Is Discovery Elementary School a good school?

Discovery Elementary School ranks 120 th of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Discovery Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 358 students attended Discovery Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Discovery Elementary School?

Students at Discovery Elementary School are 79% White, 9% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Discovery Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Discovery Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Peninsula High School

Discovery Elementary School

Summary:

Discovery Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Gig Harbor, Washington, serving 316 students in grades K-5 and part of the highly-ranked Peninsula School District.

Discovery Elementary consistently outperforms state and district averages in academic achievement, with 72.47% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 71.91% in Math, compared to 67.33% and 54.61% in the district, respectively. The school's 5th-grade students particularly excel, with 82.14% proficient or better in ELA and 75% in Math. Discovery Elementary also ranks among the top schools in Washington for various student subgroups, including female students, white students, and students with special education needs.

Despite its relatively diverse student population, with 78.16% white, 11.08% Hispanic, 1.9% Asian, and 7.91% two or more races, Discovery Elementary maintains high academic achievement across different racial and ethnic groups. The school's higher per-student spending of $19,263 and lower student-to-teacher ratio of 14.6 students per teacher may contribute to its strong performance, especially when compared to nearby schools like Tacoma Online Elementary School and Skyline Elementary School.

Detail:

Public K-5

4905 Rosedale St NW
Gig Harbor, WA 98335-1862

(253) 530-1200

District: Peninsula School District

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,263

Students who attend Discovery Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Peninsula High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.6

Number of students: 358

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.1%

Hispanic:

8.9%

Two or more races:

7.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 23.2%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Discovery Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Discovery Elementary School ranks better than 89.7% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 2^nd among 10 ranked elementary schools in the Peninsula School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 89.27. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (79.1%), Hispanic (8.9%), two or more races (7.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 23.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Discovery Elementary School is 16.6. 8 elementary schools in the Peninsula School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Discovery Elementary School employs 21.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Discovery Elementary School is $19,263, which is the 4^th highest among 10 elementary schools in the Peninsula School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Discovery Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Discovery Elementary School 120^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Discovery Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Peninsula School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Peninsula School District 24^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Discovery Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Discovery Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	74.13	209^th	1026	79.6%
2005	84.51	121^st	1031	88.3%
2006	76.47	194^th	1051	81.5%
2007	75.27	198^th	1069	81.5%
2008	70.51	284^th	1067	73.4%
2009	67.96	316^th	1072	70.5%
2010	68.71	295^th	1088	72.9%
2011	67.55	327^th	1092	70.1%
2012	62.70	413^th	1097	62.4%
2013	67.32	351^st	1106	68.3%
2015	74.32	244^th	1067	77.1%
2016	74.58	257^th	1053	75.6%
2017	79.74	199^th	1056	81.2%
2018	84.07	147^th	1054	86.1%
2019	88.67	108^th	1130	90.4%
2021	83.84	168^th	1107	84.8%
2022	87.40	141^st	1169	87.9%
2023	80.65	215^th	1169	81.6%
2024	89.27	120^th	1168	89.7%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Discovery Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	91.79	30^th	637	95.3%
2019	89.16	32^nd	566	94.3%
2024	55.95	124^th	339	63.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Discovery Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	72.46	146^th	835	82.5%
2019	84.32	58^th	979	94.1%
2022	62.54	300^th	1019	70.6%
2023	46.92	541^st	1013	46.6%
2024	72.31	210^th	1024	79.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Discovery Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	81.36	160^th	1004	84.1%
2019	86.14	116^th	1068	89.1%
2021	83.50	146^th	1008	85.5%
2022	87.21	125^th	1100	88.6%
2023	81.97	176^th	1094	83.9%
2024	88.24	105^th	1093	90.4%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at Discovery Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	86.72	1^st	50	98.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Discovery Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	84.01	140^th	999	86.0%
2019	89.70	82^nd	1075	92.4%
2021	81.31	180^th	1025	82.4%
2022	86.55	134^th	1113	88.0%
2023	65.82	338^th	1099	69.2%
2024	85.85	135^th	1099	87.7%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Discovery Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	91.86	29^th	697	95.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Discovery Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	77.38	176^th	833	78.9%
2019	82.89	139^th	1027	86.5%
2021	77.20	184^th	943	80.5%
2022	84.55	125^th	1031	87.9%
2023	80.61	167^th	1011	83.5%
2024	84.94	119^th	1009	88.2%

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

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Enrollment information for Discovery Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	449	0	4	2	7	n/a	n/a	0	462
1989	574	2	6	4	3	n/a	n/a	0	589
1990	433	6	11	7	7	n/a	n/a	0	464
1991	471	5	11	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	499
1992	459	8	5	14	4	n/a	n/a	0	490
1993	452	7	10	19	11	n/a	n/a	0	499
1994	455	9	13	13	10	n/a	n/a	0	500
1995	414	10	6	17	13	n/a	n/a	0	460
1996	414	10	6	17	13	n/a	n/a	0	460
1997	407	7	11	11	4	n/a	n/a	0	440
1998	397	11	13	15	3	n/a	n/a	0	439
1999	388	7	10	11	5	n/a	n/a	0	421
2000	405	5	9	9	6	n/a	n/a	0	434
2001	392	3	15	18	4	n/a	n/a	0	432
2002	374	5	28	22	20	n/a	n/a	0	449
2003	374	5	28	22	20	n/a	n/a	0	449
2004	395	12	23	17	12	n/a	n/a	0	459
2005	395	14	21	24	6	n/a	n/a	25	485
2006	368	12	21	25	7	n/a	n/a	19	452
2007	363	13	22	30	10	n/a	n/a	38	476
2008	350	9	22	24	5	n/a	n/a	57	467
2009	344	7	21	25	5	n/a	n/a	74	476
2010	363	5	14	14	6	n/a	n/a	64	466
2011	368	6	10	28	5	3	46	0	466
2012	355	5	9	32	6	4	35	0	446
2013	354	5	10	36	3	1	29	0	438
2014	351	5	4	41	6	0	38	0	445
2015	349	5	4	41	5	1	46	0	451
2016	380	6	11	44	5	2	31	0	479
2017	382	7	9	35	2	0	43	0	478
2018	409	4	14	38	1	0	51	0	517
2019	467	4	14	59	2	0	69	0	615
2020	531	4	20	58	1	0	79	0	693
2021	393	5	18	57	1	0	59	1	534
2022	225	4	7	27	0	0	27	0	290
2023	247	3	6	35	0	0	25	0	316
2024	283	3	9	32	1	2	28	0	358

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 Discovery Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	462	19.0	24.3	0
1989	589	22.0	26.7	n/a
1990	464	18.0	25.7	0
1991	499	19.7	25.3	n/a
1992	490	19.7	24.8	n/a
1993	499	20.1	24.8	n/a
1994	500	0.6	833.3	n/a
1995	460	19.5	23.6	n/a
1996	460	19.5	23.6	n/a
1997	440	21.3	20.7	n/a
1998	439	20.9	21.0	n/a
1999	421	21.4	19.7	n/a
2000	434	20.7	21.0	n/a
2001	432	21.7	19.9	n/a
2002	449	25.5	17.6	18
2003	449	25.5	17.6	18
2004	459	24.0	19.1	24.8
2005	485	23.9	20.3	18.5
2006	452	26.7	16.9	17.6
2007	476	25.5	18.7	19.6
2008	467	27.7	16.9	21
2009	476	27.7	17.2	22.1
2010	466	25.9	17.9	26.1
2011	466	23.2	20.0	18
2012	446	22.6	19.6	18.6
2013	438	23.3	18.7	19.4
2014	445	n/a	n/a	20.7
2015	451	29.0	15.5	23.9
2016	479	26.0	18.4	24.6
2017	478	26.3	18.1	22.8
2018	517	27.8	18.5	19.3
2019	615	32.8	18.7	16.4
2020	693	37.9	18.2	14
2021	534	31.2	17.0	12.7
2022	290	21.7	13.3	19.7
2023	316	21.5	14.6	21.8
2024	358	21.5	16.6	23.2

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 Discovery Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	462	19.0	24.3	0
1989	589	22.0	26.7	n/a
1990	464	18.0	25.7	0
1991	499	19.7	25.3	n/a
1992	490	19.7	24.8	n/a
1993	499	20.1	24.8	n/a
1994	500	0.6	833.3	n/a
1995	460	19.5	23.6	n/a
1996	460	19.5	23.6	n/a
1997	440	21.3	20.7	n/a
1998	439	20.9	21.0	n/a
1999	421	21.4	19.7	n/a
2000	434	20.7	21.0	n/a
2001	432	21.7	19.9	n/a
2002	449	25.5	17.6	18
2003	449	25.5	17.6	18
2004	459	24.0	19.1	24.8
2005	485	23.9	20.3	18.5
2006	452	26.7	16.9	17.6
2007	476	25.5	18.7	19.6
2008	467	27.7	16.9	21
2009	476	27.7	17.2	22.1
2010	466	25.9	17.9	26.1
2011	466	23.2	20.0	18
2012	446	22.6	19.6	18.6
2013	438	23.3	18.7	19.4
2014	445	n/a	n/a	20.7
2015	451	29.0	15.5	23.9
2016	479	26.0	18.4	24.6
2017	478	26.3	18.1	22.8
2018	517	27.8	18.5	19.3
2019	615	32.8	18.7	16.4
2020	693	37.9	18.2	14
2021	534	31.2	17.0	12.7
2022	290	21.7	13.3	19.7
2023	316	21.5	14.6	21.8
2024	358	21.5	16.6	23.2

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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