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What's one community event at Nelson Elementary School more people should show up to?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
497
Elementary
DISTRICT 409 · STATE 380
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BETHEL SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530048003288
Nelson Elementary School
22109 108th Ave E, Graham, WA 98338 · (253) 800-6400 · Pierce County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL497 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
33 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.8:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
47%
233 students
DISTRICT 59% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 42 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 99 | 20% |
| Grade 1 | 62 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 71 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 79 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 61 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 83 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (99) is 19% larger than its 5th grade class (83).
Student demographics
61%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 75% · 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
Test scores
Smarter Balanced + WCAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
63.1%
WA avg 58.4% . +2.9pp since 2014
Math
63.1%
WA avg 51.2% . +3.1pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 63 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 58 and 51. Reading and writing scores are up about 3 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 3 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 63.1% | 63.1% |
| 2023-24 | 55.1% | 58.6% |
| 2022-23 | 49.5% | 49.3% |
| 2021-22 | 51.7% | 47.5% |
| 2018-19 | 62.2% | 65.5% |
| 2017-18 | 60.9% | 60.9% |
| 2016-17 | 56.9% | 56.4% |
| 2015-16 | 54.9% | 53.8% |
| 2014-15 | 60.1% | 59.9% |
% 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
59.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.8%
based on WA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+10.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 60% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% 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 Nelson Elementary School
Nelson Elementary School's state test result (59.7% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Elementary School this school | 497 | 46.9% | 59.7% |
| Sidney Glen Elementary School PORT ORCHARD | 502 | 42.2% | 46.9% |
| Michael T Simmons Elementary Tumwater | 457 | 43.5% | 58.9% |
| Hidden Creek Elementary School PORT ORCHARD | 439 | 48.1% | 42.5% |
| Liberty Ridge Elementary Sumner | 515 | 46.0% | 62.9% |
| Clear Creek Elementary School SILVERDALE | 448 | 49.1% | 49.5% |
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 Nelson Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In Pierce County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 59.7% | #262 of 936 | #39 of 142 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 63.1% | #219 of 1,103 ▲ 61 | #25 of 142 ▲ 15 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.1% | #248 of 1,102 ▲ 153 | #28 of 142 ▲ 27 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +13.5pp | #37 of 928 | #8 of 141 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 497 | #296 of 1,268 | #49 of 155 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.0:1 | #335 of 1,085 | #32 of 145 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 61.0% | #504 of 1,088 | #105 of 145 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 46.9% | #694 of 1,169 | #94 of 148 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -6.4% | #643 of 778 | #72 of 91 |
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
497
-187 (-27%) vs 2020
-26% since 2010-11, when it was 672
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
was 15.6:1
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 | 497 | 33.2 | 15.0:1 | 47% (233) |
| 2023-24 | 739 | 41.9 | 17.6:1 | 49% (360) |
| 2022-23 | 707 | 42 | 16.8:1 | 46% (328) |
| 2020-21 | 684 | 44 | 15.6:1 | 34% (232) |
| 2017-18 | 531 | 32.7 | 16.3:1 | 34% (182) |
| 2015-16 | 575 | 33 | 17.4:1 | 36% (207) |
| 2010-11 | 672 | 32 | 21.0:1 | 23% (155) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Nelson Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 6% (531 to 497); teachers up 1% (32.7 to 33.2).
About Nelson Elementary School
Among the schools in Graham, Washington, is Nelson Elementary School, a medium-sized elementary school. Its 497 students are spread across pre-K through 5. The typical figure for elementary schools in Washington is about 380 students.
The Bethel School District system has 39 schools and 21,732 students.
White students account for 58% of enrollment at Nelson Elementary School. Other groups make up 18% multiracial, 14% Hispanic, 4% Black, and 3% Asian. Nelson Elementary School has a diversity index of 61%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Its teaching staff equals 33.2 full-time positions, a ratio of 15.0:1. That ratio is under the 17.3:1 average for elementary schools in Washington. Around 47% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Nelson Elementary School's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (59.7%) and its predicted rate (48.8%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Washington schools.
Across Pierce County, median household income is about $99,564, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 31%, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. Nelson Elementary School is among the 287 public schools in Pierce County.
The closest other public school is Frontier Middle School, about 0.1 miles away. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Its average proficiency rate of 59.7% is above the 46.1% average for nearby schools.
The school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more, according to its NCES locale (Suburb: Large).
Nelson Elementary School saw enrollment fall 27% between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Community posts for Nelson Elementary School can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Pierce County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
930,319
Census ACS
Median income
$99,564
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
287
138,462 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Bethel School District
- Graham Kapowsin High SchoolHigh · 2,087 students
- Spanaway Lake High SchoolHigh · 1,787 students
- Bethel High SchoolHigh · 1,688 students
- Liberty Middle SchoolMiddle · 857 students
- Spanaway Middle SchoolMiddle · 766 students
- Cedarcrest Middle SchoolMiddle · 765 students
Other schools in Graham
- Graham Kapowsin High SchoolHigh · 2,087 students
- Frontier Middle SchoolMiddle · 620 students
- Cougar Mountain Middle SchoolMiddle · 605 students
- Centennial ElementaryElementary · 540 students
- North Star ElementaryElementary · 446 students
- Rocky Ridge ElementaryElementary · 430 students
Other Nelson Elementary schools
7 other US public schools in 7 states are named Nelson Elementary. Nelson Elementary School is the 3rd largest of the 8.
- NELSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLDOVER, FL · 630 students
- Nelson Elementary SchoolDENTON, TX · 527 students
- Nelson ElementaryPinedale, CA · 466 students
- Nelson ElemHaysville, KS · 442 students
- Nelson ElementaryLa Puente, CA · 291 students
Nearby schools
- Frontier Middle School0.1 mi · 620
- Graham Kapowsin High School0.1 mi · 2,087
- Graham Elementary1.2 mi · 428
- Expedition Elementary2.0 mi · 530
- North Star Elementary2.0 mi · 446
- Liberty Middle School2.3 mi · 857
Frequently asked questions
About Nelson Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Nelson Elementary School?
Nelson Elementary School enrolls approximately 497 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Nelson Elementary School serve?
Nelson Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at Nelson Elementary School?
Approximately 15.0:1 students per teacher at Nelson Elementary School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Nelson Elementary School?
At Nelson Elementary School, the student body is approximately 58% White, 14% Hispanic, 4% Black, 3% Asian, 18% Two or more.
Who oversees Nelson Elementary School?
Nelson Elementary School is overseen by Bethel School District in Pierce County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.