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Schools›Washington›Kalama
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·KALAMA SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530381000584

Kalama Elem School

548 China Garden Road, Kalama, WA 98625 · (360) 673-5207 · Cowlitz County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL525 STUDENTS
Enrollment
525
Elementary
DISTRICT 379 · STATE 380
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
39 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.8:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
38%
198 students
DISTRICT 39% · STATE 51%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Kindergarten
103
Grade 1
72
Grade 2
89
Grade 3
88
Grade 4
73
Grade 5
100
Student demographics
White
44184%
DISTRICT 82% · STATE 47%
Hispanic
5410%
DISTRICT 12% · STATE 27%
Black
31%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 5%
Asian
41%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 9%
Two+
173%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 9%
Native American
51%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 1%
Pacific Islander
10%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 2%
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
Male
26050%
Female
26550%

School pathway

Students here typically continue to
Kalama Elem School→Kalama Middle School→Kalama High School
Based on grade levels within Kalama School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

Discussions

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Test scores

Smarter Balanced + WCAS 2022-23 . % Met or Exceeded Standard
English Language Arts
41.5%
WA avg 49.0% . -1.4pp since 2014
Math
45.8%
WA avg 39.2% . -0.9pp since 2014

What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 49 and 39. Reading and writing scores are down about 1 points since 2014, while math scores have held steady.

Source: Smarter Balanced + WCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
525
+26 (+5%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
was 20.4:1
% White
84%
was 88%
% Hispanic
10%
was 7%
% Black
1%
was 1%
% Asian
1%
was 2%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

About Kalama Elem School

Kalama Elem School operates as a moderately sized elementary-level community in Kalama, Washington, one of the schools within Kalama School District. Current enrollment sits at 525 students spanning grades K through 5. By comparison, Washington's public schools average about 380 students each, so Kalama Elem School sits 38% bigger than that benchmark.

Within Kalama School District, which oversees 3 schools and 1,138 students, Kalama Elem School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Kalama Elem School records that the student body is overwhelmingly White (84%); the rest reads as 10% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the resource side, Kalama Elem School records 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.3:1. The state averages around 17.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 38% 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, Cowlitz County runs at roughly 58%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Cowlitz County shows median household income runs about $76,531, 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. Kalama Elem School is one of 48 public schools in Cowlitz County (combined enrollment of about 17,080 students).

Nearest neighbor: Kalama Middle School, around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 3 other public schools cluster around Kalama Elem School.

The school occupies a rural site.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Kalama Elem School has ticked up 5%, going from 499 students in 2018 to 525 in 2025. Class-load math has pulled in: from 20.4:1 in 2018 to 13.3:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.

Cowlitz County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
112,360
Census ACS
Median income
$76,531
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
48
17,080 students

Quick facts

School name
Kalama Elem School
District
Kalama School District
Address
548 China Garden Road, Kalama, WA 98625
Phone
(360) 673-5207
County
Cowlitz County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
KG–05
Total enrollment
525
Teachers (FTE)
39
Student–teacher ratio
13.3:1
Free/Reduced lunch
198 (38%)
Locale
41-Rural: Fringe
NCES ID
530381000584
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Kalama School District
Other schools in Kalama
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Kalama Elem School
How large is Kalama Elem School?
Kalama Elem School enrolls approximately 525 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Kalama Elem School serve?
Kalama Elem School serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kalama Elem School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Kalama Elem School is approximately 13.3:1 (39 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Kalama Elem School?
At Kalama Elem School, the student body is approximately 84% White, 10% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Kalama Elem School public or private?
Kalama Elem School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Kalama School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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