Is Samantha Smith Elementary a good school?

Yes! Samantha Smith Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 19 th of 1168 Washington elementary schools.

How many students attend Samantha Smith Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 617 students attended Samantha Smith Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Samantha Smith Elementary?

Students at Samantha Smith Elementary are 66% Asian, 25% White, 4% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Samantha Smith Elementary attend?

Students who attend Samantha Smith Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Inglewood Middle School High : Eastlake High School

Samantha Smith Elementary

Summary:

Samantha Smith Elementary is a highly-rated public elementary school in Sammamish, Washington that serves students from kindergarten to 5th grade as part of the Lake Washington School District, which is ranked 4th out of 247 districts in the state.

Samantha Smith Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in Washington, with exceptional academic achievement that exceeds state and district averages. The school's students demonstrate particularly strong performance, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Math that are significantly higher than their peers. Notably, the school's English Language Learner students also perform exceptionally well, ranking 7th to 9th out of 320 Washington elementary schools. When compared to other highly-ranked schools in the area, such as Louisa May Alcott Elementary and Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary, Samantha Smith generally outperforms its peers, particularly in Math.

However, the school's very low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 1.1% to 2.92%, suggests it may not be serving a socioeconomically diverse student population. This raises questions about equity and access to the school's high-quality educational opportunities. Additionally, the school's high spending per student, ranging from $14,840 to $17,688 per student, may be a contributing factor to its strong academic outcomes, highlighting the potential importance of adequate funding and resources in supporting student success.

Detail:

Public K-5

23305 NE 14th St
Sammamish, WA 98074-4441

(425) 936-2710

District: Lake Washington School District

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,688

Students who attend Samantha Smith Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Inglewood Middle School
High:	Eastlake High School

Student/teacher ratio: 18.6

Number of students: 617

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

66.1%

White:

25.0%

Two or more races:

4.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 2.9%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Samantha Smith Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Samantha Smith Elementary ranks better than 98.4% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 3^rd among 31 ranked elementary schools in the Lake Washington School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 97.23. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Asian (66.1%), White (25%), two or more races (4.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 2.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Samantha Smith Elementary is 18.6. 27 elementary schools in the Lake Washington School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Samantha Smith Elementary employs 33 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Samantha Smith Elementary is $17,688. 27 elementary schools in the Lake Washington School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Samantha Smith Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Samantha Smith Elementary 19^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Samantha Smith Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

White students:

Lake Washington School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Lake Washington School District 4^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

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Rank History for Samantha Smith Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Samantha Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	92.72	38^th	1026	96.3%
2005	93.68	21^st	1031	98.0%
2006	93.26	27^th	1051	97.4%
2007	94.05	27^th	1069	97.5%
2008	95.05	14^th	1067	98.7%
2009	94.29	22^nd	1072	97.9%
2010	94.42	16^th	1088	98.5%
2011	96.36	4^th	1092	99.6%
2012	96.14	4^th	1097	99.6%
2013	95.08	8^th	1106	99.3%
2015	96.65	14^th	1067	98.7%
2016	96.33	15^th	1053	98.6%
2017	96.62	13^th	1056	98.8%
2018	97.29	9^th	1054	99.1%
2019	97.97	4^th	1130	99.6%
2021	99.14	5^th	1107	99.5%
2022	97.65	14^th	1169	98.8%
2023	98.16	9^th	1169	99.2%
2024	97.23	19^th	1168	98.4%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Samantha Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	96.41	9^th	254	96.5%
2024	97.77	7^th	320	97.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Samantha Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	95.67	19^th	1004	98.1%
2019	97.43	2^nd	1068	99.8%
2021	98.78	8^th	1008	99.2%
2022	96.73	20^th	1100	98.2%
2023	97.15	18^th	1094	98.4%
2024	96.85	15^th	1093	98.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Samantha Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	97.26	7^th	999	99.3%
2019	97.76	4^th	1075	99.6%
2021	99.15	3^rd	1025	99.7%
2022	97.63	9^th	1113	99.2%
2023	98.22	4^th	1099	99.6%
2024	97.42	11^th	1099	99.0%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Samantha Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2021	91.75	5^th	131	96.2%
2022	88.30	14^th	187	92.5%
2023	91.45	12^th	170	92.9%
2024	89.33	13^th	163	92.0%

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

Rank History for White students at Samantha Smith Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	88.23	51^st	833	93.9%
2019	88.44	64^th	1027	93.8%
2021	96.75	11^th	943	98.8%
2022	89.43	67^th	1031	93.5%
2023	91.96	49^th	1011	95.2%
2024	89.06	67^th	1009	93.4%

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: 5)

100%

by a student
Saturday, September 13, 2014

I graduated from this school a while ago, and I'd have to say it was one of the best schools I've ever been to, and I switched elementary schools quite often. The students might not be the friendliest (as least in my grade), but the level of academic excellence you will achieve is hands down amazing. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Samantha Smith Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	496	1	13	8	4	n/a	n/a	0	522
1990	612	3	13	14	2	n/a	n/a	0	644
1991	625	4	19	16	2	n/a	n/a	0	666
1992	647	5	13	17	3	n/a	n/a	0	685
1993	632	8	17	17	2	n/a	n/a	0	676
1994	703	16	26	17	3	n/a	n/a	0	765
1995	696	9	27	7	5	n/a	n/a	0	744
1996	696	9	27	7	5	n/a	n/a	0	744
1997	690	9	32	4	5	n/a	n/a	0	740
1998	675	10	34	3	2	n/a	n/a	0	724
1999	498	6	39	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	547
2000	475	6	37	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	522
2001	484	2	51	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	542
2002	516	9	87	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	619
2003	516	9	87	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	619
2004	554	11	98	8	2	n/a	n/a	0	673
2005	556	11	124	12	2	n/a	n/a	1	706
2006	593	13	157	11	2	n/a	n/a	2	778
2007	575	14	152	14	2	n/a	n/a	8	765
2008	585	11	151	11	1	n/a	n/a	23	782
2009	369	5	163	13	2	n/a	n/a	16	568
2010	352	3	161	11	1	n/a	n/a	22	550
2011	350	5	203	20	1	0	17	0	596
2012	337	3	217	24	1	0	31	0	613
2013	305	4	204	24	1	0	36	0	574
2014	288	3	245	28	0	0	37	0	601
2015	268	1	263	34	0	0	33	0	599
2016	245	2	299	32	1	0	38	0	617
2017	225	2	335	31	1	0	42	0	636
2018	218	2	397	35	3	0	42	0	697
2019	204	4	383	35	2	0	36	0	664
2020	201	3	403	36	2	0	31	0	676
2021	181	7	397	23	2	0	24	0	634
2022	156	6	383	26	2	0	28	1	602
2023	154	2	408	22	3	0	27	1	617

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 Samantha Smith Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	522	25.0	20.8	n/a
1990	644	29.4	21.9	0
1991	666	28.9	23.0	n/a
1992	685	29.5	23.2	n/a
1993	676	29.9	22.6	n/a
1994	765	30.5	25.1	n/a
1995	744	33.1	22.5	n/a
1996	744	33.1	22.5	n/a
1997	740	31.9	23.2	n/a
1998	724	34.2	21.2	n/a
1999	547	24.8	22.1	n/a
2000	522	24.2	21.6	n/a
2001	542	25.5	21.3	n/a
2002	619	30.4	20.4	1.5
2003	619	30.4	20.4	1.5
2004	673	32.0	21.0	3.3
2005	706	31.8	22.2	3
2006	778	37.6	20.7	2.1
2007	765	38.0	20.1	1.8
2008	782	38.2	20.5	1.1
2009	568	38.2	14.9	2.2
2010	550	26.9	20.4	2.8
2011	596	29.7	20.0	2.2
2012	613	27.3	22.4	3.3
2013	574	25.9	22.1	1.6
2014	601	n/a	n/a	2.3
2015	599	34.0	17.6	2.5
2016	617	30.0	20.5	2.6
2017	636	34.1	18.6	1.7
2018	697	35.9	19.3	1.3
2019	664	36.5	18.1	0.9
2020	676	35.0	19.2	1.2
2021	634	34.4	18.4	1.1
2022	602	32.4	18.5	1.8
2023	617	33.0	18.6	2.9

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 Samantha Smith Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	522	25.0	20.8	n/a
1990	644	29.4	21.9	0
1991	666	28.9	23.0	n/a
1992	685	29.5	23.2	n/a
1993	676	29.9	22.6	n/a
1994	765	30.5	25.1	n/a
1995	744	33.1	22.5	n/a
1996	744	33.1	22.5	n/a
1997	740	31.9	23.2	n/a
1998	724	34.2	21.2	n/a
1999	547	24.8	22.1	n/a
2000	522	24.2	21.6	n/a
2001	542	25.5	21.3	n/a
2002	619	30.4	20.4	1.5
2003	619	30.4	20.4	1.5
2004	673	32.0	21.0	3.3
2005	706	31.8	22.2	3
2006	778	37.6	20.7	2.1
2007	765	38.0	20.1	1.8
2008	782	38.2	20.5	1.1
2009	568	38.2	14.9	2.2
2010	550	26.9	20.4	2.8
2011	596	29.7	20.0	2.2
2012	613	27.3	22.4	3.3
2013	574	25.9	22.1	1.6
2014	601	n/a	n/a	2.3
2015	599	34.0	17.6	2.5
2016	617	30.0	20.5	2.6
2017	636	34.1	18.6	1.7
2018	697	35.9	19.3	1.3
2019	664	36.5	18.1	0.9
2020	676	35.0	19.2	1.2
2021	634	34.4	18.4	1.1
2022	602	32.4	18.5	1.8
2023	617	33.0	18.6	2.9

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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