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Best kept secret at Pioneer Elementary School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
602
Elementary
DISTRICT 531 · STATE 380
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SUNNYSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530867002544
Pioneer Elementary School
2101 E. Lincoln, Sunnyside, WA 98944 · (509) 836-2200 · Yakima County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL602 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 13% of Washington public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- FThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Washington public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.7:1
36 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.9:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
86%
520 students
DISTRICT 87% · 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 | 15 | 2% |
| Grade 1 | 109 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 116 | 19% |
| Grade 3 | 106 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 121 | 20% |
| Grade 5 | 135 | 22% |
This year's 1st grade class (109) is 19% smaller than its 5th grade class (135).
Student demographics
15%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 13% · 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
18.7%
WA avg 58.4% . -7.9pp since 2014
Math
26.1%
WA avg 51.2% . -9.6pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 19 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 26 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 58 and 51. Reading and writing scores are down about 8 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 10 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 18.7% | 26.1% |
| 2023-24 | 26.4% | 34.2% |
| 2022-23 | 26.0% | 31.6% |
| 2021-22 | 31.4% | 28.9% |
| 2018-19 | 42.9% | 39.9% |
| 2017-18 | 40.5% | 39.2% |
| 2016-17 | 40.5% | 40.7% |
| 2015-16 | 43.3% | 43.2% |
| 2014-15 | 26.6% | 35.8% |
% 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
25.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
22.3%
based on WA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 25% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 22% 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 Pioneer Elementary School
Pioneer Elementary School's state test result (25.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Elementary School this school | 602 | 86.4% | 25.2% |
| Washington Elementary Sunnyside | 602 | 85.0% | 35.7% |
| Chief Kamiakin Elementary School Sunnyside | 575 | 87.7% | 28.5% |
| Roosevelt Elementary Granger | 580 | 87.8% | 20.0% |
| Hiawatha Elementary School Othello | 579 | 83.6% | N/A |
| Thompson Elementary School Grandview | 549 | 83.2% | 45.8% |
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 Pioneer Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In Yakima County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 25.2% | #867 of 936 | #31 of 43 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.1% | #945 of 1,103 ▼ 177 | #31 of 45 ▼ 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 18.7% | #1,070 of 1,102 ▼ 72 | #41 of 45 ▼ 13 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -7.8pp | #68 of 928 | #3 of 44 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 602 | #101 of 1,268 | #4 of 52 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.7:1 | #757 of 1,085 | #37 of 51 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 14.9% | #1,063 of 1,088 | #42 of 51 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 86.4% | #53 of 1,169 | #23 of 51 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -18.6% | #334 of 778 | #20 of 40 |
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
602
-58 (-9%) vs 2020
-36% since 2000-01, when it was 939
Student : Teacher
16.7:1
was 16.1:1
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 | 602 | 36 | 16.7:1 | 86% (520) |
| 2023-24 | 601 | 38 | 15.8:1 | 80% (478) |
| 2022-23 | 615 | 38 | 16.2:1 | 77% (474) |
| 2020-21 | 660 | 41 | 16.1:1 | 68% (452) |
| 2017-18 | 740 | 44 | 16.8:1 | 84% (620) |
| 2015-16 | 752 | 42 | 17.9:1 | 87% (654) |
| 2010-11 | 727 | 42 | 17.3:1 | 100% (724) |
| 2000-01 | 939 | 48 | 19.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Pioneer Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 19% (740 to 602); teachers down 18% (44 to 36).
About Pioneer Elementary School
Pioneer Elementary School is a public elementary school in Sunnyside, Washington. Classes run from pre-K through 5, and the school has 602 students. Against the 380-student average for elementary schools in Washington, enrollment here is 58% higher.
Pioneer Elementary School is a school in Sunnyside School District. The district has 9 schools and 6,151 students.
Most students at Pioneer Elementary School are Hispanic: 92% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 6% White. The school's Hispanic share is 40 points above the 52% share among Yakima County residents. The chance that two students picked at random at Pioneer Elementary School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 15%.
Pioneer Elementary School's 36 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 16.7:1. Elementary schools in Washington average about 17.3:1, a similar figure. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 86%. That is higher than the 77% average for public schools in Yakima County.
Pioneer Elementary School is graded D by allk12, scoring above 13% of Washington public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Pioneer Elementary School would be expected to post about 22.3%. Its actual average proficiency rate on state tests is 25.2%.
Yakima County has these Census figures: median household income is about $70,656, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 19%, and roughly 12% of residents are in poverty. Pioneer Elementary School is among the 119 public schools in Yakima County.
The nearest public school is Chief Kamiakin Elementary School, at about 0.3 miles. There are 7 other public schools within five miles. Among the 7 closest schools with test data, this one included, Pioneer Elementary School ranks 6th on average proficiency.
The school's locale code, Town: Distant, means it is in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
The 2024-25 enrollment of 602 was 9% lower than in 2020-21, when it was 660.
The Pioneer Elementary School community page is open for posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Yakima County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
257,152
Census ACS
Median income
$70,656
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
119
52,145 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Sunnyside School District
- Sunnyside High SchoolHigh · 2,122 students
- Harrison Middle SchoolMiddle · 820 students
- Washington ElementaryElementary · 602 students
- Chief Kamiakin Elementary SchoolElementary · 575 students
- Sierra Vista Middle SchoolMiddle · 549 students
- Sun Valley Elementary SchoolElementary · 474 students
Other schools in Sunnyside
- Sunnyside High SchoolHigh · 2,122 students
- Harrison Middle SchoolMiddle · 820 students
- Washington ElementaryElementary · 602 students
- Chief Kamiakin Elementary SchoolElementary · 575 students
- Sierra Vista Middle SchoolMiddle · 549 students
- Sun Valley Elementary SchoolElementary · 474 students
Other Pioneer Elementary schools
28 other US public schools in 12 states are named Pioneer Elementary. Pioneer Elementary School is the 6th largest of the 29.
- Pioneer Elementary SchoolAUBURN, WA · 621 students
- Pioneer Elementary SchoolVancouver, WA · 550 students
- Pioneer ElementaryArlington, WA · 501 students
- Pioneer Elementary SchoolSHELTON, WA · 482 students
- Pioneer Elementary SchoolGig Harbor, WA · 481 students
Nearby schools
- Chief Kamiakin Elementary School0.3 mi · 575
- Harrison Middle School0.4 mi · 820
- Sunnyside High School0.5 mi · 2,122
- SHS Graduation Alliance0.5 mi · 4
- Washington Elementary0.8 mi · 602
- Sierra Vista Middle School1.4 mi · 549
Frequently asked questions
About Pioneer Elementary SchoolHow large is Pioneer Elementary School?
Pioneer Elementary School enrolls approximately 602 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Pioneer Elementary School serve?
Pioneer Elementary School serves grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Pioneer Elementary School have?
Pioneer Elementary School employs 36 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.7:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Pioneer Elementary School?
At Pioneer Elementary School, the student body is approximately 6% White, 92% Hispanic, 0% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is Pioneer Elementary School public or private?
Pioneer Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Sunnyside School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.