Is Central Avenue Elementary a good school?

Central Avenue Elementary ranks 858 th of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Central Avenue Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 345 students attended Central Avenue Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Central Avenue Elementary?

Students at Central Avenue Elementary are 37% White, 31% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 11% Asian, 8% African American.

What schools do graduates of Central Avenue Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Avenue Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Morris Ford Middle School High : Franklin Pierce High School

Central Avenue Elementary

Summary:

Central Avenue Elementary is a public elementary school in Tacoma, Washington, serving students from kindergarten to 5th grade as part of the Franklin Pierce School District. The school has a diverse student population, with a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Central Avenue Elementary's academic performance, as measured by state assessments, is generally lower than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 42.86% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 52.63% statewide and 37.75% in the Franklin Pierce School District. The school's math proficiency rate was even lower, at 25.44%, compared to 41.68% statewide and 24.21% in the district. However, the school's performance on science assessments was slightly better, with 50.98% of students proficient or better, compared to 49.73% statewide and 37.53% in the district.

When comparing Central Avenue Elementary to other schools in the Franklin Pierce School District and nearby Bethel School District, some interesting patterns emerge. Schools in the Bethel School District, such as Clover Creek Elementary and Katherine G. Johnson Elementary, significantly outperform Central Avenue Elementary and the Franklin Pierce district overall. This suggests that the challenges faced by Central Avenue Elementary may be more systemic within the Franklin Pierce district, rather than solely a reflection of the school's own performance.

Detail:

Public K-5

4608 128th ST E
Tacoma, WA 98446

(253) 298-3205

District: Franklin Pierce School District

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,834

Students who attend Central Avenue Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Morris Ford Middle School
High:	Franklin Pierce High School

Student/teacher ratio: 12.7

Number of students: 345

Racial breakdown:

White:

36.5%

Hispanic:

31.0%

Two or more races:

11.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 60.6%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Central Avenue Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Central Avenue Elementary ranks worse than 73.5% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 4^th among 8 ranked elementary schools in the Franklin Pierce School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 27.76. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (36.5%), Hispanic (31%), two or more races (11.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 60.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Central Avenue Elementary is 12.7, which is the 2^nd best among 8 elementary schools in the Franklin Pierce School District. (See more...)

Compare Central Avenue Elementary employs 27 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Central Avenue Elementary is $20,834, which is the 2^nd highest among 8 elementary schools in the Franklin Pierce School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Central Avenue Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Central Avenue Elementary 858^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Central Avenue 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:

Franklin Pierce School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Franklin Pierce School District 205^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Central Avenue Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Central Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	27.69	793^rd	1026	22.7%
2005	37.54	697^th	1031	32.4%
2006	30.10	796^th	1051	24.3%
2007	33.86	763^rd	1069	28.6%
2008	52.46	540^th	1067	49.4%
2009	57.55	456^th	1072	57.5%
2010	54.72	485^th	1088	55.4%
2011	58.94	447^th	1092	59.1%
2012	57.19	478^th	1097	56.4%
2013	58.89	464^th	1106	58.0%
2015	42.37	634^th	1067	40.6%
2016	45.60	592^nd	1053	43.8%
2017	34.61	716^th	1056	32.2%
2018	36.31	679^th	1054	35.6%
2019	42.18	673^rd	1130	40.4%
2021	37.47	659^th	1107	40.5%
2022	26.43	873^rd	1169	25.3%
2023	31.62	804^th	1169	31.2%
2024	27.76	858^th	1168	26.5%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Central Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	33.55	221^st	303	27.1%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Central Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	50.79	424^th	835	49.2%
2019	59.42	372^nd	979	62.0%
2021	48.11	406^th	854	52.5%
2022	28.75	803^rd	1019	21.2%
2023	41.14	611^th	1013	39.7%
2024	41.51	627^th	1024	38.8%

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

Rank History for Female students at Central Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	42.17	605^th	1004	39.7%
2019	46.23	610^th	1068	42.9%
2021	32.10	666^th	1008	33.9%
2022	25.21	853^rd	1100	22.5%
2023	37.11	679^th	1094	37.9%
2024	33.83	728^th	1093	33.4%

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

Rank History for Male students at Central Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	33.99	676^th	999	32.3%
2019	41.05	657^th	1075	38.9%
2021	39.06	587^th	1025	42.7%
2022	27.53	826^th	1113	25.8%
2023	25.89	841^st	1099	23.5%
2024	22.82	878^th	1099	20.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Central Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	40.63	319^th	540	40.9%
2019	57.59	264^th	697	62.1%
2021	51.58	180^th	501	64.1%
2022	29.77	511^th	694	26.4%
2023	27.16	492^nd	633	22.3%
2024	65.27	198^th	651	69.6%

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

Rank History for White students at Central Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	27.21	652^nd	833	21.7%
2019	33.60	750^th	1027	27.0%
2021	20.65	790^th	943	16.2%
2022	13.89	949^th	1031	8.0%
2023	30.03	755^th	1011	25.3%
2024	19.25	882^nd	1009	12.6%

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: 1)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Friday, September 20, 2019

Teachers are crap! If you want an education for your child, don’t go. Get out of the district! If you want a child bullied (say you will contact your lawyer if you want anything done) teacher won’t correspond with you, teachers are mean! They really need more training on how to handle kids here. The principal when my child started was great, the new does not compare. The school has went down hill. I’m so happy to be out of that district! Close Quote

Enrollment information for Central Avenue Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	336	17	10	4	7	n/a	n/a	0	374
1989	359	20	9	5	4	n/a	n/a	0	397
1990	362	19	12	5	7	n/a	n/a	0	405
1991	354	23	15	8	14	n/a	n/a	0	414
1992	370	35	21	3	6	n/a	n/a	0	435
1993	332	49	14	11	7	n/a	n/a	0	413
1994	301	42	15	18	9	n/a	n/a	0	385
1995	279	47	14	33	13	n/a	n/a	0	386
1996	279	47	14	33	13	n/a	n/a	0	386
1997	288	37	11	46	9	n/a	n/a	0	391
1998	290	40	17	46	18	n/a	n/a	0	411
1999	319	38	33	47	15	n/a	n/a	0	452
2000	305	41	34	42	10	n/a	n/a	0	432
2001	306	35	29	58	10	n/a	n/a	0	438
2002	327	37	36	81	10	n/a	n/a	0	491
2003	327	37	36	81	10	n/a	n/a	0	491
2004	252	20	29	34	7	n/a	n/a	0	342
2005	245	27	30	41	11	n/a	n/a	19	373
2006	215	32	28	29	8	n/a	n/a	12	324
2007	215	32	37	41	9	n/a	n/a	22	356
2008	211	22	22	49	10	n/a	n/a	26	340
2009	225	19	18	55	7	n/a	n/a	31	355
2010	227	20	34	47	4	n/a	n/a	41	373
2011	233	24	27	63	3	6	30	0	386
2012	221	22	20	68	1	9	46	0	387
2013	218	21	27	88	3	12	53	0	422
2014	220	26	36	68	1	13	60	0	424
2015	221	21	31	82	2	9	69	0	435
2016	221	20	38	96	2	6	77	0	460
2017	245	20	46	95	6	8	76	0	496
2018	235	17	46	96	3	5	67	0	469
2019	197	21	51	94	2	1	67	0	433
2020	199	21	48	97	2	6	66	0	439
2021	135	19	39	104	0	9	62	0	368
2022	148	21	36	107	2	7	56	0	377
2023	138	27	34	111	4	5	59	1	379
2024	126	27	39	107	3	2	41	0	345

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 Central Avenue Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	374	15.0	24.9	0
1989	397	16.0	24.8	n/a
1990	405	16.6	24.3	0
1991	414	17.8	23.2	n/a
1992	435	17.8	24.4	n/a
1993	413	17.8	23.2	n/a
1994	385	17.5	22.0	n/a
1995	386	17.5	22.1	n/a
1996	386	17.5	22.1	n/a
1997	391	17.5	22.3	n/a
1998	411	18.5	22.2	n/a
1999	452	19.4	23.3	n/a
2000	432	20.4	21.2	n/a
2001	438	21.5	20.4	n/a
2002	491	22.0	22.3	48.9
2003	491	22.0	22.3	48.9
2004	342	17.0	20.1	45.3
2005	373	17.3	21.6	50.3
2006	324	19.0	17.1	44.9
2007	356	19.0	18.7	52.4
2008	340	19.5	17.4	52.5
2009	355	19.5	18.2	58.3
2010	373	20.0	18.6	68.7
2011	386	20.9	18.4	53.9
2012	387	20.5	18.8	60.5
2013	422	21.4	19.7	59.7
2014	424	n/a	n/a	61.3
2015	435	29.0	15.0	59.3
2016	460	26.0	17.6	68.5
2017	496	26.5	18.7	66.1
2018	469	27.5	17.0	61.8
2019	433	28.1	15.4	63.7
2020	439	28.6	15.3	69.5
2021	368	26.8	13.7	59.2
2022	377	26.0	14.5	49.1
2023	379	25.0	15.1	57.8
2024	345	27.0	12.7	60.6

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 Central Avenue Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	374	15.0	24.9	0
1989	397	16.0	24.8	n/a
1990	405	16.6	24.3	0
1991	414	17.8	23.2	n/a
1992	435	17.8	24.4	n/a
1993	413	17.8	23.2	n/a
1994	385	17.5	22.0	n/a
1995	386	17.5	22.1	n/a
1996	386	17.5	22.1	n/a
1997	391	17.5	22.3	n/a
1998	411	18.5	22.2	n/a
1999	452	19.4	23.3	n/a
2000	432	20.4	21.2	n/a
2001	438	21.5	20.4	n/a
2002	491	22.0	22.3	48.9
2003	491	22.0	22.3	48.9
2004	342	17.0	20.1	45.3
2005	373	17.3	21.6	50.3
2006	324	19.0	17.1	44.9
2007	356	19.0	18.7	52.4
2008	340	19.5	17.4	52.5
2009	355	19.5	18.2	58.3
2010	373	20.0	18.6	68.7
2011	386	20.9	18.4	53.9
2012	387	20.5	18.8	60.5
2013	422	21.4	19.7	59.7
2014	424	n/a	n/a	61.3
2015	435	29.0	15.0	59.3
2016	460	26.0	17.6	68.5
2017	496	26.5	18.7	66.1
2018	469	27.5	17.0	61.8
2019	433	28.1	15.4	63.7
2020	439	28.6	15.3	69.5
2021	368	26.8	13.7	59.2
2022	377	26.0	14.5	49.1
2023	379	25.0	15.1	57.8
2024	345	27.0	12.7	60.6

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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