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If you could change one rule at Mary Purcell Elementary School, what would it be?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
465
Elementary
DISTRICT 311 · STATE 380
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SEDRO-WOOLLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530774001277
Mary Purcell Elementary School
700 Bennett Street, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 · (360) 855-3555 · Skagit County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY23-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL465 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 27% of Washington public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- AThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Washington public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
19.1:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.5:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
65%
301 students
DISTRICT 52% · 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, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 123 | 26% |
| Grade 1 | 53 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 54 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 58 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 49 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 64 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 64 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (123) is 92% larger than its 6th grade class (64).
Student demographics
59%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 68% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Mary Purcell Elementary School→Cascade Middle School
Based on grade levels within Sedro-Woolley School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
Smarter Balanced + WCAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
41.4%
WA avg 58.4% . -4.6pp since 2014
Math
31.5%
WA avg 51.2% . -22.8pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 31 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 5 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 23 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 41.4% | 31.5% |
| 2023-24 | 34.1% | 26.2% |
| 2022-23 | 33.0% | 24.1% |
| 2021-22 | 31.3% | 20.3% |
| 2018-19 | 56.4% | 48.3% |
| 2017-18 | 59.9% | 50.2% |
| 2016-17 | 46.5% | 42.7% |
| 2015-16 | 51.4% | 49.5% |
| 2014-15 | 46.0% | 54.3% |
% Met or Exceeded Standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Smarter Balanced + WCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
34.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.8%
based on WA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-1.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 35% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% typical for Washington schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Washington's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Mary Purcell Elementary School
Mary Purcell Elementary School's state test result (34.9% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Purcell Elementary School this school | 465 | 64.7% | 34.9% |
| Grainger Elementary Okanogan | 404 | 65.6% | 43.4% |
| Columbia Ridge Elementary EPHRATA | 480 | 62.7% | 43.3% |
| Grand Mound Elementary Rochester | 507 | 66.5% | 45.8% |
| Bordeaux Elementary School Shelton | 528 | 69.3% | 44.2% |
| Rochester Primary School Rochester | 488 | 62.5% | N/A |
Matched among Washington elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Mary Purcell Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In Skagit County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.9% | #720 of 936 | #14 of 24 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 31.5% | #848 of 1,103 ▲ 83 | #14 of 24 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.4% | #709 of 1,102 ▲ 153 | #10 of 24 ▲ 6 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +10.6pp | #75 of 928 | #2 of 24 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 465 | #403 of 1,268 | #5 of 28 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.1:1 | #1,041 of 1,085 | #20 of 21 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 58.6% | #553 of 1,088 | #3 of 21 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 64.7% | #362 of 1,169 | #11 of 24 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +11.8% | #107 of 257 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
465
+59 (+15%) vs 2020
+2% since 1990-91, when it was 456
Student : Teacher
19.1:1
was 15.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 465 | 24.4 | 19.1:1 | 65% (301) |
| 2023-24 | 377 | 26.2 | 14.4:1 | 72% (271) |
| 2022-23 | 410 | 26.8 | 15.3:1 | 75% (306) |
| 2020-21 | 406 | 27 | 15.0:1 | 66% (266) |
| 2017-18 | 416 | 28.2 | 14.8:1 | 65% (269) |
| 2015-16 | 387 | 26 | 14.9:1 | 73% (281) |
| 2010-11 | 365 | 19 | 19.2:1 | 64% (233) |
| 2000-01 | 387 | 26 | 14.9:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 456 | 21 | 21.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mary Purcell Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 12% (416 to 465); teachers down 13% (28.2 to 24.4).
About Mary Purcell Elementary School
Mary Purcell Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school that serves part of Sedro-Woolley, Washington. Enrollment is 465 students in 2024-25, and the school serves kindergarten through 6. Against the 380-student average for elementary schools in Washington, enrollment here is 22% higher.
The district for Mary Purcell Elementary School is Sedro-Woolley School District, with 11 schools and 4,600 students.
Mary Purcell Elementary School's enrollment is 50% White. Next come 39% Hispanic and 8% multiracial. That compares with about 75% White among all Skagit County residents. The chance that two students picked at random at Mary Purcell Elementary School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 59%.
The school employs the equivalent of 24.4 full-time teachers, for a ratio of 19.1:1. Among elementary schools in Washington, the typical ratio is 17.3:1. The free or reduced-price lunch share, often used to gauge student poverty, is 65%. That rate is above the 56% average among public schools in Skagit County.
Measured against Washington public elementary schools, Mary Purcell Elementary School receives a C. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
On the allk12 BeatsExpectations measure, Mary Purcell Elementary School is 1.9 points below the average proficiency rate on state tests predicted for its free or reduced-price lunch share: 34.9% actual, 36.8% predicted. That is outside both the top and bottom 10% in Washington.
Census Bureau estimates for Skagit County show that median household income is about $89,263, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 30%, and about 7% of people live in poverty. A total of 54 public schools operate in Skagit County, serving about 18,298 students.
Central Elementary School is the closest public school, about 0.1 miles away in a straight line. Mary Purcell Elementary School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. The nearest schools with test data average 37.8%, higher than Mary Purcell Elementary School's 34.9%.
The school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population under 100,000, according to its NCES locale (Suburb: Small).
Federal counts put enrollment at 406 in 2020-21 and 465 in 2024-25, a 15% rise. The student-to-teacher ratio went up from 15.0:1 to 19.1:1.
Discussion on this page can cover sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Skagit County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
131,328
Census ACS
Median income
$89,263
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
30%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
54
18,298 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Sedro-Woolley School District
- Sedro Woolley Senior High SchoolHigh · 1,280 students
- Cascade Middle SchoolMiddle · 670 students
- Evergreen Elementary SchoolElementary · 511 students
- Central Elementary SchoolElementary · 476 students
- Clear Lake Elementary SchoolElementary · 314 students
- Big Lake Elementary SchoolElementary · 288 students
Other schools in Sedro-Woolley
- Sedro Woolley Senior High SchoolHigh · 1,280 students
- Cascade Middle SchoolMiddle · 670 students
- Evergreen Elementary SchoolElementary · 511 students
- Central Elementary SchoolElementary · 476 students
- Samish Elementary SchoolElementary · 166 students
- State Street High SchoolHigh · 159 students
Nearby schools
- Central Elementary School0.1 mi · 476
- State Street High School0.2 mi · 159
- Sedro Woolley Senior High School0.3 mi · 1,280
- Cascade Middle School0.9 mi · 670
- Evergreen Elementary School1.0 mi · 511
- Good Beginnings Center1.2 mi · 86
Frequently asked questions
About Mary Purcell Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Mary Purcell Elementary School?
Mary Purcell Elementary School enrolls approximately 465 students in grades KG-06.
What grades does Mary Purcell Elementary School serve?
Mary Purcell Elementary School serves grades KG-06.
How many students per teacher at Mary Purcell Elementary School?
Approximately 19.1:1 students per teacher at Mary Purcell Elementary School.
How diverse is Mary Purcell Elementary School?
Mary Purcell Elementary School reports a student body of 50% White, 39% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is Mary Purcell Elementary School public or private?
Mary Purcell Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Sedro-Woolley School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.