Best Schools: How Gig Harbor Ranked In 2022 Niche List

GIG HARBOR, WA — The latest school rankings released by the data analysis company Niche offer a look at how K-12 schools in Gig Harbor compare with each other.

Niche, which released its eighth annual version of the rankings Monday, looks at a variety of criteria in determining a grade for both public and private K-12 schools in Gig Harbor, including academics, teachers and diversity.

Overall, the Peninsula School District scored better than average, with Niche giving the district an overall B+ grade. The district scored well in some aspects, earning an A- in academics and a B+ for college prep, but was held back somewhat by middling diversity and health & safety scores.

Niche found that Peninsula School District had a student-teacher ratio of 18-1, and that at least 61 percent of its students were proficient in math, and 72 percent in reading. Niche ultimately ranked the school the 4th best district in Pierce County, and the 44th best district in Washington (of 252 districts).

Of course, some individual schools performed better than others. Voyager Elementary, Kopachuck Middle School, Gig Harbor High and Artondale Elementary all netted high scores, each earning an A- review. Meanwhile the Henderson Bay Alternative High School fell behind the pack with a C. The remaining Peninsula School District schools all ended up in the B range.

Niche said its 2022 best schools rankings offer a more “personal” view of schools than its rankings in recent years. Significantly less importance was placed on SAT and ACT scores this year, Niche said. Any factor in its methodology that is related to test scores was reduced by one third.

The company combined ratings from students, alumni and parents with quantitative data from the U.S. Department of Education and other sources to evaluate teachers, resources, facility, extracurricular activity opportunities and other factors. Read more about the methodology here.

Across the country, Niche ranked 94,491 public schools, 2,489 private schools and 11,846 school districts to come up with its lists and rankings.

Top 5 Public High Schools:

1. The Davidson Academy in Reno, Nevada
2. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
3. Massachusetts Academy for Math & Science School
4. Maggie Walker Governor’s School in Virginia
5. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Virginia

Top 5 Private High Schools:

1. Phillips Academy in Massachusetts
2. The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut
3. Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut
4. The College Preparatory School in California
5. Groton School in Massachusetts

Top 5 School Districts:

1. Adlai E. Stevenson High School District in Illinois
2. Glenbrook High School District in Illinois
3. Great Neck Public Schools in New York
4. Community High School District 128 in Illinois
5. Jericho Union Free School District in New York

>> See the full Niche rankings here