Custer Elementary School

Custer Elementary School is an elementary-level community of reasonably sized scale in Lakewood, Washington, overseen by Clover Park School District, hosting 358 students in grades pre-K through 5.

Custer Elementary School is one of 32 schools operated by Clover Park School District, a district that instructs 12,345 students overall.

Demographically, Custer Elementary School lists that the largest single group is Hispanic at 27%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest is composed of 25% White, 19% multiracial, 15% Black, 5% Pacific Islander. The wider county runs roughly 13% Hispanic, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Hispanic than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school lists 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 17.1:1. The state averages about 17.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 74% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Pierce County runs at roughly 50%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Custer Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 30.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 41.0%.

Around the school, census data for Pierce County shows median household income runs about $99,564, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Custer Elementary School is one of 287 public schools in Pierce County (combined enrollment of about 138,462 students).

The closest other public school is Hudtloff Middle School, roughly 0.2 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Custer Elementary School. On composite proficiency, Custer Elementary School comes 2nd of 6 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 24.3%.

The school occupies a high-density site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Custer Elementary School has increased 12%, going from 319 students in 2018 to 358 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 35% to 25% across the same window. Class-load math has rose: from 13.6:1 in 2018 to 17.1:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the Custer Elementary School community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.