Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary

Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary, a small elementary school in Cowiche, Washington, run under Highland School District, works with 249 students, covering grades pre-K through 2. That puts it 34% smaller than the typical public school in Washington, which averages around 380 students.

Within Highland School District, which oversees 4 schools and 1,060 students, Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary logs that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 73% of enrollment. The remainder looks like 26% White. By comparison, Yakima County as a whole is about 52% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary reports 15 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 16.9:1. That tracks the state average closely. Around 64% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Yakima County runs at roughly 77%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

In the area at large, census data for Yakima County shows median household earnings sit near $70,656, about 19% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 12%. Across Yakima County's 119 public schools (combined enrollment of about 52,145 students), Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Highland High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.4 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 6 other public schools cluster around Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary.

Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary operates from a countryside location.

Five-year trend. Marcus Whitman-Cowiche Elementary's enrollment has ticked down 28% since 2018, when it stood at 347 (now 249). The Hispanic share of enrollment fell from 79% to 73% over that span.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.