary School
20301 32nd Ave S, SeaTac, WA 98198
Madrona Elementary, founded in 1959, is an averagely-performing school in the Highline School District. The school is home to roughly 384 students in prekindergarten through fifth grade. Madrona hosts the district’s dual immersion program, with learners receiving 50% of their instruction in English and the other half in Spanish.
Madrona’s performance in State Smarter Balanced Assessment is wanting. Results from the 2022 spring assessment, only 13% of the students attained proficiency in math. Besides, students that met the proficiency standards for English and science were 15% and 18%, respectively.
The performance ranks the school within the bottom 20% of all state schools. Previous assessment data showed Madrona ranked #1064 (tie) out of 1086 schools in reading proficiency and #1067 (tie) in math.
Only 53.1% of the students regularly attended school during the 2021-2022 school year, with chronic absenteeism affecting the learner’s progress. The absenteeism rates are much higher for studies from minorities, increasing the risk of them falling behind in their educational journey. 72% of the students come from low-income households, with their performance falling far below Washington’s average for all students.
Park Lodge Elementary School
6300 100th St SW, Tacoma, WA 98499
Park Lodge Elementary is a public school in Lakewood, WA, under the Clover Park School District. It serves roughly 357 students in preschool through fifth grade. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 14:1, lower than the state’s average.
The 2022 spring assessment results show that only 16.1% of the learners attained the proficiency standards set for math. Additionally, 17.7% attained proficiency in science and 26.4% in English. The proficiency rates are lower than the state average.
The minority enrollment at Park Lodge Elementary is 88%. Additionally, 76% of the learners come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These underserved students in the school are falling behind their peers across the state, with only 6% excelling in state assessments, compared to 11%.
Additionally, suspension rates in Park Lodge Elementary are higher than the state’s average. The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction notes that only 58.2% of the students regularly attended school in the 2021-2022 school year.
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Willow Public School
412 W. Poplar St., Walla Walla, WA 99362
Opened in 2018, Willow Public School is a tuition-free public charter school in Walla Walla. The school aims to empower learners to live joyfully, learn purposefully, and serve others as self-directed scholars. Willow Public School is home to approximately 114 sixth through eighth-grade students.
Willow’s performance in standardized assessments is well below state expectations. Only 15% of the student performed at or better than the proficiency grade in math. Additionally, 22% of the students were proficient in reading. The performance ranked the school at #435 (tie) in math and #440 in reading out of 442 middle schools.
Willow enrolls 39% of its students from economically challenged backgrounds. Sadly, the test scores for low-income students are worse than those of their peers, falling below the state average for low-income kids.
Shaw Middle School
4106 N Cook St, Spokane, WA 99207
Shaw Middle is an average-performing public school in the Spokane Public Schools District. It has a student enrollment of 561 in grades seven and eight. Shaw Middle received a 1/10 overall rating from GreatSchools.org, with a similar rating for test scores and student progress.
Shaw Middle’s academic performance falls below expectations, with students doing worse than the district and state averages. Only 29% of the learners meet the proficiency target in English. Moreover, only 20% and 25% gained proficiency in math and science, respectively. The performance ranks the school at #408 (tie) in math and #423 (tie) in English.
Test scores for underserved and students from low-income households are worse than the state average for all students. Shaw Middle records high rates of out-of-school suspensions with 17%, against a state average of 4%. Chronic absenteeism rates are also higher among at-risk students.
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Granite Falls Middle School
405 N Alder Ave, Granite Falls, WA 98252
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The next institution on our list of worst schools in the state is Granite Falls Middle School. It is a public school under the Granite Falls School District with a special focus on STEAM. The school is home to roughly 470 kids in sixth through eighth grade. With 23 full-time teachers, Granite Falls has one teacher for every 21 learners.
Despite a robust athletic program for seventh and eighth graders, the school’s academic performance leaves much to be desired. Only 17% of the students met or exceeded the proficiency requirements for math. 29% met science requirements and 39% for English. All the test scores were lower than the district or state averages.
Granite Falls Middle got an overall rating of 1/10 from GreatSchools.org. 42% of the students come from low-income households, and their results are far lower than their peers. English, math, and science test scores show Granite Falls’ low-income students perform worse than other low-income students across the state.
Tyee High School
4424 S 188th St, SeaTac, WA 98188
Established in 1962, Tyee High is a public high school under the Highline School District. It is home to approximately 834 9-12 graders. Tyee aims to challenge and inspire students to uplift their communities. The school also runs the district’s Spanish dual immersion program, automatically enrolling students under the program in Chinook Middle School.
The school lags on college readiness metrics compared to other state institutions. Only 8% of the students attained proficiency in math and 20% in English. The average high school graduation rate is 76%, lower than the state average.
The school offers AP coursework and dual enrollment classes that may allow students to earn college credits. Only 19% participate in the former, while 9% participate in the latter.
The school ranked within the bottom 20% in the state for its academic performance and the bottom 50% nationally. Underserved students at Tyee are at a high risk of falling behind their peers in academic progress, with most students from low-income families performing worse in state assessments.
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Harbor Junior/ Senior High School
300 N Williams St, Aberdeen, WA 98520
Harbor Junior/Senior High is a small public school serving 7-12 students in the Aberdeen School District. The student population is roughly 124, creating a small, student-centered learning environment. The school also runs a preschool section.
The students at Harbor High perform poorly in state test scores. Only 28% of the students perform above the proficiency requirements set by the state. Harbor High has an average high school graduation rate of 48%, far lower than the state average of 82%.
Ou-of-school suspension rates at Harbor High are worse than the state average, with 12% suspended compared to a state median of 4%. Additionally, graduation rates for low-income students at the school are lower than the state’s average for similar students, with only 50% of the learners graduating. District statistics show that only 7.90% of the students attended school regularly.
Granger High School
315 Mentzer Ave, Granger, WA 98932
Granger High is the next school on our list of worst schools in the state. The school serves roughly 451 students in grades 9-12. Granger High receives an overall rating of 1/10 from GreatSchools.org, while U.S. News ranked it within the bottom 20% in academic performance.
While 86% of the students graduate after four years, only less than 46% proceed to college or vocational training. 30% of the graduates attending college require remediation classes, against a state average of 12%.
Low-income and underserved students at Granger High are falling behind their peers, with test scores far below the median scores of the other students. Additionally, only 46.7% of the students attended school regularly for the 2021-2022 school year.
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Skagit Valley College
2405 East College Way Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Skagit Valley College is a community college in Mount Vernon. The college is home to 4,227 students undertaking undergrad, associate degree, and certificate programs. The school runs on an open admission policy that runs throughout the year.
The school earned a spot on our worst schools' rankings for its graduation rates. Skagit Valley College has the third-worst graduation rate in the state, with only 21% of the students graduating after spending 150% of the normal completion time. In comparison, the national average is 42%.
Graduate earnings ten years after enrolling are marginally higher than the national average. The median income for the students is $35,300, 3% higher than the national median of $34,300.
Heritage University
3240 Fort Rd, Toppenish, WA 98948
Heritage University is a private, four-year university in Toppenish. Established in 1907, the school is one of the oldest institutions in the state. The school offers associate, bachelor, and master’s degree programs to roughly 999 students.
Heritage University has the second-worst graduation rate in Washington, with only 18% of the students obtaining their degree after spending 150% of the normal completion time. Only 9% of the students earned a bachelor’s degree after five years.
Graduates earn lower than the national median income after ten years. The student’s average income is $34,000, against the national average of $34,300. The average student graduates with a $25,000 student loan, with 40% actively repaying.
Heritage University in the News!
Heritage University may not be winning all the prizes in Washington, but, it had made some headlines. At the time of writing in 2023 here are noteworthy things Heritage University has been up to.
Heritage University opens a new campus. (July 20th, 2023)
WSU and Heritage University scientists to share research at March 31 symposium (March 30th, 2023)
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Antioch University Seattle
2400 3rd Ave #200, Seattle, WA 98121
Antioch University Seattle is a private liberal arts university established in 1975. The school serves roughly 779 students. The school offers bachelor’s and graduate programs, with an average acceptance rate of 79%.
Antioch University Seattle has the worst graduation rate in the state. Only 12% of the students receive their degrees within 150% of the completion time. However, the graduates earn 14% higher than the national median ten years after enrolling.
Discover The Worst Schools In The State
Educational outcomes significantly influence a student’s life, including their future income levels. Despite heavy state and federal government funding, Washington’s public school system struggles with low-performing schools.
The schools on this list are ranked based on school performance and college graduation rates. The institutions may have higher rankings on other metrics. Families interested in enrolling should visit the schools for a complete view of their learning environment.
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- Save time and money on by avoiding trips to grab that "missing" ingredient you don't really need.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com.