Park Orchard Elementary School

As an average-sized K-5 school in Kent, Washington, Park Orchard Elementary School hosts 473 students from grades pre-K through 5, overseen by Kent School District. That puts it 24% larger than the typical public school in Washington, which averages around 380 students.

Park Orchard Elementary School is one of 44 schools operated by Kent School District, a district that serves 25,358 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Park Orchard Elementary School shows that the most-represented group is Hispanic (35%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Other groups include 26% Asian, 15% Black, 12% White, 6% multiracial. That is meaningfully more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 11%.

On the income-and-resources front, Park Orchard Elementary School shows 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.9:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.3:1 average. Around 71% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against King County (around 38%), the school's rate is meaningfully above typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Park Orchard Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 32.5%; this one delivers 28.6%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for King County put the typical household earns roughly $124,746 per year, roughly 57% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. In all, King County runs 544 public schools (combined enrollment of about 278,492 students), of which Park Orchard Elementary School is one.

The closest other public school is Meridian Middle School, roughly 0.6 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Park Orchard Elementary School ranks 6th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 39.3%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count changed only slightly: 482 students in 2018 compared to 473 in 2025. The Asian share of enrollment increased from 19% to 26% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio loosened from 14.6:1 in 2018 to 15.9:1 today.

On the community side, members of the Park Orchard Elementary School community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.