Elementary Special Education - South of Seattle (Tacoma, Puyallup: to rent, best school)

[AZFamilytoWA]

Hi,

We are moving to WA due to husbands new job in Tacoma. We have an 8 year old with cerebral palsy and developmental delays. What is the best school district in Tacoma, or near Tacoma?

What is the worst school district?

We need to rent a place so we want to make sure we rent in the best school district.

Issaquah and Lake Washington district are too far for his commute.

Any assistance you could provide would be great.

Thanks

[Diana Holbrook]

I don't know which is best, but the Districts to check out, which are nearby and commutable to Tacoma include:

Tacoma
Franklin Pierce
University Place
Gig Harbor - Peninsula
Puyallup
Bethel

I say include because there may be others I'm forgetting, but those are the biggest.

[texasdiver]

Niche is a reasonably accurate web site for comparing districts at a macro level.

For special ed it is really going to depend on the individual staff at each school. It also a tough subject area to stick with as a teacher so lots of turnover. I've taught at a variety of different schools and districts and the special ed departments and staff always seemed to have the highest turnover because of the burnout. So anything you find about a school or district this year or last year might be completely different next year anyway.

The honest truth is that the most affluent district in your area is likely to have the most resources. That is usually the case. Poorer districts are just going to be spread more thin with so many kids with a variety of special needs and remedial issues.

For Tacoma metro area that is probably going to be University Place:
Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

That said, I don't think there are any "bad" or problematic districts in Pierce County. Your child will probably be just fine no matter where you choose to live.