Is Panther Lake Elementary School a good school?

Panther Lake Elementary School ranks in the bottom 8.6% of Washington elementary schools.

How many students attend Panther Lake Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 414 students attended Panther Lake Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Panther Lake Elementary School?

Students at Panther Lake Elementary School are 34% Hispanic, 22% African American, 16% Pacific Islander, 13% White, 9% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Panther Lake Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Panther Lake Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Illahee Middle School High : Todd Beamer High School

Panther Lake Elementary School

Summary:

Panther Lake Elementary School is a public elementary school in Federal Way, Washington, serving 414 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. The school faces significant challenges, including a high-minority and low-income student population, consistently low academic performance, and declining statewide rankings.

Panther Lake has a significantly higher percentage of minority students compared to the state average, with 22.22% African American, 34.3% Hispanic, and 15.94% Pacific Islander students. The school's academic performance is consistently in the bottom 10% of elementary schools in Washington, with only 29.9% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 20.71% in Math, far below the state averages. Additionally, 85.75% of Panther Lake students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high percentage of students from low-income families.

Compared to nearby schools in the Federal Way School District, such as Lakeland Elementary, which has significantly higher academic performance, Panther Lake's struggles are even more pronounced. The school's declining performance over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 738th out of 1,067 elementary schools in 2014-2015 to 1,067th out of 1,168 in 2023-2024, suggests that targeted interventions and support may be necessary to improve student outcomes.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

34424 1st Av S
Federal Way, WA 98003-6501

(253) 945-3600

District: Federal Way School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1067^th of 1,168 Washington Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,379

Students who attend Panther Lake Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Illahee Middle School
High:	Todd Beamer High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.8

Number of students: 414

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

34.3%

African American:

22.2%

Pacific Islander:

15.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 85.7%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Panther Lake Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Panther Lake Elementary School ranks worse than 91.4% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 15^th among 23 ranked elementary schools in the Federal Way School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 13.01. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Panther Lake Elementary School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (34.3%), African American (22.2%), Pacific Islander (15.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 85.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Panther Lake Elementary School is 16.8. 16 elementary schools in the Federal Way School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Panther Lake Elementary School employs 24.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Panther Lake Elementary School is $20,379. 17 elementary schools in the Federal Way School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Panther Lake Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Panther Lake Elementary School 1067^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Panther Lake Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Federal Way School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Federal Way School District 213^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Panther Lake Elementary School.

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Rank History for Panther Lake Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	49.25	536^th	1026	47.8%
2005	57.08	451^st	1031	56.3%
2006	60.33	411^th	1051	60.9%
2007	51.14	543^rd	1069	49.2%
2008	53.62	525^th	1067	50.8%
2009	53.16	507^th	1072	52.7%
2010	55.13	479^th	1088	56.0%
2011	33.71	795^th	1092	27.2%
2012	45.30	639^th	1097	41.8%
2013	49.62	606^th	1106	45.2%
2015	34.44	738^th	1067	30.8%
2016	16.45	916^th	1053	13.0%
2017	17.13	918^th	1056	13.1%
2018	15.44	931^st	1054	11.7%
2019	7.05	1089^th	1130	3.6%
2021	13.22	999^th	1107	9.8%
2022	7.13	1134^th	1169	3.0%
2023	11.03	1088^th	1169	6.9%
2024	13.01	1067^th	1168	8.6%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	37.76	212^th	333	36.3%
2023	26.35	190^th	254	25.2%
2024	29.87	223^rd	320	30.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	20.03	751^st	835	10.1%
2019	14.33	923^rd	979	5.7%
2021	17.00	787^th	854	7.8%
2022	12.42	980^th	1019	3.8%
2023	15.27	944^th	1013	6.8%
2024	24.73	840^th	1024	18.0%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	28.10	8^th	8	0.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	14.23	907^th	1004	9.7%
2019	12.64	972^nd	1068	9.0%
2021	11.30	956^th	1008	5.2%
2022	10.40	1044^th	1100	5.1%
2023	9.33	1047^th	1094	4.3%
2024	12.56	1008^th	1093	7.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	22.16	820^th	999	17.9%
2019	6.96	1040^th	1075	3.3%
2021	15.60	907^th	1025	11.5%
2022	6.06	1095^th	1113	1.6%
2023	11.69	1021^st	1099	7.1%
2024	13.21	997^th	1099	9.3%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	43.40	107^th	169	36.7%

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

Rank History for African American students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	30.09	92^nd	107	14.0%
2019	13.43	107^th	110	2.7%
2023	42.80	38^th	66	42.4%
2024	36.80	52^nd	71	26.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	19.07	492^nd	540	8.9%
2019	16.78	642^nd	697	7.9%
2021	45.60	223^rd	501	55.5%
2022	18.31	638^th	694	8.1%
2023	18.82	565^th	633	10.7%
2024	22.57	543^rd	651	16.6%

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

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	71.74	2^nd	5	60.0%

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

Rank History for White students at Panther Lake Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	16.13	749^th	833	10.1%
2019	11.64	964^th	1027	6.1%

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: 2.3)

33%

67%

Reviews:

by a parent
Saturday, October 7, 2017

Very poor school. I removed my daughter toward the end of the school year last year due to bullying and classroom disruptions. Principal refused to handle situation so I removed my daughter from the environment. Turn over for teachers is very high, two years in a row almost half of the staff quit. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, February 12, 2010

This is the most wonderful elementary school in the Federal Way School District. The teachers are wonderful and give their all to ther students and their community. My children are lucky to have teachers who care so much for them. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Panther Lake Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	472	32	58	14	11	n/a	n/a	0	587
1989	566	48	65	16	7	n/a	n/a	0	702
1990	532	55	46	17	5	n/a	n/a	0	655
1991	471	56	36	18	10	n/a	n/a	0	591
1992	541	82	45	32	7	n/a	n/a	0	707
1993	464	81	48	26	3	n/a	n/a	0	622
1994	466	91	52	28	5	n/a	n/a	0	642
1995	306	77	88	23	7	n/a	n/a	0	501
1996	306	77	88	23	7	n/a	n/a	0	501
1997	287	81	102	17	6	n/a	n/a	0	493
1998	267	83	113	23	6	n/a	n/a	0	492
1999	276	106	126	32	5	n/a	n/a	0	545
2000	268	82	123	20	3	n/a	n/a	0	496
2001	268	100	139	32	0	n/a	n/a	0	539
2002	240	124	154	22	12	n/a	n/a	0	552
2003	240	124	154	22	12	n/a	n/a	0	552
2004	191	93	117	26	12	n/a	n/a	0	439
2005	182	88	122	36	10	n/a	n/a	0	438
2006	176	82	97	37	9	n/a	n/a	18	419
2007	158	60	113	40	7	n/a	n/a	32	410
2008	147	62	113	32	4	n/a	n/a	32	390
2009	128	65	113	40	6	n/a	n/a	45	397
2010	120	64	100	48	2	n/a	n/a	51	385
2011	126	63	63	82	1	24	48	0	407
2012	125	56	59	98	0	23	51	0	412
2013	115	56	60	115	5	24	63	0	438
2014	110	60	58	133	5	23	69	0	458
2015	78	63	55	111	5	37	73	0	422
2016	84	68	56	121	6	51	73	0	459
2017	85	89	51	126	3	53	67	0	474
2018	64	85	59	121	5	55	60	0	449
2019	74	88	36	126	4	49	53	0	430
2020	65	85	32	153	2	49	39	0	425
2021	45	81	24	139	1	48	32	0	370
2022	46	80	18	136	3	59	39	0	381
2023	53	92	19	142	4	66	38	0	414

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 Panther Lake Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	587	24.0	24.4	0
1989	702	27.0	26.0	n/a
1990	655	31.2	20.9	0
1991	591	25.0	23.6	n/a
1992	707	28.9	24.4	n/a
1993	622	29.0	21.4	n/a
1994	642	27.5	23.3	n/a
1995	501	23.9	21.0	n/a
1996	501	23.9	21.0	n/a
1997	493	24.4	20.2	n/a
1998	492	23.4	21.0	n/a
1999	545	26.3	20.7	n/a
2000	496	21.0	23.6	n/a
2001	539	25.8	20.9	n/a
2002	552	28.5	19.4	33.2
2003	552	28.5	19.4	33.2
2004	439	22.0	20.0	44.2
2005	438	22.4	19.6	47
2006	419	23.5	17.8	46.4
2007	410	23.0	17.8	47.1
2008	390	21.3	18.3	49.4
2009	397	21.3	18.6	48.6
2010	385	22.0	17.5	59.9
2011	407	22.6	18.0	44.7
2012	412	21.4	19.1	60.7
2013	438	23.5	18.6	60
2014	458	n/a	n/a	66.6
2015	422	29.0	14.5	74.2
2016	459	25.0	18.3	67.3
2017	474	27.6	17.1	76.2
2018	449	27.0	16.6	82
2019	430	25.7	16.6	81.4
2020	425	27.5	15.4	74.8
2021	370	25.7	14.3	72.4
2022	381	23.4	16.2	76.9
2023	414	24.5	16.8	85.7

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 Panther Lake Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	587	24.0	24.4	0
1989	702	27.0	26.0	n/a
1990	655	31.2	20.9	0
1991	591	25.0	23.6	n/a
1992	707	28.9	24.4	n/a
1993	622	29.0	21.4	n/a
1994	642	27.5	23.3	n/a
1995	501	23.9	21.0	n/a
1996	501	23.9	21.0	n/a
1997	493	24.4	20.2	n/a
1998	492	23.4	21.0	n/a
1999	545	26.3	20.7	n/a
2000	496	21.0	23.6	n/a
2001	539	25.8	20.9	n/a
2002	552	28.5	19.4	33.2
2003	552	28.5	19.4	33.2
2004	439	22.0	20.0	44.2
2005	438	22.4	19.6	47
2006	419	23.5	17.8	46.4
2007	410	23.0	17.8	47.1
2008	390	21.3	18.3	49.4
2009	397	21.3	18.6	48.6
2010	385	22.0	17.5	59.9
2011	407	22.6	18.0	44.7
2012	412	21.4	19.1	60.7
2013	438	23.5	18.6	60
2014	458	n/a	n/a	66.6
2015	422	29.0	14.5	74.2
2016	459	25.0	18.3	67.3
2017	474	27.6	17.1	76.2
2018	449	27.0	16.6	82
2019	430	25.7	16.6	81.4
2020	425	27.5	15.4	74.8
2021	370	25.7	14.3	72.4
2022	381	23.4	16.2	76.9
2023	414	24.5	16.8	85.7

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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