McKenna Elementary

McKenna Elementary is one of the mid-tier elementary schools in McKenna, Washington, overseen by Yelm School District, with 418 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5.

McKenna Elementary is one of 10 schools operated by Yelm School District, a district that caters to 5,671 students overall.

On demographics, McKenna Elementary reports that White students make up the majority at 61%. The remainder breaks down as 25% Hispanic, 10% multiracial. Compared to Pierce County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.9:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 17.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 49% of students at McKenna Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, McKenna Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 47.1%, the actual is 51.1%, a residual of +4.0 points.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Pierce County) reports that the typical household earns roughly $99,564 per year, 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. McKenna Elementary is one of 287 public schools in Pierce County (combined enrollment of about 138,462 students).

The closest other public school is Fort Stevens Elementary, roughly 1.6 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), McKenna Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 46.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at McKenna Elementary has showed little movement, going from 422 students in 2018 to 418 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 71% to 61%.

On allk12, members of the McKenna Elementary community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.