Is Barnes Elementary a good school?

Barnes Elementary ranks in the bottom 21.4% of Washington elementary schools.

How many students attend Barnes Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 357 students attended Barnes Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Barnes Elementary?

Students at Barnes Elementary are 62% White, 26% Hispanic, 6% Pacific Islander, 5% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Barnes Elementary attend?

Students who attend Barnes Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Huntington Middle School High : Kelso High School

Barnes Elementary

Summary:

Barnes Elementary is a public elementary school in Kelso, Washington, serving 357 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Kelso School District, which is ranked 158 out of 247 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite having a relatively high per-student spending, Barnes Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom half of Washington elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on state assessments across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 39.74% of Barnes Elementary students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 46.68% in the Kelso School District and 52.63% statewide. In math, the proficiency rate at Barnes Elementary was 28.48%, compared to 32.39% in the Kelso School District and 41.68% statewide. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Hispanic students performing better than their White and special education peers.

Interestingly, some nearby schools in the Longview School District, such as Columbia Valley Garden Elementary and Columbia Heights Elementary, outperform Barnes Elementary on academic measures while serving a similar student population. Additionally, Barnes Elementary's statewide ranking has steadily declined over the past several years, suggesting the school is struggling to keep pace with academic improvements seen in other schools across the state.

Detail:

Public K-5

401 Barnes
Kelso, WA 98626

(360) 501-1500

District: Kelso School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
918^th of 1,168 Washington Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,940

Students who attend Barnes Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Huntington Middle School
High:	Kelso High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.8

Number of students: 357

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.2%

Hispanic:

26.3%

Pacific Islander:

5.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 85.4%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Barnes Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Barnes Elementary ranks worse than 78.6% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 5^th among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Kelso School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 23.81. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (62.2%), Hispanic (26.3%), Pacific Islander (5.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 85.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Barnes Elementary is 15.8. 4 elementary schools in the Kelso School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Barnes Elementary employs 22.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Barnes Elementary is $19,940, which is the 2^nd highest among 6 elementary schools in the Kelso School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Barnes Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Barnes Elementary 918^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Barnes Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Kelso School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Kelso School District 158^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Barnes Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Barnes Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	50.84	520^th	1026	49.3%
2005	19.13	878^th	1031	14.8%
2006	24.81	859^th	1051	18.3%
2007	17.17	948^th	1069	11.3%
2008	11.87	992^nd	1067	7.0%
2009	22.11	893^rd	1072	16.7%
2010	24.08	901^st	1088	17.2%
2011	28.49	863^rd	1092	21.0%
2012	17.47	978^th	1097	10.8%
2013	47.71	628^th	1106	43.2%
2015	40.55	656^th	1067	38.5%
2016	41.53	643^rd	1053	38.9%
2017	40.14	647^th	1056	38.7%
2018	18.23	895^th	1054	15.1%
2019	31.25	817^th	1130	27.7%
2021	28.50	782^nd	1107	29.4%
2022	26.38	874^th	1169	25.2%
2023	17.44	1014^th	1169	13.3%
2024	23.81	918^th	1168	21.4%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Barnes Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	24.52	460^th	566	18.7%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Barnes Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	61.29	341^st	979	65.2%
2021	51.39	358^th	854	58.1%
2022	42.01	596^th	1019	41.5%
2023	27.96	801^st	1013	20.9%
2024	34.91	709^th	1024	30.8%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Barnes Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	14.36	903^rd	1004	10.1%
2019	24.40	861^st	1068	19.4%
2021	23.71	785^th	1008	22.1%
2022	20.91	911^th	1100	17.2%
2023	12.57	1013^th	1094	7.4%
2024	18.93	924^th	1093	15.5%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Barnes Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	24.81	786^th	999	21.3%
2019	40.75	664^th	1075	38.2%
2021	31.43	690^th	1025	32.7%
2022	36.88	684^th	1113	38.5%
2023	22.72	882^nd	1099	19.7%
2024	30.18	775^th	1099	29.5%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Barnes Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	46.86	367^th	697	47.3%
2022	43.74	360^th	694	48.1%
2023	42.14	374^th	633	40.9%
2024	70.60	153^rd	651	76.5%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Barnes Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	7.34	804^th	833	3.5%
2019	20.95	877^th	1027	14.6%
2021	10.99	889^th	943	5.7%
2022	14.57	942^nd	1031	8.6%
2023	10.54	956^th	1011	5.4%
2024	17.56	908^th	1009	10.0%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Review counts

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100%

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Enrollment information for Barnes Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	423	0	1	17	9	n/a	n/a	0	450
1989	433	0	2	15	12	n/a	n/a	0	462
1990	427	2	1	20	11	n/a	n/a	0	461
1991	436	2	2	24	15	n/a	n/a	0	479
1992	459	5	4	21	16	n/a	n/a	0	505
1993	459	8	6	25	15	n/a	n/a	0	513
1994	435	7	9	35	11	n/a	n/a	0	497
1995	493	9	6	32	12	n/a	n/a	0	552
1996	493	9	6	32	12	n/a	n/a	0	552
1997	468	7	8	36	14	n/a	n/a	0	533
1998	437	9	10	40	12	n/a	n/a	0	508
1999	458	10	4	40	12	n/a	n/a	0	524
2000	462	6	0	35	12	n/a	n/a	0	515
2001	418	5	2	32	13	n/a	n/a	0	470
2002	344	4	3	38	30	n/a	n/a	0	419
2003	344	4	3	38	30	n/a	n/a	0	419
2004	366	2	3	42	25	n/a	n/a	0	438
2005	279	0	3	37	24	n/a	n/a	0	343
2006	289	1	6	36	22	n/a	n/a	1	355
2007	298	4	5	37	18	n/a	n/a	7	369
2008	283	6	6	34	12	n/a	n/a	8	349
2009	274	6	5	32	14	n/a	n/a	13	344
2010	288	8	3	43	16	n/a	n/a	23	381
2011	256	1	3	59	7	0	12	0	338
2012	255	0	4	54	5	3	21	0	342
2013	270	0	2	71	5	5	21	0	374
2014	247	1	0	71	6	11	16	0	352
2015	257	1	0	74	1	3	17	0	353
2016	272	1	1	76	1	5	11	0	367
2017	261	2	1	76	4	3	12	0	359
2018	276	2	1	69	3	5	17	0	373
2019	271	2	2	65	3	5	17	0	365
2020	271	2	4	66	2	9	20	0	374
2021	187	1	3	57	5	10	14	0	277
2022	195	1	1	67	1	9	27	0	301
2023	222	0	1	94	2	20	18	0	357

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Barnes Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	450	21.0	21.4	0
1989	462	23.0	20.0	n/a
1990	461	23.4	19.7	0
1991	479	24.2	19.7	n/a
1992	505	25.3	19.9	n/a
1993	513	25.1	20.4	n/a
1994	497	23.7	21.0	n/a
1995	552	24.3	22.7	n/a
1996	552	24.3	22.7	n/a
1997	533	24.8	21.5	n/a
1998	508	26.8	19.0	n/a
1999	524	25.6	20.5	n/a
2000	515	25.4	20.3	n/a
2001	470	24.1	19.5	n/a
2002	419	24.0	17.5	56.6
2003	419	24.0	17.5	56.6
2004	438	22.0	19.9	56.4
2005	343	22.4	15.3	67.3
2006	355	21.1	16.8	62.4
2007	369	22.6	16.3	63.5
2008	349	25.3	13.8	65.1
2009	344	25.3	13.6	71.3
2010	381	20.8	18.2	72.6
2011	338	16.7	20.1	70.4
2012	342	16.1	21.2	75.7
2013	374	18.7	19.9	78.3
2014	352	n/a	n/a	83.8
2015	353	23.0	15.3	82.7
2016	367	20.0	18.3	81.5
2017	359	23.8	15.0	81.3
2018	373	22.9	16.2	77.5
2019	365	27.0	13.4	78.1
2020	374	25.8	14.4	76.7
2021	277	25.3	10.9	88.1
2022	301	20.4	14.7	85
2023	357	22.5	15.8	85.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Barnes Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	450	21.0	21.4	0
1989	462	23.0	20.0	n/a
1990	461	23.4	19.7	0
1991	479	24.2	19.7	n/a
1992	505	25.3	19.9	n/a
1993	513	25.1	20.4	n/a
1994	497	23.7	21.0	n/a
1995	552	24.3	22.7	n/a
1996	552	24.3	22.7	n/a
1997	533	24.8	21.5	n/a
1998	508	26.8	19.0	n/a
1999	524	25.6	20.5	n/a
2000	515	25.4	20.3	n/a
2001	470	24.1	19.5	n/a
2002	419	24.0	17.5	56.6
2003	419	24.0	17.5	56.6
2004	438	22.0	19.9	56.4
2005	343	22.4	15.3	67.3
2006	355	21.1	16.8	62.4
2007	369	22.6	16.3	63.5
2008	349	25.3	13.8	65.1
2009	344	25.3	13.6	71.3
2010	381	20.8	18.2	72.6
2011	338	16.7	20.1	70.4
2012	342	16.1	21.2	75.7
2013	374	18.7	19.9	78.3
2014	352	n/a	n/a	83.8
2015	353	23.0	15.3	82.7
2016	367	20.0	18.3	81.5
2017	359	23.8	15.0	81.3
2018	373	22.9	16.2	77.5
2019	365	27.0	13.4	78.1
2020	374	25.8	14.4	76.7
2021	277	25.3	10.9	88.1
2022	301	20.4	14.7	85
2023	357	22.5	15.8	85.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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