Is John Hay Elementary School a good school?

John Hay Elementary School ranks 258 th of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend John Hay Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 271 students attended John Hay Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of John Hay Elementary School?

Students at John Hay Elementary School are 48% White, 18% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 14% Asian, 4% African American.

What schools do graduates of John Hay Elementary School attend?

Students who attend John Hay Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : McClure Middle School High : Lincoln High School

John Hay Elementary School

Summary:

John Hay Elementary School is a public elementary school in Seattle, Washington, serving students from kindergarten to 5th grade as part of the Seattle School District No. 1. With a diverse student population, the school consistently performs above state and district averages in academic assessments, making it a standout institution in the region.

John Hay Elementary School's academic excellence is evident across multiple metrics. In the 2023-2024 school year, 67.26% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 67.59% for the district and 52.63% for the state. The school's performance in Science was even more impressive, with 82.35% of students proficient or better, far exceeding the district's 61.65% and the state's 49.73%. While Math scores were slightly lower than the district average, they still outpaced the state. John Hay's consistent ranking among the top elementary schools in Washington, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, further underscores its academic prowess.

When compared to nearby schools, John Hay Elementary stands out as a high-performing institution. For example, B.F. Day Elementary School, located just 1.51 miles away, also performs well above the district and state averages, but John Hay maintains a slight edge in overall ranking and test scores. On the other hand, Lowell Elementary School, located 1.67 miles away, struggles to match the academic performance of John Hay, with significantly lower test scores and a lower statewide ranking.

Detail:

Public K-5

201 Garfield St
Seattle, WA 98109-3177

(206) 252-2100

District: Seattle School District No. 1

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $24,426

Students who attend John Hay Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	McClure Middle School
High:	Lincoln High School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.4

Number of students: 271

Racial breakdown:

White:

47.6%

Hispanic:

18.5%

Two or more races:

15.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 24.4%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare John Hay Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details John Hay Elementary School ranks better than 77.9% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 37^th among 71 ranked elementary schools in the Seattle School District No. 1. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 76.37. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at John Hay Elementary School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (47.6%), Hispanic (18.5%), two or more races (15.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 24.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at John Hay Elementary School is 12.4, which is the 13^th best among 71 elementary schools in the Seattle School District No. 1. (See more...)

Compare John Hay Elementary School employs 21.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at John Hay Elementary School is $24,426, which is the 24^th highest among 71 elementary schools in the Seattle School District No. 1.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

John Hay Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks John Hay Elementary School 258^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See John Hay Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Seattle School District No. 1:

SchoolDigger ranks Seattle School District No. 1 48^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for John Hay Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at John Hay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	92.40	43^rd	1026	95.8%
2005	90.53	55^th	1031	94.7%
2006	95.45	9^th	1051	99.1%
2007	95.32	17^th	1069	98.4%
2008	95.21	13^th	1067	98.8%
2009	95.24	12^th	1072	98.9%
2010	93.45	23^rd	1088	97.9%
2011	94.35	15^th	1092	98.6%
2012	93.80	13^th	1097	98.8%
2013	91.95	30^th	1106	97.3%
2015	95.95	24^th	1067	97.8%
2016	89.57	88^th	1053	91.6%
2017	90.85	77^th	1056	92.7%
2018	91.98	63^rd	1054	94.0%
2019	87.52	114^th	1130	89.9%
2021	88.24	126^th	1107	88.6%
2022	86.41	149^th	1169	87.3%
2023	75.07	275^th	1169	76.5%
2024	76.37	258^th	1168	77.9%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at John Hay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	77.25	39^th	212	81.6%
2022	91.64	9^th	252	96.4%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at John Hay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	96.23	13^th	637	98.0%
2019	89.62	28^th	566	95.1%
2022	73.20	77^th	478	83.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at John Hay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	68.28	191^st	835	77.1%
2019	76.41	127^th	979	87.0%
2023	52.51	461^st	1013	54.5%
2024	82.79	88^th	1024	91.4%

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

Rank History for Female students at John Hay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	88.89	87^th	1004	91.3%
2019	91.51	57^th	1068	94.7%
2021	93.90	61^st	1008	93.9%
2022	89.60	97^th	1100	91.2%
2023	74.42	251^st	1094	77.1%
2024	71.02	286^th	1093	73.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at John Hay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	93.52	32^nd	999	96.8%
2019	77.86	216^th	1075	79.9%
2021	76.72	224^th	1025	78.1%
2022	79.93	212^th	1113	81.0%
2023	73.43	267^th	1099	75.7%
2024	78.28	220^th	1099	80.0%

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

Rank History for Asian students at John Hay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	85.79	15^th	169	91.1%
2019	64.31	74^th	201	63.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at John Hay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	95.32	16^th	540	97.0%

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

Rank History for White students at John Hay Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	88.47	47^th	833	94.4%
2019	84.61	116^th	1027	88.7%
2021	83.62	128^th	943	86.4%
2022	85.07	119^th	1031	88.5%
2023	78.09	212^th	1011	79.0%
2024	76.01	223^rd	1009	77.9%

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: 2)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, June 1, 2018

We attended kindergarten at John Hay but switched to a different school following our experience there. Our core issues were:

Frequent screen time: at John Hay, our kids had a minimum of 30 minutes of screen time per week, often much more. At our new school, screen time was rare.

Tailored education: our daughter often complained of being bored, and she was. There was very little tailoring of education for students, they all did the same thing / learned things at the same time. We had to supplement her learning with additional worksheets at home, to keep her busy in class, as the teachers offered no solution.

Communication from the principal: this was horrendous. Very little transparency. Difficulty getting a response to concerns.

Mom cliques: The cliquiness was so WEIRD. It's as though we were all in high school again. Many moms I know whose kids attend (or attended) Hay felt uncomfortable with this aspect of the school (these are college educated moms - some stay-at-home, some with careers, all frustrated by the cattiness). Close Quote

Enrollment information for John Hay Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	246	91	58	24	8	n/a	n/a	0	427
1989	270	102	61	29	7	n/a	n/a	0	469
1990	257	90	34	18	5	n/a	n/a	0	404
1991	274	92	56	24	5	n/a	n/a	0	451
1992	298	117	76	27	13	n/a	n/a	0	531
1993	254	82	66	28	13	n/a	n/a	0	443
1994	273	80	70	36	11	n/a	n/a	0	470
1995	307	69	59	37	10	n/a	n/a	0	482
1996	307	69	59	37	10	n/a	n/a	0	482
1997	297	64	67	47	11	n/a	n/a	0	486
1998	289	61	70	40	12	n/a	n/a	0	472
1999	296	70	73	34	16	n/a	n/a	0	489
2000	297	60	60	36	13	n/a	n/a	0	466
2001	311	50	53	36	10	n/a	n/a	0	460
2002	326	39	48	37	9	n/a	n/a	0	459
2003	326	39	48	37	9	n/a	n/a	0	459
2004	301	36	49	30	8	n/a	n/a	0	424
2005	309	35	48	31	8	n/a	n/a	0	431
2006	330	31	54	30	11	n/a	n/a	0	456
2007	336	23	52	29	10	n/a	n/a	0	450
2008	336	24	54	27	8	n/a	n/a	0	449
2009	350	22	60	23	6	n/a	n/a	0	461
2010	354	19	62	29	4	n/a	n/a	0	468
2011	352	21	72	36	4	0	3	0	488
2012	360	16	57	46	1	1	48	0	529
2013	348	29	65	46	1	1	56	0	546
2014	327	31	78	42	1	2	55	0	536
2015	315	19	73	49	0	0	64	0	520
2016	298	21	66	40	0	1	74	0	500
2017	278	19	79	43	0	0	80	0	499
2018	283	16	76	42	2	0	72	0	491
2019	288	16	68	35	1	1	71	0	480
2020	263	13	81	59	1	0	79	1	497
2021	190	19	63	48	1	0	62	0	383
2022	150	14	46	49	0	0	46	0	305
2023	129	10	39	50	0	1	41	1	271

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 John Hay Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	427	21.0	20.3	0
1989	469	21.0	22.3	n/a
1990	404	18.0	22.4	0
1991	451	22.0	20.5	n/a
1992	531	21.5	24.6	n/a
1993	443	22.5	19.7	n/a
1994	470	21.6	21.8	n/a
1995	482	23.4	20.6	n/a
1996	482	23.4	20.6	n/a
1997	486	22.5	21.6	n/a
1998	472	23.5	20.1	n/a
1999	489	23.0	21.3	n/a
2000	466	24.5	19.0	n/a
2001	460	24.5	18.8	n/a
2002	459	26.6	17.3	14.2
2003	459	26.6	17.3	14.2
2004	424	25.0	17.0	15.3
2005	431	25.1	17.2	16
2006	456	25.0	18.2	13.4
2007	450	25.0	18.0	8.7
2008	449	26.0	17.3	9.8
2009	461	26.0	17.7	9.5
2010	468	26.3	17.7	8.3
2011	488	25.8	18.9	9.8
2012	529	27.8	19.0	12.5
2013	546	30.4	17.9	15.2
2014	536	n/a	n/a	16.4
2015	520	35.0	14.8	12.1
2016	500	29.0	17.2	9.8
2017	499	30.5	16.3	12.4
2018	491	28.0	17.5	11.8
2019	480	31.8	15.0	12.1
2020	497	30.4	16.3	10.1
2021	383	31.2	12.2	12.3
2022	305	23.1	13.2	12.5
2023	271	21.7	12.4	24.4

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 John Hay Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	427	21.0	20.3	0
1989	469	21.0	22.3	n/a
1990	404	18.0	22.4	0
1991	451	22.0	20.5	n/a
1992	531	21.5	24.6	n/a
1993	443	22.5	19.7	n/a
1994	470	21.6	21.8	n/a
1995	482	23.4	20.6	n/a
1996	482	23.4	20.6	n/a
1997	486	22.5	21.6	n/a
1998	472	23.5	20.1	n/a
1999	489	23.0	21.3	n/a
2000	466	24.5	19.0	n/a
2001	460	24.5	18.8	n/a
2002	459	26.6	17.3	14.2
2003	459	26.6	17.3	14.2
2004	424	25.0	17.0	15.3
2005	431	25.1	17.2	16
2006	456	25.0	18.2	13.4
2007	450	25.0	18.0	8.7
2008	449	26.0	17.3	9.8
2009	461	26.0	17.7	9.5
2010	468	26.3	17.7	8.3
2011	488	25.8	18.9	9.8
2012	529	27.8	19.0	12.5
2013	546	30.4	17.9	15.2
2014	536	n/a	n/a	16.4
2015	520	35.0	14.8	12.1
2016	500	29.0	17.2	9.8
2017	499	30.5	16.3	12.4
2018	491	28.0	17.5	11.8
2019	480	31.8	15.0	12.1
2020	497	30.4	16.3	10.1
2021	383	31.2	12.2	12.3
2022	305	23.1	13.2	12.5
2023	271	21.7	12.4	24.4

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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