Best Public Schools in Port Townsend, WA

The city of Port Townsend, Washington, is home to 4 schools serving students from elementary through high school, including 1 alternative school. The schools in this district showcase a range of performance, with Port Townsend High School standing out as the highest-performing school, ranked 38th out of 442 Washington high schools and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. In contrast, the alternative school Ocean faces unique challenges, with lower test scores compared to the district and state averages, but serves a population with significant socioeconomic needs.

Salish Coast Elementary has consistently strong performance on standardized tests, outperforming the Port Townsend School District and the state in several grade-level and subject-area assessments. Meanwhile, Blue Heron Middle School has seen gradual improvement, moving from a 2-star to a 3-star rating over the past few years.

Across the district, the schools serve a predominantly white student population, with a significant percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 48.3% at Blue Heron Middle School to 56.1% at Ocean. The schools also vary in their spending per student, from $11,985 at Ocean to $19,882 at Blue Heron Middle School, and in their student-teacher ratios, from 13.7 at Salish Coast Elementary to 19.1 at Port Townsend High School.