Can I use Kittitas County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Kittitas County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Kittitas County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Kittitas County?

Start with the 20 listed public schools and 6 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Kittitas County Schools & Education

Name: Kittitas County, Washington Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Kittitas County, Washington

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

56/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

87.2%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

87.2%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 81.4%

Per-Pupil Spending

$8,899

National avg $13,239

State avg $9,250

School Score

56/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 51/100

State Score Position

of 39 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Kittitas County

Measured School Summary

Kittitas County performs at an average level with a school score of 56/100 and a solid graduation rate of 87.2%.

Funding Context

Kittitas County spends $8,899 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 11% above the Washington average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 5.8 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 4% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Kittitas County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

20 public schools and 6 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

56/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #9 of 39 Washington counties with school score data.

Completion

87.2%

5.8 pts above the state average

Funding context

$8,899

$351 below the state average

School coverage

6 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Kittitas County has 20 public schools across 6 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Kittitas County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Mixed school landscape

Kittitas County has enough school-level records to compare the local mix, but no single county metric should be treated as the answer. Use district shape, grade span, and data coverage together.

State position

of 39 Washington counties with school score data. The county score is 5 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

Ellensburg School District

Elementary to high school visible

3,238 students

Elementary 4Middle 1High 1Other 2

8 listed schools in this county slice.

Cle Elum-Roslyn School District

Elementary to high school visible

972 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 2Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

Kittitas School District

Elementary and high visible

613 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 2Other 1

4 listed schools in this county slice.

Thorp School District

Other grade structure

257 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 0Other 1

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

Ellensburg School District is the largest listed district slice, with 8 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Kittitas County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Kittitas County district systems?

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in Kittitas County, Washington

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

A Compact Educational Framework

Kittitas County maintains 20 public schools managed by six school districts for its 5,204 students. The system features seven elementary and six high schools, creating a streamlined pathway from early learning to graduation. There are currently no charter schools operating within the county.

Ellensburg Leads the Local Region

The Ellensburg School District is the primary educator, serving 3,238 students across eight schools. Cle Elum-Roslyn and Kittitas School Districts manage the remaining student population with four schools each. These districts emphasize community-based learning without the presence of alternative charter models.

Small-Town Feel and Rural Learning

Education here is defined by 11 town-based and nine rural schools with a modest average size of 289 students. Ellensburg High School is the largest campus in the county, hosting 938 students. This smaller scale ensures that most students experience a tight-knit, personalized academic environment.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Kittitas County

Reported Enrollment

5,204

20 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary7

Middle2

High6

Other5

6 School Districts in Kittitas County

Ellensburg School District

8 schools

3,238 students

Cle Elum-Roslyn School District

4 schools

972 students

Kittitas School District

4 schools

613 students

Thorp School District

1 school

257 students

Easton School District

2 schools

82 students

Damman School District

1 school

42 students

20 Public Schools in Kittitas County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

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Showing 20 of 20 matching schools

Public schools in Kittitas County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
Ellensburg High School	Profile	Ellensburg School District	Ellensburg, 98926Town: Distant	9–12	High	938
Morgan Middle School	Record	Ellensburg School District	Ellensburg, 98926Town: Distant	6–8	Middle	778
Cle Elum Roslyn Elementary	Record	Cle Elum-Roslyn School District	Cle Elum, 98922Town: Distant	PK–5	Primary	458
Valley View Elementary School	Record	Ellensburg School District	Ellensburg, 98936Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	395
Mt. Stuart Elementary	Record	Ellensburg School District	Ellensburg, 98926Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	356
Lincoln Elementary	Record	Ellensburg School District	Ellensburg, 98926Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	338
Kittitas High School	Record	Kittitas School District	Kittitas, 98934Rural: Distant	6–12	High	334
Ida Nason Aronica Elementary	Record	Ellensburg School District	Ellensburg, 98926Town: Distant	KG–5	Primary	279
Kittitas Elementary School	Record	Kittitas School District	Kittitas, 98934Rural: Distant	KG–5	Primary	270
Thorp Elem & Jr Sr High	Record	Thorp School District	Thorp, 98946Rural: Distant	KG–12	Other	257
Cle Elum Roslyn High School	Record	Cle Elum-Roslyn School District	Cle Eum, 98922Town: Distant	9–12	High	256
Walter Strom Middle School	Record	Cle Elum-Roslyn School District	Cle Elum, 98922Town: Distant	6–8	Middle	236
K-12 Ellensburg Learning Center	Record	Ellensburg School District	Ellensburg, 98926Town: Distant	KG–12	Alternative	94
Easton School	Record	Easton School District	Easton, 98925Rural: Distant	KG–12	Other	82
Early Learning Center	Record	Ellensburg School District	Ellensburg, 98926Town: Distant	PK	Special Education	60
Damman Elementary	Record	Damman School District	Ellensburg, 98926Rural: Fringe	KG–5	Primary	42
Swiftwater Alternative High School	Record	Cle Elum-Roslyn School District	Cle Elum, 98922Rural: Fringe	9–12	Alternative	22
Parke Creek Treatment Ctr	Record	Kittitas School District	Ellensburg, 98926Rural: Distant	8–12	High	9
Easton Secondary School	Record	Easton School District	Easton, 98925Rural: Distant	7–12	High	0
Kittitas B-5 Special Ed Program	Record	Kittitas School District	Kittitas, 98934Rural: Distant	PK	Special Education	0

Ellensburg High School

Ellensburg School District

Ellensburg, 98926 / Town: Distant

Profile9–12High938 students

Morgan Middle School

Ellensburg School District

Ellensburg, 98926 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle778 students

Cle Elum Roslyn Elementary

Cle Elum-Roslyn School District

Cle Elum, 98922 / Town: Distant

RecordPK–5Primary458 students

Valley View Elementary School

Ellensburg School District

Ellensburg, 98936 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary395 students

Mt. Stuart Elementary

Ellensburg School District

Ellensburg, 98926 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary356 students

Lincoln Elementary

Ellensburg School District

Ellensburg, 98926 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary338 students

Kittitas High School

Kittitas School District

Kittitas, 98934 / Rural: Distant

Record6–12High334 students

Ida Nason Aronica Elementary

Ellensburg School District

Ellensburg, 98926 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary279 students

Kittitas Elementary School

Kittitas School District

Kittitas, 98934 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary270 students

Thorp Elem & Jr Sr High

Thorp School District

Thorp, 98946 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–12Other257 students

Cle Elum Roslyn High School

Cle Elum-Roslyn School District

Cle Eum, 98922 / Town: Distant

Record9–12High256 students

Walter Strom Middle School

Cle Elum-Roslyn School District

Cle Elum, 98922 / Town: Distant

Record6–8Middle236 students

K-12 Ellensburg Learning Center

Ellensburg School District

Ellensburg, 98926 / Town: Distant

RecordKG–12Alternative94 students

Easton School

Easton School District

Easton, 98925 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–12Other82 students

Early Learning Center

Ellensburg School District

Ellensburg, 98926 / Town: Distant

RecordPKSpecial Education60 students

Damman Elementary

Damman School District

Ellensburg, 98926 / Rural: Fringe

RecordKG–5Primary42 students

Swiftwater Alternative High School

Cle Elum-Roslyn School District

Cle Elum, 98922 / Rural: Fringe

Record9–12Alternative22 students

Parke Creek Treatment Ctr

Kittitas School District

Ellensburg, 98926 / Rural: Distant

Record8–12High9 students

Easton Secondary School

Easton School District

Easton, 98925 / Rural: Distant

Record7–12High0 students

Kittitas B-5 Special Ed Program

Kittitas School District

Kittitas, 98934 / Rural: Distant

RecordPKSpecial Education0 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$8,899

State avg $9,250

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Kittitas County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Washington counties have the highest graduation rates?

Wahkiakum County (95.0%), Lincoln County (91.7%), and Garfield County (90.0%) currently lead Washington among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Washington?

Across Washington counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $9,250. The highest current county values are Skamania County ($10,545), Ferry County ($10,380), and Pend Oreille County ($10,253). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Kittitas County?

Kittitas County has a school score of 56/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Kittitas County?

The high school graduation rate in Kittitas County is 87.2%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Kittitas County spend per student?

Kittitas County spends $8,899 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Kittitas County, Washington — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Kittitas County, Washington?

What are the major school districts in Kittitas County, Washington?

What is the school experience like in Kittitas County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Jefferson County

Washington

+1 pts

57/100

School score

Skamania County

Washington

-1 pts

55/100

School score

Island County

Washington

+2 pts

58/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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