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Samantha Smith Elementary

Lake Washington School District · Elementary · grades K-5 · 23305 NE 14th St, Sammamish, WA 98074-4441

Location

23305 NE 14th St, Sammamish, WA 98074-4441

Academic snapshot

Meeting standard — latest year
87.7%
SBAC ELA+Math combined, 2024-25
Meeting standard — 3-year
87.6%
#13 of 558 elementary schools region-wide · #2 of 32 in this district
Exceeding standard — latest year
65.9%
SBAC Level 4, the top score band
Exceeding standard — 3-year
68.1%
#16 of 558 elementary schools region-wide · #3 of 32 in this district
3-year trend

Who attends

Students from low-income homes
3.3%
English language learners
12.7%
Highly Capable program
26.1%
Enrollment
545
Kids per typical block
—
Density band: unknown

Teachers

Teachers (latest)
41
Avg years experience
12.9
MA-degree share
75.6%
3-year experience trend

Avg years and MA-degree share are direct OSPI publications; the 3-year trend is our derivation. From data.wa.gov/yp28-ks6d.

Highly Capable / gifted pathway

Curated from district Highly Capable program pages, with observed-at dates and confidence labels.

Research dossier

Samantha Smith Elementary: What The Data Says

Samantha Smith Elementary is an elementary school in Lake Washington School District. The local dataset puts it at grade span K-5 with enrollment of 545. The headline academic number: 87.6% combined ELA/math meeting standard across the available three-year data, with 87.7% in the latest year.

The useful question is not just whether the scores are high. It is whether the school combines academics, access, peer depth, and day-to-day fit in a way that works for a specific child.

The Short Version

  • Local structured data: 87.6% combined ELA/math over available three-year data; 88.1% ELA and 87.2% math.
  • Access is the first filter: Attendance-area school. Home-address assignment for neighborhood schools; variance/choice process for non-boundary placement.
  • Program status is a live issue: LWSD shifted K-5 Highly Capable services from a pull-out model to Classroom-Based Services (CBS) beginning in the 2025-26 school year (LWSD Accelerated Programs).
  • There is public evidence of advanced peer depth: Samantha Smith Elementary received the 2024-25 OSPI Washington School Recognition Program award for Growth among students receiving special education services (LWSD News Release - OSPI Recognition).
  • The surrounding block group is High for kid density, about 6.3 estimated kids per typical block.

Researched 2026-06-10. Citations and claim ledger included in the full dossier.

That is the free excerpt. The full dossier continues with the complete evidence review: academic outcomes in context, advanced-peer depth, program and access analysis, culture signals, logistics, neighborhood context, open questions, and every citation.

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