Is South Bay Elementary a good school?

South Bay Elementary ranks 475 th of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend South Bay Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 587 students attended South Bay Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of South Bay Elementary?

Students at South Bay Elementary are 57% White, 18% Hispanic, 14% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 3% African American, 2% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of South Bay Elementary attend?

Students who attend South Bay Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Chinook Middle School High : North Thurston High School

South Bay Elementary

Summary:

South Bay Elementary is a public elementary school in Lacey, Washington, serving 588 students in grades PK-5 and part of the North Thurston Public Schools district.

South Bay Elementary stands out for its diverse student population, with a higher percentage of Hispanic (20.24%) and Pacific Islander (2.38%) students compared to nearby schools. Academically, the school outperforms the district and state averages in several areas, including 5th grade ELA proficiency, overall math proficiency, and science proficiency. However, the school's special education students and military-connected students have struggled, ranking in the bottom 309 and 41 out of Washington elementary schools, respectively. Additionally, South Bay Elementary's statewide ranking has declined in recent years, despite maintaining a 3-star rating, suggesting its performance may be declining relative to other schools.

While South Bay Elementary outperforms the North Thurston Public Schools district, it lags behind some higher-performing schools in the nearby Olympia School District, such as Boston Harbor Elementary and Madison Elementary. This indicates that there may be opportunities for South Bay Elementary to learn from the practices and strategies of these higher-performing schools. Additionally, the school has seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 29.81% in 2020-2021 to 39.97% in 2022-2023, suggesting that the school is serving a growing population of students from low-income families, which can present additional challenges.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

3845 Sleater Kinney Rd NE
Lacey, WA 98506-2699

(360) 412-4640

District: North Thurston Public Schools

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,984

Students who attend South Bay Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Chinook Middle School
High:	North Thurston High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.8

Number of students: 587

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.2%

Hispanic:

17.9%

Two or more races:

13.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 39.4%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare South Bay Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details South Bay Elementary ranks better than 59.3% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 6^th among 14 ranked elementary schools in the North Thurston Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 57.69. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at South Bay Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (57.2%), Hispanic (17.9%), two or more races (13.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 39.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at South Bay Elementary is 16.8. 10 elementary schools in the North Thurston Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare South Bay Elementary employs 34.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at South Bay Elementary is $15,984. 12 elementary schools in the North Thurston Public Schools District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

South Bay Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks South Bay Elementary 475^th of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See South Bay Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

North Thurston Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks North Thurston Public Schools 118^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for South Bay Elementary

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Rank History for all students at South Bay Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	58.67	410^th	1026	60.0%
2005	60.75	401^st	1031	61.1%
2006	74.71	214^th	1051	79.6%
2007	74.67	208^th	1069	80.5%
2008	75.23	208^th	1067	80.5%
2009	69.76	286^th	1072	73.3%
2010	77.52	188^th	1088	82.7%
2011	67.54	328^th	1092	70.0%
2012	63.84	402^nd	1097	63.4%
2013	67.12	355^th	1106	67.9%
2015	74.49	241^st	1067	77.4%
2016	74.22	263^rd	1053	75.0%
2017	77.22	231^st	1056	78.1%
2018	72.94	277^th	1054	73.7%
2019	72.82	296^th	1130	73.8%
2021	61.59	395^th	1107	64.3%
2022	66.45	359^th	1169	69.3%
2023	49.69	551^st	1169	52.9%
2024	57.69	475^th	1168	59.3%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at South Bay Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	54.16	99^th	212	53.3%
2019	75.60	52^nd	303	82.8%
2021	27.19	94^th	128	26.6%
2022	42.38	150^th	252	40.5%
2023	64.90	64^th	194	67.0%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at South Bay Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	84.64	58^th	637	90.9%
2019	72.11	105^th	566	81.4%
2022	43.92	236^th	478	50.6%
2024	17.23	309^th	339	8.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at South Bay Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	77.35	100^th	835	88.0%
2019	62.93	310^th	979	68.3%
2021	66.35	199^th	854	76.7%
2022	76.66	128^th	1019	87.4%
2023	41.24	610^th	1013	39.8%
2024	35.42	705^th	1024	31.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at South Bay Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	73.86	251^st	1004	75.0%
2019	70.35	308^th	1068	71.2%
2021	60.31	367^th	1008	63.6%
2022	64.31	360^th	1100	67.3%
2023	46.37	566^th	1094	48.3%
2024	48.04	546^th	1093	50.0%

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

Rank History for Military Connected students at South Bay Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	63.55	15^th	50	70.0%
2023	28.81	41^st	48	14.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at South Bay Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	68.59	309^th	999	69.1%
2019	73.30	274^th	1075	74.5%
2021	59.40	373^rd	1025	63.6%
2022	66.75	337^th	1113	69.7%
2023	50.54	508^th	1099	53.8%
2024	65.70	357^th	1099	67.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at South Bay Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	78.70	77^th	540	85.7%
2019	79.08	94^th	697	86.5%
2021	61.17	122^nd	501	75.6%
2022	77.90	91^st	694	86.9%
2023	48.35	320^th	633	49.4%
2024	77.15	103^rd	651	84.2%

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

Rank History for White students at South Bay Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	68.45	267^th	833	67.9%
2019	68.11	328^th	1027	68.1%
2021	66.49	300^th	943	68.2%
2022	61.22	379^th	1031	63.2%
2023	57.18	418^th	1011	58.7%
2024	52.10	482^nd	1009	52.2%

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 South Bay Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	539	14	15	12	7	n/a	n/a	0	587
1989	589	12	18	21	4	n/a	n/a	0	644
1990	598	14	26	15	6	n/a	n/a	0	659
1991	594	14	19	17	5	n/a	n/a	0	649
1992	605	17	36	28	7	n/a	n/a	0	693
1993	579	11	23	21	8	n/a	n/a	0	642
1994	567	14	18	20	11	n/a	n/a	0	630
1995	527	15	15	17	9	n/a	n/a	0	583
1996	527	15	15	17	9	n/a	n/a	0	583
1997	537	15	20	15	6	n/a	n/a	0	593
1998	522	22	27	17	8	n/a	n/a	0	596
1999	517	21	34	16	12	n/a	n/a	0	600
2000	507	23	28	13	17	n/a	n/a	0	588
2001	473	14	28	25	16	n/a	n/a	0	556
2002	467	21	38	23	11	n/a	n/a	0	560
2003	467	21	38	23	11	n/a	n/a	0	560
2004	447	21	32	27	22	n/a	n/a	0	549
2005	471	21	41	25	21	n/a	n/a	1	580
2006	488	29	40	23	27	n/a	n/a	1	608
2007	529	27	48	27	31	n/a	n/a	11	673
2008	529	29	54	30	22	n/a	n/a	35	699
2009	543	30	65	44	19	n/a	n/a	67	768
2010	516	35	71	57	13	n/a	n/a	25	717
2011	508	24	32	86	12	3	62	0	727
2012	473	19	29	76	6	7	77	0	687
2013	471	28	28	89	4	6	75	0	701
2014	437	23	30	81	4	5	70	0	650
2015	417	19	28	81	6	6	74	0	631
2016	424	23	27	88	11	5	78	0	656
2017	480	28	25	116	10	9	89	0	757
2018	533	29	22	140	7	8	111	0	850
2019	505	26	27	142	8	7	100	0	815
2020	484	27	26	138	3	12	103	0	793
2021	343	18	19	99	4	14	80	0	577
2022	327	14	22	97	3	16	83	0	562
2023	320	19	31	119	3	14	81	1	588
2024	336	15	33	105	5	12	81	0	587

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 South Bay Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	587	27.0	21.7	0
1989	644	35.0	18.4	n/a
1990	659	32.4	20.3	0
1991	649	34.7	18.7	n/a
1992	693	33.5	20.6	n/a
1993	642	35.0	18.3	n/a
1994	630	34.0	18.5	n/a
1995	583	26.8	21.8	n/a
1996	583	26.8	21.8	n/a
1997	593	30.1	19.7	n/a
1998	596	31.1	19.2	n/a
1999	600	30.6	19.6	n/a
2000	588	28.5	20.6	n/a
2001	556	27.0	20.6	n/a
2002	560	30.9	18.1	29.3
2003	560	30.9	18.1	29.3
2004	549	30.0	18.3	22.4
2005	580	30.5	19.0	20
2006	608	29.5	20.6	17.8
2007	673	32.0	21.0	17.8
2008	699	31.4	22.3	17.6
2009	768	31.4	24.5	20.8
2010	717	30.9	23.2	24.9
2011	727	32.4	22.4	18.3
2012	687	31.8	21.5	24.6
2013	701	32.1	21.8	19.3
2014	650	n/a	n/a	28.8
2015	631	36.0	17.5	33.9
2016	656	33.0	19.8	34.5
2017	757	39.5	19.1	32.9
2018	850	41.0	20.7	32.2
2019	815	40.6	20.0	30.8
2020	793	37.4	21.1	32.9
2021	577	32.5	17.7	29.8
2022	562	33.5	16.7	30.4
2023	588	33.5	17.5	40
2024	587	34.8	16.8	39.4

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 South Bay Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	587	27.0	21.7	0
1989	644	35.0	18.4	n/a
1990	659	32.4	20.3	0
1991	649	34.7	18.7	n/a
1992	693	33.5	20.6	n/a
1993	642	35.0	18.3	n/a
1994	630	34.0	18.5	n/a
1995	583	26.8	21.8	n/a
1996	583	26.8	21.8	n/a
1997	593	30.1	19.7	n/a
1998	596	31.1	19.2	n/a
1999	600	30.6	19.6	n/a
2000	588	28.5	20.6	n/a
2001	556	27.0	20.6	n/a
2002	560	30.9	18.1	29.3
2003	560	30.9	18.1	29.3
2004	549	30.0	18.3	22.4
2005	580	30.5	19.0	20
2006	608	29.5	20.6	17.8
2007	673	32.0	21.0	17.8
2008	699	31.4	22.3	17.6
2009	768	31.4	24.5	20.8
2010	717	30.9	23.2	24.9
2011	727	32.4	22.4	18.3
2012	687	31.8	21.5	24.6
2013	701	32.1	21.8	19.3
2014	650	n/a	n/a	28.8
2015	631	36.0	17.5	33.9
2016	656	33.0	19.8	34.5
2017	757	39.5	19.1	32.9
2018	850	41.0	20.7	32.2
2019	815	40.6	20.0	30.8
2020	793	37.4	21.1	32.9
2021	577	32.5	17.7	29.8
2022	562	33.5	16.7	30.4
2023	588	33.5	17.5	40
2024	587	34.8	16.8	39.4

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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