Best Public Elementary Schools on the Eastside
The Eastside is the academic core of public elementary education in Washington. Of the roughly twenty-five elementary schools in the state with both math and ELA proficiency rates above 85 percent on the Smarter Balanced assessment, more than half sit in just three districts — Bellevue, Lake Washington, and Issaquah — and most cluster in a tight geographic ring running from Medina northeast through Sammamish and the Issaquah Highlands. Mercer Island School District anchors the same band on its island. The pattern reflects the unusually high concentration of dual-income technical-professional households in those zip codes, the influence of robust school-foundation funding, and decades of stable district-level capital investment.
Christa McAuliffe Elementary in Sammamish (Lake Washington School District) leads the list with roughly 93 percent proficient in both math and ELA, and offers the district's Highly Capable program. Medina Elementary in the Bellevue School District follows with proficiency rates over 92 percent — Medina is ranked #4 in Washington elementary schools by U.S. News and serves the small lakefront community of Medina, where the school operates as the district's geographic and demographic anchor. Cascade Ridge in Sammamish (Issaquah SD) clears 92 percent in both subjects and ranks third in the state on SchoolDigger's elementary list. Somerset Elementary in Bellevue, the third top-ranked Bellevue SD school, completes the cluster of schools above 91 percent.
Lake Washington School District is the most heavily represented in the top ten, with four schools (Christa McAuliffe, Explorer Community School, Samantha Smith, and Horace Mann). Explorer Community is unusual: it is a Lake Washington choice school with very small enrollment, around 60 students, focused on multi-age and project-based instruction. The Bellevue cluster (Medina, Somerset, Cherry Crest) sits in the historically wealthier west and southwest pockets of the district. Issaquah's strength comes from Cascade Ridge and Endeavour, both clearing 88 percent. Lakeridge Elementary on Mercer Island, which posts the high-80s scores typical of MISD's four-elementary system, rounds out the list.
Every top-ten school posts ELA proficiency within roughly four percentage points of its math proficiency, with no major gaps in either direction. This reflects relatively even instruction across the two domains in these districts, in contrast with some other regions where math proficiency lags or leads ELA by ten points or more.
Every top-ten school posts ELA proficiency within roughly four percentage points of its math proficiency. This reflects relatively balanced instruction across the two domains in these districts, in contrast with some regions where math proficiency lags or leads ELA by ten points or more.
Ranked schools
- 001CHRISTA MCAULIFFE ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING94%
- 002MEDINA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLBELLEVUE SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING93%
- 003CASCADE RIDGE ELEMENTARYISSAQUAH SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING93%
- 004SOMERSET ELEMENTARY SCHOOLBELLEVUE SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING92%
- 005EXPLORER COMMUNITY SCHOOLLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING91%
- 006SUNRISE ELEMENTARYNORTHSHORE SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING91%
- 007CHERRY CREST ELEMENTARY SCHOOLBELLEVUE SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING89%
- 008ENDEAVOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLISSAQUAH SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING89%
- 009SAMANTHA SMITH ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING88%
- 010LAKERIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLMERCER ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING88%
- 011HORACE MANN ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING88%
- 012LOUISA MAY ALCOTT ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING86%
- 013DISCOVERY ELEMENTARYISSAQUAH SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING86%
- 014ISLAND PARK ELEMENTARYMERCER ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING86%
- 015JING MEI ELEMENTARY SCHOOLBELLEVUE SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING86%
- 016LAKEVIEW ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING84%
- 017CASCADE VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSNOQUALMIE VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING84%
- 018COUGAR RIDGE ELEMENTARYISSAQUAH SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING83%
- 019WEST MERCER ELEMENTARYMERCER ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING83%
- 020LAURA INGALLS WILDER ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING82%
- 021ROSA PARKS ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING82%
- 022BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING82%
- 023JOHN J. AUDUBON ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING82%
- 024RACHEL CARSON ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING82%
- 025MARGARET MEAD ELEMENTARYLAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT · KING81%
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