Is Jefferson Elementary School a good school?

Jefferson Elementary School ranks 152 nd of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Jefferson Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 323 students attended Jefferson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Elementary School?

Students at Jefferson Elementary School are 58% White, 19% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 6% African American, 6% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Jefferson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Mason Middle School High : Dr. Dolores Silas High School

Jefferson Elementary School

Summary:

Jefferson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Tacoma School District, serving 303 students in grades PK-5. Despite the district's overall lower ranking, Jefferson Elementary consistently ranks among the top 25% of elementary schools in Washington, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Jefferson Elementary excels academically, with 76.25% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, 63.52% in Math, and 87.72% in Science - significantly outperforming the district and state averages. The school's diverse student population, with 58.42% white, 9.57% Hispanic, and 6.93% Asian, also performs well, with high rankings for female, white, and low-income students, as well as Hispanic and special education students. This level of equity in academic achievement is noteworthy and could provide valuable insights for other schools in the district.

While Jefferson Elementary is a high-performing school, there is still room for improvement, particularly in the areas of 5th-grade math and science proficiency. Addressing these areas could help the school continue to excel and serve as a model for other Sherman Elementary School, Bryant Montessori School, and other nearby schools in the Tacoma School District.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

4302 North 13th St
Tacoma, WA 98406

(253) 571-4000

District: Tacoma School District

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

Per Pupil Expenditures: $21,534

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Mason Middle School
High:	Dr. Dolores Silas High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.5

Number of students: 323

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.9%

Two or more races:

18.9%

Hispanic:

9.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 40.9%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Jefferson Elementary School ranks better than 87% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks 5^th among 35 ranked elementary schools in the Tacoma School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 86.24. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (57.9%), two or more races (18.9%), Hispanic (9.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 40.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Jefferson Elementary School is 16.5. 19 elementary schools in the Tacoma School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Jefferson Elementary School employs 19.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Jefferson Elementary School is $21,534, which is the 13^th highest among 35 elementary schools in the Tacoma School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Jefferson Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Jefferson Elementary School 152^nd of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Jefferson Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

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.)

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Rank History for Jefferson Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	39.46	646^th	1026	37.0%
2005	38.27	687^th	1031	33.4%
2006	33.14	757^th	1051	28.0%
2007	29.21	812^th	1069	24.0%
2008	26.87	849^th	1067	20.4%
2009	43.69	649^th	1072	39.5%
2010	34.39	772^nd	1088	29.0%
2011	36.68	751^st	1092	31.2%
2012	41.30	701^st	1097	36.1%
2013	54.60	532^nd	1106	51.9%
2015	48.96	549^th	1067	48.5%
2016	52.26	501^st	1053	52.4%
2017	50.56	540^th	1056	48.9%
2018	60.47	412^th	1054	60.9%
2019	82.03	183^rd	1130	83.8%
2021	70.30	307^th	1107	72.3%
2022	77.98	243^rd	1169	79.2%
2023	87.77	134^th	1169	88.5%
2024	86.24	152^nd	1168	87.0%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	55.77	143^rd	303	52.8%
2022	60.83	107^th	252	57.5%
2023	81.29	23^rd	194	88.1%
2024	61.61	60^th	188	68.1%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	54.65	198^th	566	65.0%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	62.88	266^th	835	68.1%
2019	86.11	47^th	979	95.2%
2021	22.03	733^rd	854	14.2%
2022	60.84	312^th	1019	69.4%
2023	75.43	170^th	1013	83.2%
2024	80.52	107^th	1024	89.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	60.23	407^th	1004	59.5%
2019	84.63	134^th	1068	87.5%
2021	73.43	234^th	1008	76.8%
2022	81.82	179^th	1100	83.7%
2023	88.66	105^th	1094	90.4%
2024	88.09	108^th	1093	90.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	58.86	404^th	999	59.6%
2019	78.54	209^th	1075	80.6%
2021	59.60	370^th	1025	63.9%
2022	71.12	298^th	1113	73.2%
2023	85.52	146^th	1099	86.7%
2024	81.96	187^th	1099	83.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	91.00	33^rd	697	95.3%

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

Rank History for White students at Jefferson Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	53.04	403^rd	833	51.6%
2019	81.47	162^nd	1027	84.2%
2021	72.39	242^nd	943	74.3%
2022	81.13	166^th	1031	83.9%
2023	88.51	81^st	1011	92.0%
2024	86.21	100^th	1009	90.1%

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 Jefferson Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1988	281	58	6	2	5	n/a	n/a	352
1989	261	83	12	4	7	n/a	n/a	367
1990	214	96	8	7	7	n/a	n/a	332
1991	227	98	16	9	7	n/a	n/a	357
1992	239	105	20	14	5	n/a	n/a	383
1993	273	109	28	19	11	n/a	n/a	440
1994	270	109	30	23	5	n/a	n/a	437
1995	279	125	33	20	10	n/a	n/a	467
1996	279	125	33	20	10	n/a	n/a	467
1997	299	149	37	17	8	n/a	n/a	510
1998	301	147	30	21	12	n/a	n/a	511
1999	270	137	27	24	10	n/a	n/a	468
2000	186	98	15	24	10	n/a	n/a	333
2001	189	73	19	27	9	n/a	n/a	317
2002	157	62	12	19	3	n/a	n/a	253
2003	157	62	12	19	3	n/a	n/a	253
2004	120	51	9	23	2	n/a	n/a	205
2005	105	48	6	22	1	n/a	n/a	182
2006	125	51	2	24	2	n/a	n/a	204
2007	133	35	8	17	2	n/a	n/a	195
2008	137	31	8	14	2	n/a	n/a	192
2009	144	38	11	20	5	n/a	n/a	218
2010	144	58	13	24	3	n/a	n/a	242
2011	169	48	8	16	2	2	39	284
2012	160	47	8	23	3	1	41	283
2013	178	62	12	29	4	6	4	295
2014	160	56	9	43	4	3	16	291
2015	173	56	9	44	2	1	24	309
2016	175	40	8	42	2	1	32	300
2017	161	29	7	44	1	1	37	280
2018	182	24	9	43	1	1	58	318
2019	217	15	13	44	0	2	68	359
2020	209	17	10	44	1	1	71	353
2021	187	14	10	29	2	1	73	316
2022	177	11	16	24	3	1	53	285
2023	177	13	21	29	3	1	59	303
2024	187	20	20	32	3	0	61	323

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 Jefferson Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	352	19.0	18.5	0
1989	367	20.0	18.3	n/a
1990	332	20.0	16.6	0
1991	357	21.1	16.9	n/a
1992	383	24.1	15.8	n/a
1993	440	25.9	17.0	n/a
1994	437	22.8	19.2	n/a
1995	467	24.1	19.4	n/a
1996	467	24.1	19.4	n/a
1997	510	23.5	21.7	n/a
1998	511	24.0	21.3	n/a
1999	468	21.5	21.8	n/a
2000	333	17.6	18.9	n/a
2001	317	16.2	19.6	n/a
2002	253	14.8	17.1	60.5
2003	253	14.8	17.1	60.5
2004	205	9.0	22.8	63.4
2005	182	9.3	19.6	67
2006	204	9.2	22.2	56.9
2007	195	11.3	17.3	69.7
2008	192	11.3	17.0	71.4
2009	218	10.9	20.0	75.2
2010	242	14.2	17.0	78.9
2011	284	16.6	17.1	57.4
2012	283	17.6	16.0	54.8
2013	295	18.6	15.8	65.1
2014	291	n/a	n/a	62.9
2015	309	22.0	14.0	65
2016	300	19.0	15.7	57.3
2017	280	18.0	15.4	56.8
2018	318	19.1	16.6	48.4
2019	359	19.1	18.7	46.2
2020	353	23.5	15.0	42.2
2021	316	21.9	14.4	38.6
2022	285	19.4	14.6	23.5
2023	303	20.0	15.1	38.6
2024	323	19.5	16.5	40.9

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 Jefferson Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	352	19.0	18.5	0
1989	367	20.0	18.3	n/a
1990	332	20.0	16.6	0
1991	357	21.1	16.9	n/a
1992	383	24.1	15.8	n/a
1993	440	25.9	17.0	n/a
1994	437	22.8	19.2	n/a
1995	467	24.1	19.4	n/a
1996	467	24.1	19.4	n/a
1997	510	23.5	21.7	n/a
1998	511	24.0	21.3	n/a
1999	468	21.5	21.8	n/a
2000	333	17.6	18.9	n/a
2001	317	16.2	19.6	n/a
2002	253	14.8	17.1	60.5
2003	253	14.8	17.1	60.5
2004	205	9.0	22.8	63.4
2005	182	9.3	19.6	67
2006	204	9.2	22.2	56.9
2007	195	11.3	17.3	69.7
2008	192	11.3	17.0	71.4
2009	218	10.9	20.0	75.2
2010	242	14.2	17.0	78.9
2011	284	16.6	17.1	57.4
2012	283	17.6	16.0	54.8
2013	295	18.6	15.8	65.1
2014	291	n/a	n/a	62.9
2015	309	22.0	14.0	65
2016	300	19.0	15.7	57.3
2017	280	18.0	15.4	56.8
2018	318	19.1	16.6	48.4
2019	359	19.1	18.7	46.2
2020	353	23.5	15.0	42.2
2021	316	21.9	14.4	38.6
2022	285	19.4	14.6	23.5
2023	303	20.0	15.1	38.6
2024	323	19.5	16.5	40.9

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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