Is Challenger Elementary a good school?

Challenger Elementary ranks 144 th of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Challenger Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 423 students attended Challenger Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Challenger Elementary?

Students at Challenger Elementary are 36% White, 35% Asian, 15% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of Challenger Elementary attend?

Students who attend Challenger Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Beaver Lake Middle School High : Skyline High School

Challenger Elementary

Summary:

Challenger Elementary is a high-performing public elementary school in Issaquah, Washington, serving 423 students in grades K-5. As part of the Issaquah School District, which is ranked 3rd out of 247 districts in the state, Challenger Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Washington.

Challenger Elementary's academic performance is exceptional, with 70.9% to 78.87% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 71.28% to 76.89% proficient or better in Math across all grades. This outperforms the Issaquah School District and the state of Washington, and the school's performance is particularly strong in certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic and multi-racial students. The school's diverse student population, with 36.17% White, 4.02% African American, 15.13% Hispanic, 34.75% Asian, and 9.93% two or more races, is higher than many nearby schools in the district, which tend to have a higher percentage of White and Asian students.

Compared to other high-performing schools in the Issaquah School District, such as Rachel Carson Elementary, Creekside Elementary, and Samantha Smith Elementary, Challenger Elementary stands out for its strong academic performance, diverse student population, and relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 7.42% to 18.91% in recent years. This suggests the school may have unique strategies or resources that contribute to its success, making it a standout example of educational excellence.

Detail:

Public K-5

25200 SE Klahanie Blvd
Issaquah, WA 98029-5763

(425) 837-7550

District: Issaquah School District

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,349

Students who attend Challenger Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Beaver Lake Middle School
High:	Skyline High School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.4

Number of students: 423

Racial breakdown:

White:

36.2%

Asian:

34.8%

Hispanic:

15.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 18.9%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Challenger Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Challenger Elementary ranks better than 87.7% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 13^th among 16 ranked elementary schools in the Issaquah School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 86.72. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Challenger Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (36.2%), Asian (34.8%), Hispanic (15.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 18.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Challenger Elementary is 14.4, which is the 3^rd best among 16 elementary schools in the Issaquah School District. (See more...)

Compare Challenger Elementary employs 29.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Challenger Elementary is $17,349, which is the 3^rd highest among 16 elementary schools in the Issaquah School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Challenger Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Challenger Elementary 144^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Challenger 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:

Issaquah School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Issaquah School District 3^rd of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Challenger Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	92.38	44^th	1026	95.7%
2005	90.85	51^st	1031	95.1%
2006	88.51	74^th	1051	93.0%
2007	80.53	146^th	1069	86.3%
2008	89.50	62^nd	1067	94.2%
2009	86.85	82^nd	1072	92.4%
2010	87.56	87^th	1088	92.0%
2011	84.64	116^th	1092	89.4%
2012	88.31	70^th	1097	93.6%
2013	83.69	123^rd	1106	88.9%
2015	92.26	58^th	1067	94.6%
2016	83.23	159^th	1053	84.9%
2017	83.11	155^th	1056	85.3%
2018	86.15	122^nd	1054	88.4%
2019	80.24	206^th	1130	81.8%
2021	93.77	69^th	1107	93.8%
2022	93.33	68^th	1169	94.2%
2023	90.60	104^th	1169	91.1%
2024	86.72	144^th	1168	87.7%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	88.16	9^th	128	93.0%
2022	81.19	40^th	252	84.1%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	54.95	366^th	835	56.2%
2019	27.78	782^nd	979	20.1%
2022	58.81	349^th	1019	65.8%
2023	62.99	311^th	1013	69.3%
2024	58.55	393^rd	1024	61.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	89.66	73^rd	1004	92.7%
2019	85.08	129^th	1068	87.9%
2021	91.52	75^th	1008	92.6%
2022	92.13	74^th	1100	93.3%
2023	90.95	77^th	1094	93.0%
2024	85.13	143^rd	1093	86.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	81.04	170^th	999	83.0%
2019	73.20	275^th	1075	74.4%
2021	94.62	60^th	1025	94.1%
2022	93.71	58^th	1113	94.8%
2023	89.44	106^th	1099	90.4%
2024	87.61	117^th	1099	89.4%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	75.84	46^th	169	72.8%
2019	79.71	34^th	201	83.1%
2022	82.16	30^th	187	84.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	57.86	201^st	540	62.8%
2022	96.85	8^th	694	98.8%
2024	90.05	22^nd	651	96.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Challenger Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	69.67	310^th	1027	69.8%
2021	86.93	100^th	943	89.4%
2022	84.24	129^th	1031	87.5%
2023	82.27	152^nd	1011	85.0%
2024	84.38	125^th	1009	87.6%

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: 3.7)

67%

33%

by a parent
Friday, March 19, 2021

Education integrity should be demonstrated in the staff first. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Challenger Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	575	3	19	4	2	n/a	n/a	0	603
1990	617	2	35	7	2	n/a	n/a	0	663
1991	765	4	54	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	831
1992	522	2	39	9	2	n/a	n/a	0	574
1993	580	6	60	10	3	n/a	n/a	0	659
1994	630	9	64	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	711
1995	656	9	82	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	753
1996	656	9	82	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	753
1997	579	13	82	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	685
1998	601	8	92	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	716
1999	551	7	100	12	0	n/a	n/a	0	670
2000	572	5	117	22	4	n/a	n/a	0	720
2001	572	5	119	20	2	n/a	n/a	0	718
2002	448	10	104	15	2	n/a	n/a	0	579
2003	448	10	104	15	2	n/a	n/a	0	579
2004	415	14	119	19	6	n/a	n/a	0	573
2005	364	15	159	21	4	n/a	n/a	0	563
2006	433	20	172	40	7	n/a	n/a	0	672
2007	375	20	177	35	7	n/a	n/a	2	616
2008	360	14	191	33	7	n/a	n/a	2	607
2009	333	13	196	30	7	n/a	n/a	2	581
2010	349	8	222	35	6	n/a	n/a	4	624
2011	268	4	166	35	4	6	16	0	499
2012	272	3	155	31	1	6	20	0	488
2013	277	5	162	43	2	4	28	0	521
2014	290	4	170	42	1	3	45	0	555
2015	308	4	184	48	0	3	58	0	605
2016	295	6	170	54	0	2	57	0	584
2017	279	4	183	52	0	0	58	0	576
2018	269	4	211	65	0	0	70	0	619
2019	256	5	177	64	0	0	56	0	558
2020	254	8	215	56	0	1	56	0	590
2021	184	10	213	60	0	0	45	0	512
2022	174	7	153	52	0	0	48	0	434
2023	153	17	147	64	0	0	42	0	423

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 Challenger Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	603	27.0	22.3	n/a
1990	663	29.0	22.8	0
1991	831	39.9	20.8	n/a
1992	574	29.7	19.3	n/a
1993	659	28.6	23.0	n/a
1994	711	33.2	21.4	n/a
1995	753	34.3	22.0	n/a
1996	753	34.3	22.0	n/a
1997	685	32.8	20.9	n/a
1998	716	33.0	21.7	n/a
1999	670	32.4	20.7	n/a
2000	720	34.5	20.9	n/a
2001	718	34.1	21.1	n/a
2002	579	32.5	17.8	2.8
2003	579	32.5	17.8	2.8
2004	573	31.0	18.5	4
2005	563	30.7	18.3	5.9
2006	672	30.4	22.1	6.1
2007	616	33.9	18.2	4.7
2008	607	32.1	18.9	5.6
2009	581	32.1	18.1	3.8
2010	624	33.2	18.7	4.4
2011	499	27.5	18.1	6.8
2012	488	26.2	18.6	5.7
2013	521	27.4	19.0	4.8
2014	555	n/a	n/a	4.7
2015	605	35.0	17.2	4.8
2016	584	33.0	17.6	4.8
2017	576	33.9	16.9	5
2018	619	36.2	17.0	6.3
2019	558	37.3	14.9	7.9
2020	590	38.1	15.4	7.1
2021	512	39.4	12.9	7.4
2022	434	31.6	13.7	11.8
2023	423	29.3	14.4	18.9

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 Challenger Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	603	27.0	22.3	n/a
1990	663	29.0	22.8	0
1991	831	39.9	20.8	n/a
1992	574	29.7	19.3	n/a
1993	659	28.6	23.0	n/a
1994	711	33.2	21.4	n/a
1995	753	34.3	22.0	n/a
1996	753	34.3	22.0	n/a
1997	685	32.8	20.9	n/a
1998	716	33.0	21.7	n/a
1999	670	32.4	20.7	n/a
2000	720	34.5	20.9	n/a
2001	718	34.1	21.1	n/a
2002	579	32.5	17.8	2.8
2003	579	32.5	17.8	2.8
2004	573	31.0	18.5	4
2005	563	30.7	18.3	5.9
2006	672	30.4	22.1	6.1
2007	616	33.9	18.2	4.7
2008	607	32.1	18.9	5.6
2009	581	32.1	18.1	3.8
2010	624	33.2	18.7	4.4
2011	499	27.5	18.1	6.8
2012	488	26.2	18.6	5.7
2013	521	27.4	19.0	4.8
2014	555	n/a	n/a	4.7
2015	605	35.0	17.2	4.8
2016	584	33.0	17.6	4.8
2017	576	33.9	16.9	5
2018	619	36.2	17.0	6.3
2019	558	37.3	14.9	7.9
2020	590	38.1	15.4	7.1
2021	512	39.4	12.9	7.4
2022	434	31.6	13.7	11.8
2023	423	29.3	14.4	18.9

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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