Enrollment
298
Elementary
DISTRICT 356 · STATE 380
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TACOMA SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530870001461
Downing Elementary School
5130 N. 26th Street, Tacoma, WA 98406 · (253) 571-7100 · Pierce County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL298 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
17 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.2:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
53%
159 students
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 51%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
Smarter Balanced + WCAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
61.5%
WA avg 58.4% . -2.0pp since 2014
Math
54.1%
WA avg 51.2% . -16.9pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 54 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 58 and 51. Reading and writing scores are down about 2 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 17 points.
Source: Smarter Balanced + WCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of WA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
63.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.4%
based on WA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+19.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 64% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 44% typical for Washington schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 19 points, placing it in Washington's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
298
+13 (+5%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
18.1:1
was 16.2:1
% White
58%
was 52%
% Hispanic
11%
was 17%
% Black
7%
was 11%
% Asian
2%
was 4%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About Downing Elementary School
Located at 5130 N. 26th Street, in Tacoma, Washington, Downing Elementary School is a close-knit elementary campus that teaches 298 students (grades pre-K through 5), run under Tacoma School District. That puts it 22% leaner than the typical public school in Washington, which averages around 380 students.
Tacoma School District runs 66 schools in total, collectively educating 28,900 students. Downing Elementary School is one of those campuses.
On the student-mix side, Downing Elementary School shows that White students make up the majority at 58%. Other groups include 20% multiracial, 11% Hispanic, 7% Black.
Looking at the economic backdrop, Downing Elementary School records 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 18.1:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.3:1, putting Downing Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. Around 53% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.
On a demographically-adjusted basis, Downing Elementary School is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 44.4%; this one delivers 63.6%, a residual of +19.2 points.
In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Pierce County) records that median household income runs about $99,564, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Downing Elementary School is one of 287 public schools in Pierce County (combined enrollment of about 138,462 students).
Nearest neighbor: Dr. Dolores Silas High School, around 0.6 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Downing Elementary School comes 2nd of 6 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 49.1%.
The campus sits in a downtown setting.
Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Downing Elementary School has edged up 5%, going from 285 students in 2018 to 298 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 52% to 58% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 16.2:1 in 2018 to 18.1:1 today.
On the community side, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.
Pierce County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
930,319
Census ACS
Median income
$99,564
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
287
138,462 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Tacoma School District
- Stadium High SchoolHigh · 1,700 students
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 1,556 students
- Mount Tahoma High SchoolHigh · 1,410 students
- Dr. Dolores Silas High SchoolHigh · 1,160 students
- Baker Middle SchoolMiddle · 687 students
- Tacoma School of the ArtsHigh · 658 students
Other schools in Tacoma
- Stadium High SchoolHigh · 1,700 students
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 1,556 students
- Mount Tahoma High SchoolHigh · 1,410 students
- Dr. Dolores Silas High SchoolHigh · 1,160 students
- Washington High SchoolHigh · 989 students
- Franklin Pierce High SchoolHigh · 977 students
Nearby schools
- Dr. Dolores Silas High School0.6 mi · 1,160
- Skyline Elementary School0.7 mi · 329
- Truman Middle School0.8 mi · 438
- Tacoma Online Middle School0.8 mi · 170
- Tacoma Online High School0.8 mi · 497
- Tacoma Online Elementary School0.8 mi · 144
Frequently asked questions
About Downing Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Downing Elementary School?
Downing Elementary School enrolls approximately 298 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Downing Elementary School serve?
Downing Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Downing Elementary School?
Approximately 18.1:1 students per teacher at Downing Elementary School.
How diverse is Downing Elementary School?
Downing Elementary School reports a student body of 58% White, 11% Hispanic, 7% Black, 2% Asian, 20% Two or more.
Who oversees Downing Elementary School?
Downing Elementary School is overseen by Tacoma School District in Pierce County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.