Lake Tapps Elementary

As an average-sized elementary school in Lake Tapps, Washington, Lake Tapps Elementary enrolls 460 students from grades 1 through 3, operated by Dieringer School District. Enrollment runs roughly 21% above the state mean of about 380.

Within Dieringer School District, which oversees 3 schools and 1,424 students, Lake Tapps Elementary is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Lake Tapps Elementary lists that White students make up the majority at 62%. Beyond that, the school logs 12% multiracial, 11% Asian, 8% Hispanic, 5% Black. Compared to Pierce County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Lake Tapps Elementary has 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.9:1. The state averages around 17.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 22% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is lower than Pierce County's rate of about 50%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Lake Tapps Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 65.3%, the actual is 66.8%, a residual of +1.4 points.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Pierce County put the typical household earns roughly $99,564 per year, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. In all, Pierce County runs 287 public schools (combined enrollment of about 138,462 students), of which Lake Tapps Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Bowman Creek Elementary, around 0.9 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Lake Tapps Elementary ranks 1st on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 50.4%.

The campus sits in a bedroom-community setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Lake Tapps Elementary has showed little movement, going from 462 students in 2018 to 460 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 70% to 62% across the same window.

Inside the community feed, the feed for Lake Tapps Elementary typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.