1
What's the one class at South Whidbey Elementary every student should take?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
485
Elementary
DISTRICT 302 · STATE 380
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH WHIDBEY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530819002240
South Whidbey Elementary
5380 Maxwelton Rd, Langley, WA 98260 · (360) 221-4600 · Island County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL485 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
16.8:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 25.3:1 · STATE 17.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
39%
190 students
DISTRICT 38% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 79 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 72 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 81 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 81 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 77 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 95 | 20% |
Student demographics
35%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 35% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within South Whidbey School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
Smarter Balanced + WCAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
49.6%
WA avg 58.4% . -7.2pp since 2014
Math
41.4%
WA avg 51.2% . -6.5pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 50 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 41 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 7 points since 2014, while math scores are down about 7 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 49.6% | 41.4% |
| 2023-24 | 46.6% | 43.1% |
| 2022-23 | 46.0% | 43.7% |
| 2021-22 | 49.7% | 43.1% |
| 2018-19 | 57.6% | 43.2% |
| 2017-18 | 53.6% | 44.6% |
| 2016-17 | 52.1% | 42.1% |
| 2015-16 | 62.8% | 50.0% |
| 2014-15 | 56.9% | 48.0% |
% 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
47.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
53.9%
based on WA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 48% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 54% 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 →
Where South Whidbey Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Washington | In Island County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 47.7% | #475 of 936 | #5 of 9 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 41.4% | #619 of 1,103 | #7 of 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 49.6% | #518 of 1,102 | #6 of 9 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -0.9pp | #331 of 928 | #5 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 485 | #332 of 1,268 | #2 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.8:1 | #782 of 1,085 | #8 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 35.0% | #975 of 1,088 | #9 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 39.2% | #809 of 1,169 | #8 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -24.7% | #198 of 778 | N/A |
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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
485
-105 (-18%) vs 2020
-6% since 1990-91, when it was 517
Student : Teacher
16.8:1
was 17.4:1
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 | 485 | 28.8 | 16.8:1 | 39% (190) |
| 2023-24 | 484 | 28.4 | 17.0:1 | 38% (186) |
| 2022-23 | 571 | 34 | 16.8:1 | 35% (198) |
| 2020-21 | 590 | 34 | 17.4:1 | 25% (150) |
| 2017-18 | 644 | 35.6 | 18.1:1 | 34% (216) |
| 2015-16 | 512 | 27 | 19.0:1 | 37% (188) |
| 2010-11 | 594 | 27 | 22.0:1 | 31% (182) |
| 2000-01 | 478 | 27 | 17.7:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 517 | 25 | 20.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Whidbey Elementary.
About South Whidbey Elementary
South Whidbey Elementary is a medium-sized elementary school in South Whidbey School District, located in Langley, Washington. It covers kindergarten through 5, with a total enrollment of 485 students. Enrollment is 28% higher than the average for elementary schools in Washington, which is about 380.
Across its 4 schools, South Whidbey School District enrolls 1,207 students. South Whidbey Elementary is one of those schools.
Roughly 80% of students at South Whidbey Elementary are White. Enrollment also includes 10% multiracial and 8% Hispanic. The county population is about 78% White, within a few points of the school. The school's diversity index is 35%, meaning two students picked at random have a 35% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Dividing enrollment by its 28.8 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 16.8:1. That is close to the 17.3:1 average for elementary schools in Washington. South Whidbey Elementary reports 39% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. For comparison, public schools in Island County average 41%.
South Whidbey Elementary's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (47.7%) and its predicted rate (53.9%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Washington schools.
Census estimates describe Island County this way: the median household income is $90,551, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Besides South Whidbey Elementary, Island County has 25 other public schools.
The nearest public school is South Whidbey High School, at about 0.6 miles. Inside a five-mile radius, there are 3 other public schools. Among 8 nearby schools that report test results, South Whidbey Elementary ranks 7th on proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes South Whidbey Elementary as Rural: Fringe.
South Whidbey Elementary's enrollment dropped from 590 in 2020-21 to 485 in 2024-25.
Parents and students can post about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week at South Whidbey Elementary. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Island County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
86,836
Census ACS
Median income
$90,551
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
26
8,561 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in South Whidbey School District
- South Whidbey High SchoolHigh · 390 students
- South Whidbey MiddleMiddle · 290 students
- South Whidbey AcademyHigh · 42 students
- South Whidbey Special ServicesElementary
Other schools in Langley
- South Whidbey High SchoolHigh · 390 students
- South Whidbey MiddleMiddle · 290 students
- South Whidbey AcademyHigh · 42 students
- South Whidbey Special ServicesElementary
Nearby schools
- South Whidbey High School0.6 mi · 390
- South Whidbey Academy0.6 mi · 42
- South Whidbey Middle0.6 mi · 290
- Mukilteo Elementary7.5 mi · 521
- Olympic View Middle School7.7 mi · 851
- Columbia Elementary9.2 mi · 596
Frequently asked questions
About South Whidbey ElementaryHow large is South Whidbey Elementary?
South Whidbey Elementary enrolls approximately 485 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does South Whidbey Elementary serve?
South Whidbey Elementary serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at South Whidbey Elementary?
Approximately 16.8:1 students per teacher at South Whidbey Elementary.
What is the racial breakdown of students at South Whidbey Elementary?
At South Whidbey Elementary, the student body is approximately 80% White, 8% Hispanic, 0% Black, 1% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Is South Whidbey Elementary public or private?
South Whidbey Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by South Whidbey School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.