Centennial Elementary

Set in Graham, Washington, Centennial Elementary is a moderately sized primary school, part of Bethel School District. It instructs 540 students across grades K through 5. That puts it 42% above the typical public school in Washington, which averages around 380 students.

Bethel School District comprises 39 schools with combined enrollment of 21,732 students; Centennial Elementary is among them.

On demographics, Centennial Elementary records that 49% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. The remainder breaks down as 24% Hispanic, 17% multiracial, 5% Pacific Islander, 4% Black. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 64%.

Looking at school resources, The school employs 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.0:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.3:1 average. Around 67% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Pierce County (around 50%), the school's rate is north of typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Centennial Elementary sits in the top 10% of Washington schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 35.2%; actual is 48.4%, +13.2 points clear of the demographic baseline.

Around the school, Pierce County reports that median household earnings sit near $99,564, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Centennial Elementary is one of 287 public schools in Pierce County (combined enrollment of about 138,462 students).

The closest other public school is Cougar Mountain Middle School, roughly 1.2 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Centennial Elementary. On composite proficiency, Centennial Elementary comes 3rd of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 44.8%.

Centennial Elementary operates from a commuter-belt location.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Centennial Elementary has ticked up 12%, going from 484 students in 2018 to 540 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share edged down from 65% to 49%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 16.0:1 in 2018 to 15.0:1 today.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.