Nelson Elementary School

Nelson Elementary School is one of the middle-of-the-pack elementary campuss in Graham, Washington, run under Bethel School District, with 497 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. By comparison, Washington's public schools average about 380 students each, so Nelson Elementary School sits 31% bigger than that benchmark.

Across the 39 schools in Bethel School District (21,732 students total), Nelson Elementary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Nelson Elementary School records that White students make up the majority at 58%. The remainder reads as 18% multiracial, 14% Hispanic, 4% Black, 3% Asian.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 15.0:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.3:1 average. An estimated 47% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

With demographic context factored in, Nelson Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 48.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 59.7%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Pierce County put median household income runs about $99,564, about 31% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across Pierce County's 287 public schools (combined enrollment of about 138,462 students), Nelson Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Frontier Middle School, around 0.1 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Nelson Elementary School at 1st of 7; the average score across the group is 46.1%.

The campus sits in an outer-ring setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Nelson Elementary School's enrollment has declined 6% since 2018, when it stood at 531 (now 497). Over the same period, the White share fell from 66% to 58%. Class-load math has fell: from 16.3:1 in 2018 to 15.0:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.