Enrollment
278
Elementary
DISTRICT 346 · STATE 380
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1·NCES 530771002231
Orca K-8 School
5215 46 AVE S, SEATTLE, WA 98118 · (206) 252-6900 · King County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYALTERNATIVE EDUCATION SCHOOL278 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.8:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.4:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
39%
108 students
DISTRICT 36% · STATE 51%
Community
0
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 | 30 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 22 | 8% |
| Grade 2 | 43 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 34 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 31 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 48 | 17% |
| Grade 6 | 18 | 6% |
| Grade 7 | 26 | 9% |
| Grade 8 | 26 | 9% |
This year's kindergarten class (30) is 15% larger than its 8th grade class (26).
Student demographics
75%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 73% · 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
47.3%
own-school result
Math
38.8%
own-school result
State assessment results for this school reflect a specialized student population. The figures above are the school's own reported scores; they are not directly comparable to state averages or to general-enrollment schools, so the usual state-average comparison line is suppressed here.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 47.3% | 38.8% |
| 2023-24 | 41.5% | 37.8% |
| 2022-23 | 39.1% | 39.5% |
| 2021-22 | 42.1% | 38.0% |
| 2018-19 | 61.4% | 42.9% |
| 2017-18 | 55.4% | 38.6% |
| 2016-17 | 49.1% | 43.7% |
| 2015-16 | 51.8% | 42.9% |
| 2014-15 | 42.7% | 28.2% |
% Met or Exceeded Standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Smarter Balanced + WCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Not computed for this schoolBeatsExpectations is not computed for specialized-population schools (schools for the deaf or blind, therapeutic and behavioral-health placements, juvenile-justice and alternative-education settings, and similar). State ELA/Math proficiency rates are not a comparable metric for these populations, so a demographically-adjusted residual against general-enrollment peers would be misleading. About the methodology →
Where Orca K-8 School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In King County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 278 | #1,012 of 1,268 | #264 of 299 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.8:1 | #19 of 1,085 | #9 of 280 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 74.7% | #150 of 1,088 | #89 of 281 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 38.8% | #818 of 1,169 | #140 of 292 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -28.9% | #140 of 778 | #52 of 220 |
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
278
-144 (-34%) vs 2020
+20% since 1990-91, when it was 232
Student : Teacher
11.8:1
was 16.2:1
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 | 278 | 23.6 | 11.8:1 | 39% (108) |
| 2023-24 | 355 | 23.2 | 15.3:1 | 47% (167) |
| 2022-23 | 398 | 27 | 14.7:1 | 44% (176) |
| 2020-21 | 422 | 26 | 16.2:1 | 33% (138) |
| 2017-18 | 391 | 23.8 | 16.5:1 | 30% (119) |
| 2015-16 | 415 | 25 | 16.6:1 | 24% (99) |
| 2010-11 | 502 | 25 | 20.1:1 | 34% (172) |
| 2000-01 | 238 | 12 | 19.8:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 232 | 11 | 21.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Orca K-8 School.
Since 2017-18: students down 29% (391 to 278); teachers down 1% (23.8 to 23.6).
About Orca K-8 School
Orca K-8 School serves students in SEATTLE, Washington, as a small elementary school. It covers kindergarten through 8, with a total enrollment of 278 students. Statewide, elementary schools in Washington average about 380 students each.
Seattle School District No. 1 includes 107 schools. Together they enroll 50,773 students.
Orca K-8 School has no majority group; White students are the largest, at 36%. Beyond that, enrollment is 27% Black, 15% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, and 9% Asian. In King County overall, about 55% of residents are White. Pick two students at random and there is a 75% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The school reports 23.6 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to about 11.8 students per teacher. The school has fewer students per teacher than the 17.3:1 average for elementary schools in Washington. About 39% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. That tracks the 38% average for public schools in King County.
Recent Census Bureau figures for King County show that the median household income is $124,746, 57% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Orca K-8 School is one of 544 public schools in the county.
The next-closest public school is Rainier Valley Leadership Academy, about 0.5 miles away. Orca K-8 School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles.
For locale, NCES codes Orca K-8 School as City: Large.
Enrollment at Orca K-8 School dropped 34% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, from 422 to 278 students. Federal data show the ratio falling from 16.2:1 to 11.8:1.
Threads on this page can be about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
King County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
2,287,171
Census ACS
Median income
$124,746
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
57%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
544
278,492 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Seattle School District No. 1
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 1,770 students
- Ballard High SchoolHigh · 1,697 students
- Roosevelt High SchoolHigh · 1,542 students
- Garfield High SchoolHigh · 1,507 students
- West Seattle High SchoolHigh · 1,479 students
- Ingraham High SchoolHigh · 1,391 students
Other schools in SEATTLE
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 1,770 students
- Ballard High SchoolHigh · 1,697 students
- Roosevelt High SchoolHigh · 1,542 students
- Garfield High SchoolHigh · 1,507 students
- West Seattle High SchoolHigh · 1,479 students
- Ingraham High SchoolHigh · 1,391 students
Nearby schools
- Rainier Valley Leadership Academy0.5 mi · 121
- Interagency Open Doors0.6 mi · 132
- Aki Kurose Middle School0.6 mi · 817
- Graham Hill Elementary School0.7 mi · 266
- Hawthorne Elementary School0.9 mi · 393
- Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School0.9 mi · 289
Frequently asked questions
About Orca K-8 SchoolHow large is Orca K-8 School?
Orca K-8 School enrolls approximately 278 students in grades KG-08.
Is Orca K-8 School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Orca K-8 School is an elementary school covering grades KG-08.
How many teachers does Orca K-8 School have?
Orca K-8 School employs 24 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.8:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Orca K-8 School?
At Orca K-8 School, the student body is approximately 36% White, 15% Hispanic, 27% Black, 9% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is Orca K-8 School public or private?
Orca K-8 School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Seattle School District No. 1.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.