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GreatSchools Rating

Panther Lake Elementary School

Public | PK-5 | 407 students

Last modified
Community Rating

4 stars

Community Rating by Year
2013:
No new ratings
2012:
Based on 1 rating
2011:
No new ratings
2010:
Based on 1 rating

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7 reviews of this school


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Posted April 20, 2012

I did not have good experiences with this school. In fact, the only good times I had were in Kindergarten. Everything went downhill after first grade. I went to school here when I was younger, and one of the problems I faced was the fact that children were sometimes left unattended in a classroom for long periods of time. The classroom turned into an all-out warzone at times, and it reflected poorly on my score. One student ripped up one of my assignments and I was blamed for it. When the teacher had us line up, I was elbowed in the mouth at one point, which knocked out a tooth. The same student that knocked out my tooth had also previously elbowed a girl from another class in the eye, and he was never punished in any way. Another issue for me was the school's "reading program". It was a ridiculously long extra class, and many times I missed recess because of it. During the class, me and the other students were given 5-page long books that I was able to read in about a minute (Ex: This is my dog. The dog is big. His name is Red. etc). We were expected to read the same book several times for 30 mins-an hour. I was pulled out of this school after 1st grade. I did not like it at all.


Posted November 17, 2010

Two out of 5 of my kids went to Panther lake, in fact I still have one there currently. Mr Capp the principal there is AMAZING!! The staff there is very attentive and keeps on top of the kids not only academically but socially as well.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted July 30, 2007

My Son has been in Panther Lake since Kindergarten. Mr. Rosand is a wonderful teacher...too bad he can't have him the remaining years @ PL.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted April 19, 2007

This is one School that delivers academically. Pantherlake gets parents involved and the result is very positive. Thanks to Mr. Rosand, Miss. Owens and Grandsprey. Parents I will ask you now to get involved.
—Submitted by Anthony Ayo, a parent


Posted February 6, 2006

our son was in the gate program with mr. rosand and this was an excellent experience. he was in a mixed 3/4/5th grade class, beginning in 3rd grade and will complete 5th grade this year. terrific learning experiences.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted July 6, 2005

I am a mother of two african-american boys. I was pleased to find that the school has a diverse student body. Parent involvement is excellent. The parents take an active part in their child's learning. The PTA Board comes up with creative ways to assist the teachers and make learning fun. The district overall is proactive in identifying and resolving areas of concern as it relates to its students of color. I was most impressed with the District's Superintendent, Tom Murphy, in his pro-active remedy to address the disproportionality found in special education referrals, discipline, and tracking for advance placement studies. He implemented a wonderful program to ensure that ALL children receive quality education. A fatal dissatisfaction has been the implementation of the program into the actual classrooms. Excellent in theory, but lacking in practice. Teachers have not made satisfactory efforts of addressing their personal biases to ensure better education.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted March 17, 2005

Panther Lake is a great school! The teachers are so very committed, and the staff really seems to care. It's refreshing to find a good neighborhood school these days-we couldn't be happier here.
—Submitted by Cami Beaudry, a parent


Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.

About these ratings

The Community Rating is the school’s average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.

The test results by subgroup show how the designated group of students is performing in comparison to the general population.
Math

The state average for Math was 65% in 2012.

78 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
62%

2011

 
 
49%

2010

 
 
68%
Reading

The state average for Reading was 69% in 2012.

78 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
65%

2011

 
 
64%

2010

 
 
75%
Scale: % basic, level 3, or level 4

About the tests


In 2011-2012 Washington used the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) to test students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8, in writing in grades 4 and 7, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The MSP is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Washington. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

See Washington's state standards

Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Math

The state average for Math was 59% in 2012.

59 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
53%

2011

 
 
48%

2010

 
 
69%
Reading

The state average for Reading was 71% in 2012.

59 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
70%

2011

 
 
56%

2010

 
 
68%
Writing

The state average for Writing was 61% in 2012.

57 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
73%

2011

 
 
54%

2010

 
 
35%
Scale: % basic, level 3, or level 4

About the tests


In 2011-2012 Washington used the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) to test students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8, in writing in grades 4 and 7, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The MSP is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Washington. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

See Washington's state standards

Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Math

The state average for Math was 64% in 2012.

55 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
73%

2011

 
 
70%

2010

 
 
71%
Reading

The state average for Reading was 71% in 2012.

54 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
61%

2011

 
 
67%

2010

 
 
68%
Science

The state average for Science was 66% in 2012.

54 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
50%

2011

 
 
29%

2010

 
 
30%
Scale: % basic, level 3, or level 4

About the tests


In 2011-2012 Washington used the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) to test students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8, in writing in grades 4 and 7, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The MSP is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Washington. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

See Washington's state standards

Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Math

All Students62%
Female59%
Male63%
Black50%
Asiann/a
Asian/Pacific Islander71%
Hispanic56%
Native Americann/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White71%
Low income53%
Not low income74%
Special education29%
Not special education69%
Limited English50%
Migrantn/a

Reading

All Students65%
Female68%
Male63%
Black58%
Asiann/a
Asian/Pacific Islander71%
Hispanic67%
Native Americann/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White67%
Low income62%
Not low income71%
Special education29%
Not special education73%
Limited English38%
Migrantn/a
Scale: % basic, level 3, or level 4

About the tests


In 2011-2012 Washington used the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) to test students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8, in writing in grades 4 and 7, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The MSP is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Washington. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

The different student groups are identified by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. If there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See Washington's state standards

Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Math

All Students53%
Female50%
Male55%
Blackn/a
Asiann/a
Asian/Pacific Islandern/a
Hispanic55%
Native Americann/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White54%
Low income42%
Not low income78%
Special educationn/a
Not special education56%
Limited Englishn/a
Migrantn/a

Reading

All Students70%
Female68%
Male71%
Blackn/a
Asiann/a
Asian/Pacific Islandern/a
Hispanic55%
Native Americann/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White79%
Low income59%
Not low income95%
Special educationn/a
Not special education74%
Limited Englishn/a
Migrantn/a

Writing

All Students73%
Female79%
Male68%
Blackn/a
Asiann/a
Asian/Pacific Islandern/a
Hispanic64%
Native Americann/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White63%
Low income68%
Not low income83%
Special educationn/a
Not special education72%
Limited Englishn/a
Migrantn/a
Scale: % basic, level 3, or level 4

About the tests


In 2011-2012 Washington used the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) to test students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8, in writing in grades 4 and 7, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The MSP is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Washington. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

The different student groups are identified by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. If there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See Washington's state standards

Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Math

All Students73%
Female80%
Male67%
Blackn/a
Asian92%
Asian/Pacific Islander88%
Hispanicn/a
Native Americann/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White69%
Low income70%
Not low income77%
Special educationn/a
Not special education83%
Limited Englishn/a
Migrantn/a

Reading

All Students61%
Female58%
Male63%
Blackn/a
Asian77%
Asian/Pacific Islander65%
Hispanicn/a
Native Americann/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White69%
Low income61%
Not low income62%
Special educationn/a
Not special education70%
Limited Englishn/a
Migrantn/a

Science

All Students50%
Female38%
Male60%
Blackn/a
Asian69%
Asian/Pacific Islander59%
Hispanicn/a
Native Americann/a
Pacific Islandern/a
White46%
Low income42%
Not low income62%
Special educationn/a
Not special education57%
Limited Englishn/a
Migrantn/a
Scale: % basic, level 3, or level 4

About the tests


In 2011-2012 Washington used the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) to test students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8, in writing in grades 4 and 7, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The MSP is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Washington. The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

The different student groups are identified by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. If there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See Washington's state standards

Source: Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Breaking down the GreatSchools Rating

GreatSchools Ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results for schools. Use the breakdown ratings below to compare types of students at this school. Learn more »


Student ethnicity

Ethnicity This school State average
White 31% 64%
Asian/Pacific Islander 26% 9%
Black 17% 6%
Not provided 13% N/A
Hispanic 12% 16%
Native American 1% 3%
Source: WA OSPI, 2009-2010

Student subgroups

  This school District averageState average
Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program 50%N/A42%
Special education 11%N/A13%
Transitional bilingual 20%N/A8%
Source: WA OSPI, 2009-2010

Student-teacher ratio

  This school District averageState average
Students per classroom teacher 17N/A17
Source: WA OSPI, 2009-2010

Teacher experience

  This school District averageState average
Average years educational experience 11N/A12
Source: WA OSPI, 2009-2010

Teacher education levels

  This school District averageState average
Master's degree or higher 70%N/A66%
Source: WA OSPI, 2009-2010
Notice an inaccuracy? Let us know!

34424 1st Av South
Federal Way, WA 98003
Phone: (253) 945-3600

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