2024 Annual Report: Demonstrated Excellence in Academics

Editor’s Note: This story appeared on Page 12 of the 2024 Mercer Island School District Annual Report which was delivered to all Mercer Island residents via regular mail on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.

Demonstrated Excellence in Academics

As we reflect on the academic progress of our students, it is evident that our school system continues to provide a supportive and enriching environment for growth. In English Language Arts (ELA), 3rd graders show consistent performance, with a slight increase from 84.5% of students at or above grade level in the 2022-23 school year to 84.6% in 2023-24. The 4th grade has experienced a significant improvement, rising from 83.4% at or above grade level in 2021-22 to an impressive 89.8% in 2023-24, showcasing the effectiveness of our instructional strategies. Similarly, the 5th grade has increased from 84.0% in the previous year (22-23) to 88.6% in 2023-24, indicating a positive trend in student engagement and comprehension. With the implementation of our newest ELA curriculum, Benchmark Advance, we are beginning to see the growth in our students. The investment that our Schools Foundation has supported in professional learning around literacy instruction continues to yield positive results that we anticipate will continue to grow. 

The 6th grade demonstrates steady growth, moving from 69.1% in 2021-22 to 74.9% in 2023-24, reflecting ongoing development in our curriculum. Our 10th graders continue to excel, with scores rising from 82.5% in 2022-23 to 82.9% in 2023-24. The focus in the 24-25 school year at our middle school is instruction in the area of comprehension associated with informational text, across all content areas. Our early data in the winter of 2025 demonstrates growth that we hope to see mirrored on our Smarter Balanced Assessments.

In Mathematics, the 3rd grade demonstrates growth from 83.2% in 2022-23 to 83.8% in 2023-24, reflecting a strong foundation in early math skills. The 4th grade shows improvement as well, moving from 85.7% in 2022-21 to 86.3% in 2023-24. The 5th grade has made a notable increase from 76.9% in the previous year (2022-23) to 83.5% in 2023-24, which signifies effective teaching methods. Similarly in K-2 math, our new curriculum, iReady Classroom Mathematics, is showing growth in our youngest learners. 

The 6th grade experienced a slight uptick from 70.8% in 2021-22 to 72.5% in 2023-24, demonstrating progress in student understanding of math concepts. Our 10th graders showed positive growth, moving from 71.3% in 2022-23 to 75.9% in 2023-24, reflecting resilience and growth among our high school students. 

The upward trends in several grades illustrate that our school system is an excellent environment for student growth and achievement. We remain committed to using this data to continue improving our instructional practices and ensuring that every student reaches their full potential. Mercer Island continues to demonstrate excellence in academics, as compared to regional districts. All but one grade level in elementary math are the highest of our comparative schools. Our middle school scores are in the top three regional school scores, similar to the high school scores, with high school math scoring the highest of our comparative schools.