Bow Lake Elementary

Bow Lake Elementary, a reasonably sized elementary campus in SeaTac, Washington, part of Highline School District, teaches 524 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 38% above the typical public school in Washington, which averages around 380 students.

Across the 36 schools in Highline School District (18,072 students total), Bow Lake Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Bow Lake Elementary shows that the largest single group is Black at 32%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder looks like 27% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 10% White, 8% multiracial. By comparison, King County as a whole is about 7% Black, so the school skews considerably more Black than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 15.8:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.3:1 average. About 76% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against King County (around 38%), the school's rate is north of typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Bow Lake Elementary is in the bottom 10% of Washington public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 29.5%; Bow Lake Elementary posts 18.1%, -11.4 points below that line.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for King County put median household income runs about $124,746, 57% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. Bow Lake Elementary is one of 544 public schools in King County (combined enrollment of about 278,492 students).

The closest other public school is Chinook Middle School, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 5 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Bow Lake Elementary ranks 4th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 22.6%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Five-year trend. Bow Lake Elementary's enrollment has decreased 27% since 2018, when it stood at 720 (now 524). Hispanic enrollment moved from 35% to 27% across the same window. Class-load math has pulled in: from 18.1:1 in 2018 to 15.8:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.