Is Sunset Elementary a good school?

Sunset Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.4% of Washington elementary schools.

How many students attend Sunset Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 657 students attended Sunset Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sunset Elementary?

Students at Sunset Elementary are 51% White, 20% Hispanic, 11% Pacific Islander, 8% Two or more races, 4% African American, 3% Asian, 3% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Sunset Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunset Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Cheney Middle School High : Cheney High School

Sunset Elementary

Summary:

Sunset Elementary is a public elementary school located in Airway Heights, Washington, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 588. The school is part of the Cheney School District, which is ranked 113 out of 247 districts in Washington and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sunset Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Washington elementary schools for the past 8 years, with proficiency rates on state assessments (SBAC and WCAS) that are significantly below the Cheney School District and Washington state averages across all grades and subjects. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 19.79% of Sunset Elementary students were proficient or better in ELA and Math, compared to 45.24% and 34.97% for the Cheney School District, and 52.63% and 41.68% for the state. The school's diverse student population, with a higher percentage of minority students (45.41% non-White) and a larger proportion of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (74.32% free/reduced lunch recipients), may contribute to these academic challenges.

Despite the relatively high per-student spending ($16,456 in 2021-2022) and low student-teacher ratio of 14:1, Sunset Elementary has not been able to translate these resources into improved academic outcomes. In comparison, the nearby Windsor Elementary and Phil Snowdon Elementary, which are also part of the Cheney School District, demonstrate significantly higher academic performance, with proficiency rates that are 20-40 percentage points higher than Sunset Elementary across various subjects and grade levels. Schools outside the Cheney School District, such as Hallett Elementary and Michael Anderson Elementary, also outperform Sunset Elementary, further highlighting the academic challenges faced by the school.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

12824 W 12th St.
Airway Heights, WA 99001-1869

(509) 559-4600

District: Cheney School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1117^th of 1,168 Washington Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $16,456

Students who attend Sunset Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Cheney Middle School
High:	Cheney High School

Student/teacher ratio: 15.4

Number of students: 657

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.3%

Hispanic:

19.9%

Pacific Islander:

10.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 77.3%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Sunset Elementary ranks worse than 95.6% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks last among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Cheney School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 7.75. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Sunset Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Cheney School District. Racial makeup is: White (51.3%), Hispanic (19.9%), Pacific Islander (10.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 77.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Cheney School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sunset Elementary is 15.4, which is the lowest among 6 elementary schools in the Cheney School District! (See more...)

Compare Sunset Elementary employs 42.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sunset Elementary is $16,456, which is the highest among 6 elementary schools in the Cheney School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sunset Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Sunset Elementary 1117^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Sunset Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Cheney School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Cheney School District 113^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Sunset Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	24.27	838^th	1026	18.3%
2005	15.50	919^th	1031	10.9%
2006	30.48	794^th	1051	24.5%
2007	37.51	728^th	1069	31.9%
2008	33.02	769^th	1067	27.9%
2009	39.59	708^th	1072	34.0%
2010	50.02	557^th	1088	48.8%
2011	43.85	639^th	1092	41.5%
2012	41.82	689^th	1097	37.2%
2013	34.67	780^th	1106	29.5%
2015	35.36	721^st	1067	32.4%
2016	13.25	953^rd	1053	9.5%
2017	12.10	972^nd	1056	8.0%
2018	13.13	962^nd	1054	8.7%
2019	10.73	1054^th	1130	6.7%
2021	21.92	855^th	1107	22.8%
2022	12.12	1072^nd	1169	8.3%
2023	8.67	1120^th	1169	4.2%
2024	7.75	1117^th	1168	4.4%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	30.87	459^th	637	27.9%
2019	27.37	436^th	566	23.0%
2021	44.74	92^nd	158	41.8%
2022	18.87	443^rd	478	7.3%
2023	14.82	289^th	308	6.2%
2024	7.32	336^th	339	0.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	15.13	785^th	835	6.0%
2019	14.23	925^th	979	5.5%
2021	24.10	697^th	854	18.4%
2022	15.09	956^th	1019	6.2%
2023	7.52	991^st	1013	2.2%
2024	8.93	988^th	1024	3.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	12.33	928^th	1004	7.6%
2019	9.74	1014^th	1068	5.1%
2021	27.84	733^rd	1008	27.3%
2022	17.73	951^st	1100	13.5%
2023	10.84	1029^th	1094	5.9%
2024	7.34	1066^th	1093	2.5%

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

Rank History for Male students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	15.94	888^th	999	11.1%
2019	13.05	979^th	1075	8.9%
2021	17.04	886^th	1025	13.6%
2022	7.93	1079^th	1113	3.1%
2023	7.03	1075^th	1099	2.2%
2024	8.88	1055^th	1099	4.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	20.44	485^th	540	10.2%
2019	30.36	523^rd	697	25.0%
2021	22.90	421^st	501	16.0%
2022	18.78	633^rd	694	8.8%
2024	26.59	504^th	651	22.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	6.73	809^th	833	2.9%
2019	6.72	997^th	1027	2.9%
2021	14.95	846^th	943	10.3%
2022	7.22	1010^th	1031	2.0%
2023	6.85	988^th	1011	2.3%
2024	4.49	1000^th	1009	0.9%

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

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Wednesday, September 20, 2017

The counselor refuses to see my daughter. She has been left behind with no help from the school to bring her back up to grade level. The school doesn't like parent volunteers and the kids are mean. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Sunset Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	319	4	16	4	8	n/a	n/a	0	351
1989	315	8	10	8	7	n/a	n/a	0	348
1990	288	7	15	6	6	n/a	n/a	0	322
1991	307	8	19	8	0	n/a	n/a	0	342
1992	310	8	19	18	5	n/a	n/a	0	360
1993	344	7	15	7	8	n/a	n/a	0	381
1994	333	13	18	7	20	n/a	n/a	0	391
1995	261	11	8	9	17	n/a	n/a	0	306
1996	261	11	8	9	17	n/a	n/a	0	306
1997	299	7	13	10	10	n/a	n/a	0	339
1998	281	11	11	18	15	n/a	n/a	0	336
1999	267	6	12	21	7	n/a	n/a	0	313
2000	276	8	12	16	11	n/a	n/a	0	323
2001	272	12	12	15	14	n/a	n/a	0	325
2002	258	17	16	8	15	n/a	n/a	0	314
2003	258	17	16	8	15	n/a	n/a	0	314
2004	261	12	20	10	16	n/a	n/a	0	319
2005	249	17	21	12	20	n/a	n/a	0	319
2006	240	22	19	18	15	n/a	n/a	3	317
2007	270	20	17	27	17	n/a	n/a	5	356
2008	309	19	27	25	23	n/a	n/a	4	407
2009	307	29	26	29	28	n/a	n/a	4	423
2010	300	18	24	30	32	n/a	n/a	25	429
2011	293	17	17	37	25	1	28	0	418
2012	299	17	19	47	19	1	35	0	437
2013	340	17	10	48	18	3	36	0	472
2014	254	12	10	39	18	1	28	0	362
2015	261	11	12	42	17	6	32	0	381
2016	272	13	8	44	18	14	30	0	399
2017	299	12	14	46	18	19	32	0	440
2018	305	7	17	65	17	15	34	0	460
2019	326	11	14	86	29	26	57	0	549
2020	331	16	13	90	27	35	52	0	564
2021	303	19	20	81	22	36	52	0	533
2022	303	23	21	92	19	51	53	0	562
2023	321	16	17	110	19	59	46	0	588
2024	337	24	22	131	21	70	52	0	657

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 Sunset Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	351	18.0	19.5	0
1989	348	17.0	20.4	n/a
1990	322	16.5	19.5	0
1991	342	16.5	20.7	n/a
1992	360	17.0	21.1	n/a
1993	381	18.5	20.6	n/a
1994	391	21.6	18.1	n/a
1995	306	18.5	16.5	n/a
1996	306	18.5	16.5	n/a
1997	339	19.1	17.7	n/a
1998	336	18.4	18.3	n/a
1999	313	18.9	16.6	n/a
2000	323	20.9	15.5	n/a
2001	325	19.9	16.3	n/a
2002	314	24.5	12.8	70.1
2003	314	24.5	12.8	70.1
2004	319	22.0	14.5	70.2
2005	319	22.5	14.2	73.7
2006	317	21.5	14.7	64.3
2007	356	23.0	15.5	63.8
2008	407	27.5	14.8	74.7
2009	423	27.5	15.4	72.6
2010	429	31.7	13.5	82.4
2011	418	31.3	13.3	69.4
2012	437	26.6	16.3	73.9
2013	472	31.6	14.9	72.5
2014	362	n/a	n/a	70.7
2015	381	28.0	13.6	67.2
2016	399	26.0	15.3	68.9
2017	440	28.9	15.2	68.4
2018	460	32.3	14.2	66.7
2019	549	32.5	16.8	69.9
2020	564	39.9	14.1	74.8
2021	533	37.9	14.0	66.8
2022	562	40.0	14.0	62.6
2023	588	41.4	14.1	74.3
2024	657	42.4	15.4	77.3

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 Sunset Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	351	18.0	19.5	0
1989	348	17.0	20.4	n/a
1990	322	16.5	19.5	0
1991	342	16.5	20.7	n/a
1992	360	17.0	21.1	n/a
1993	381	18.5	20.6	n/a
1994	391	21.6	18.1	n/a
1995	306	18.5	16.5	n/a
1996	306	18.5	16.5	n/a
1997	339	19.1	17.7	n/a
1998	336	18.4	18.3	n/a
1999	313	18.9	16.6	n/a
2000	323	20.9	15.5	n/a
2001	325	19.9	16.3	n/a
2002	314	24.5	12.8	70.1
2003	314	24.5	12.8	70.1
2004	319	22.0	14.5	70.2
2005	319	22.5	14.2	73.7
2006	317	21.5	14.7	64.3
2007	356	23.0	15.5	63.8
2008	407	27.5	14.8	74.7
2009	423	27.5	15.4	72.6
2010	429	31.7	13.5	82.4
2011	418	31.3	13.3	69.4
2012	437	26.6	16.3	73.9
2013	472	31.6	14.9	72.5
2014	362	n/a	n/a	70.7
2015	381	28.0	13.6	67.2
2016	399	26.0	15.3	68.9
2017	440	28.9	15.2	68.4
2018	460	32.3	14.2	66.7
2019	549	32.5	16.8	69.9
2020	564	39.9	14.1	74.8
2021	533	37.9	14.0	66.8
2022	562	40.0	14.0	62.6
2023	588	41.4	14.1	74.3
2024	657	42.4	15.4	77.3

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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