Is Downing Elementary School a good school?

Downing Elementary School ranks 192 nd of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Downing Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 255 students attended Downing Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Downing Elementary School?

Students at Downing Elementary School are 59% White, 20% Two or more races, 11% Hispanic, 7% African American, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Downing Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Downing Elementary School usually go on to attend: High : Dr. Dolores Silas High School

Downing Elementary School

Summary:

Downing Elementary School is a public elementary school in Tacoma, Washington, serving 255 students in grades PK-5. This high-performing school consistently outpaces the Tacoma School District and the state of Washington in academic assessments, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Downing Elementary School's academic excellence is evident across all subjects. In the 2023-2024 school year, 67.92% of Downing students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 45.84% for the Tacoma School District and 52.63% for Washington state. In math, Downing had 65.42% proficiency, while the district and state had 31.55% and 41.68%, respectively. The school also excelled in science, with 80.77% of 5th graders proficient on the WCAS assessment, far surpassing the district's 50.58% and the state's 56.86%. Downing's strong performance extends to various student subgroups, ranking among the top 20% of Washington elementary schools for low-income students and the top 20% for both female and male students.

Downing Elementary School's success is particularly noteworthy given its diverse student population and high percentage of students from low-income families. Despite these challenges, the school has demonstrated consistent improvement, moving from the 392nd to the 192nd position in the state's rankings over the past seven years. This progress, along with the school's high per-student spending of $21,551, suggests that Downing Elementary School is a standout institution within the Tacoma School District, providing a well-rounded and supportive educational experience for its students.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

5130 N. 26th Street
Tacoma, WA 98406

(253) 571-7100

District: Tacoma School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
192^nd of 1,168 Washington Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $21,551

Students who attend Downing Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Dr. Dolores Silas High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.6

Number of students: 255

Racial breakdown:

White:

58.8%

Two or more races:

20.4%

Hispanic:

11.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 48.2%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Downing Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Downing Elementary School ranks better than 83.6% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 6^th among 35 ranked elementary schools in the Tacoma School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 82.99. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (58.8%), two or more races (20.4%), Hispanic (11%). (See more...)

Compare Details 48.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Downing Elementary School is 16.6. 24 elementary schools in the Tacoma School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Downing Elementary School employs 15.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Downing Elementary School is $21,551, which is the 10^th highest among 35 elementary schools in the Tacoma School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Downing Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Downing Elementary School 192^nd of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Downing 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:

Tacoma School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Tacoma School District 152^nd of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Downing Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Downing Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	50.87	519^th	1026	49.4%
2005	50.22	525^th	1031	49.1%
2006	53.49	499^th	1051	52.5%
2007	63.79	379^th	1069	64.5%
2008	56.16	481^st	1067	54.9%
2009	40.01	700^th	1072	34.7%
2010	40.38	692^nd	1088	36.4%
2011	56.99	471^st	1092	56.9%
2012	58.91	455^th	1097	58.5%
2013	56.00	511^th	1106	53.8%
2015	82.19	161^st	1067	84.9%
2016	58.41	431^st	1053	59.1%
2017	67.55	340^th	1056	67.8%
2018	62.60	392^nd	1054	62.8%
2019	67.94	360^th	1130	68.1%
2021	65.29	352^nd	1107	68.2%
2022	80.05	221^st	1169	81.1%
2023	83.06	188^th	1169	83.9%
2024	82.99	192^nd	1168	83.6%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	74.54	129^th	835	84.6%
2019	65.29	283^rd	979	71.1%
2022	87.43	47^th	1019	95.4%
2023	78.76	138^th	1013	86.4%
2024	92.32	20^th	1024	98.0%

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

Rank History for Female students at Downing Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	63.16	375^th	1004	62.6%
2019	64.13	384^th	1068	64.0%
2021	66.59	301^st	1008	70.1%
2022	71.81	288^th	1100	73.8%
2023	81.99	175^th	1094	84.0%
2024	75.27	243^rd	1093	77.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Downing Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	55.10	449^th	999	55.1%
2019	68.95	322^nd	1075	70.0%
2021	64.93	327^th	1025	68.1%
2022	87.25	124^th	1113	88.9%
2023	75.77	239^th	1099	78.3%
2024	81.24	194^th	1099	82.3%

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

Rank History for White students at Downing Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	60.62	331^st	833	60.3%
2019	59.88	416^th	1027	59.5%
2021	63.65	322^nd	943	65.9%
2022	77.04	219^th	1031	78.8%
2023	79.72	182^nd	1011	82.0%
2024	78.85	195^th	1009	80.7%

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)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Sunday, March 28, 2021

The principal is rude and speaks poorly about you’re a child when they’re having a bad day. Also there is absolutely zero recycling, everything goes straight to the trash. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Downing Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	355	46	15	5	3	n/a	n/a	424
1989	371	45	14	6	2	n/a	n/a	438
1990	398	34	21	6	3	n/a	n/a	462
1991	373	38	16	7	2	n/a	n/a	436
1992	390	42	22	16	4	n/a	n/a	474
1993	390	44	14	17	9	n/a	n/a	474
1994	364	36	15	12	3	n/a	n/a	430
1995	361	38	7	13	8	n/a	n/a	427
1996	361	38	7	13	8	n/a	n/a	427
1997	354	37	15	13	3	n/a	n/a	422
1998	403	42	13	14	3	n/a	n/a	475
1999	374	38	19	14	5	n/a	n/a	450
2000	370	35	19	16	5	n/a	n/a	445
2001	344	31	27	17	6	n/a	n/a	425
2002	335	43	23	9	7	n/a	n/a	417
2003	335	43	23	9	7	n/a	n/a	417
2004	286	46	19	13	6	n/a	n/a	370
2005	257	51	25	9	7	n/a	n/a	349
2006	234	54	28	10	9	n/a	n/a	335
2007	180	54	29	11	7	n/a	n/a	281
2008	193	65	28	15	8	n/a	n/a	309
2009	196	59	25	20	7	n/a	n/a	307
2010	194	53	28	20	6	n/a	n/a	301
2011	182	53	24	21	2	3	9	294
2012	186	49	20	25	0	4	27	311
2013	176	44	18	17	0	3	7	265
2014	175	45	14	22	0	3	14	273
2015	164	42	15	29	3	1	22	276
2016	158	42	17	34	2	1	30	284
2017	167	42	15	44	6	2	35	311
2018	148	31	11	49	2	0	44	285
2019	171	29	9	58	3	1	69	340
2020	172	29	9	56	1	1	66	334
2021	149	19	6	48	2	0	49	273
2022	150	20	5	30	1	0	40	246
2023	150	19	5	28	1	0	52	255

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 Downing Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	424	26.0	16.3	0
1989	438	24.0	18.2	n/a
1990	462	25.8	17.9	0
1991	436	25.0	17.4	n/a
1992	474	27.0	17.5	n/a
1993	474	28.0	16.9	n/a
1994	430	27.5	15.6	n/a
1995	427	24.9	17.1	n/a
1996	427	24.9	17.1	n/a
1997	422	23.5	18.0	n/a
1998	475	23.7	20.0	n/a
1999	450	22.6	19.9	n/a
2000	445	25.5	17.5	n/a
2001	425	21.7	19.6	n/a
2002	417	20.7	20.1	35.3
2003	417	20.7	20.1	35.3
2004	370	20.0	18.5	36.5
2005	349	19.6	17.8	28.4
2006	335	17.1	19.6	36.4
2007	281	14.2	19.8	41.6
2008	309	17.9	17.3	41.1
2009	307	17.9	17.2	45.9
2010	301	18.0	16.6	47.2
2011	294	18.1	16.2	41.8
2012	311	17.1	18.1	38.9
2013	265	17.1	15.4	47.9
2014	273	n/a	n/a	53.5
2015	276	20.0	13.8	52.5
2016	284	18.0	15.7	53.2
2017	311	17.6	17.6	53.1
2018	285	17.6	16.1	52.3
2019	340	16.2	20.9	37.6
2020	334	18.2	18.3	48.5
2021	273	16.7	16.3	44.7
2022	246	15.3	16.0	28.9
2023	255	15.2	16.6	48.2

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 Downing Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	424	26.0	16.3	0
1989	438	24.0	18.2	n/a
1990	462	25.8	17.9	0
1991	436	25.0	17.4	n/a
1992	474	27.0	17.5	n/a
1993	474	28.0	16.9	n/a
1994	430	27.5	15.6	n/a
1995	427	24.9	17.1	n/a
1996	427	24.9	17.1	n/a
1997	422	23.5	18.0	n/a
1998	475	23.7	20.0	n/a
1999	450	22.6	19.9	n/a
2000	445	25.5	17.5	n/a
2001	425	21.7	19.6	n/a
2002	417	20.7	20.1	35.3
2003	417	20.7	20.1	35.3
2004	370	20.0	18.5	36.5
2005	349	19.6	17.8	28.4
2006	335	17.1	19.6	36.4
2007	281	14.2	19.8	41.6
2008	309	17.9	17.3	41.1
2009	307	17.9	17.2	45.9
2010	301	18.0	16.6	47.2
2011	294	18.1	16.2	41.8
2012	311	17.1	18.1	38.9
2013	265	17.1	15.4	47.9
2014	273	n/a	n/a	53.5
2015	276	20.0	13.8	52.5
2016	284	18.0	15.7	53.2
2017	311	17.6	17.6	53.1
2018	285	17.6	16.1	52.3
2019	340	16.2	20.9	37.6
2020	334	18.2	18.3	48.5
2021	273	16.7	16.3	44.7
2022	246	15.3	16.0	28.9
2023	255	15.2	16.6	48.2

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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