Schools > Public > Mccarver

McCarver in Seattle, Washington

McCarver Detail

(253) 571-1390
2111 S J St
Tacoma, WA 98405
Levels: PK-5
District: Tacoma School District


McCarver Census Data

Census InfoValueYear
White, non-Hispanic:25.3% (2008)
Black, non-Hispanic:52.3% (2008)
Hispanic:8.8% (2008)
Multiracial:0% (2008)
Asian:9.6% (2008)
Pacific Islander:2.5% (2008)
Native American or Native Alaskan:1.4% (2008)
Unspecified:0% (2008)
Student Teacher Ratio:13% (2008)
Percent Free and Reduced Price Lunch:95.12% (2008)

McCarver Ratings Summary

Average Quality Rating4

McCarver Reviews

The energy that the youth and families have put into reading, the zina linnek project and community pride is great!
This review was posted by a parent.

All my children and 2 of my grandchildren have or are attending McMcarver. The teachers are fantastic and very caring. They go out of their way to help their students succeed. The administration is very supporting and caring towards the students and staff.
This review was posted by a other.

McCarver recently won a Boeing award that is given to one Washington school per year. This was due to 7-8 years of intense work, with the help of our nation's Reading First grant. Our children scored in the lowest quartile when I began working there in 2001. Our great kids have gone from scoring in the 20 percentile to the 80 percentile in 2008! McCarver is in the middle of the Hill Top area of Tacoma which was once overcome with gangs and crime. We have an average of 150% turnover of students within each school year! Our poverty rate averages around 95%, clearly the highest in our state or most states in the nation! Yet, our k-3 grades have out performed the entire district in reading scores for the last four years! Our dedicated staff and intense training as well as our love for our kids has put McCarver on the map- We have been the talk of the state for years and it is time that our teachers and students begin to reap some reward for their hard work. McCarver may well be the hardest place to work in the city and possibly the state, yet as a verteran teacher of 29 years, whose senority would allow me to work anywhere/at the easiest schools, I choose to work at McCarver. Our students not only deserve, but need the best teachers. I do not know what the GreatSchools rating is, but in the hearts of our parents and students, McCarver rates a 10 out of 10!! I challenge you to come and see how McCarver truly deserve this reward more than any other school...I challenge you to find out just why McCarver deserve your vote!
This review was posted by a teacher.

I love McCarver because of its staff. They care about the children and the community. They are passionate about working together to achieve high academic standards and excellence in education.
This review was posted by a other.

Here at McCarver, we like to think of ourselves as a family. I have worked in other schools prior to making McCarver my home, and the feeling I get from the staff and families here is beyond any other that I have experienced. We have many challenges here at McCarver and with the community and other outside supporters, we are able to help our students and families with needs that wouldn't normally be met. I am proud to be a McCarver Eagle.
This review was posted by a parent.

The children at McCarver are actively involved in a fundraising effort to build a community park and playground in memory of classmate Zina Linnik, who was abducted and murdered two summers ago. With support from parents and teachers, these kids who live in an economically disadvantaged area of town, have traveled to City Hall and the state capital to advocate for the park. These children are bright stars who are learning to truly shine in this school setting.
This review was posted by a parent.

McCarver is the place where learning is supported by love. Our staff is in love with teaching, student achievement, and the students. Daily I hear students say, 'I love this place.'
This review was posted by a other.

Great kids and teachers; strong community support
This review was posted by a other.

McCarver has the best kids, the most caring and innovative teachers, and awesome leadership. The parents and community members pitch in to help create enjoyment in learning and miracles everyday!
This review was posted by a other.

McCarver has combined gifted children programs into all its activities and is the school home for a very diverse student population. Its late counselor, Jerry McCarthy, was the epitome of what we want for our schools.
This review was posted by a parent.

The best, most caring teachers and administration around!
This review was posted by a other.

McCarver students have PRIDE and a staff that gives their students 100%.
This review was posted by a teacher.

If you are moving from a school district where parental involvement, community support and family focus are prominent, this is the school for you. Music, the arts and extracurricular activities are well above the norm. Parental involvement, Family Fun Nights, and being one of two schools in the state to be part of the Red Ribbon Program (support from The Mayor and City Council, TPD, TFD, DEA, FBI, ICE, and Local Hospital groups that provide service free (including Glasses, Shots, etc.) We may be a School with over a 98% Free and Reduced Lunch Program but there's no Nose in the air/snob types like at high priced private schools like Annie Wright and others. All are loved and accepted here at McCarver with PRIDE.
This review was posted by a parent.

If you are moving from a school district where parental involvement, community support and family focus are prominent, this is not the school for you. Music, the arts and extracurricular activities fall short of being what most consider viable and parental involvement equates to making sure the siblings get each other to school. If your children are strong students, highly driven, well-mannered and against bullying and profanity in their educational environment, this is not the school for them. Tacoma's schools, by and large, are failing most Washington State requirements and only Annie Wright's private school lives up to standards most involved parents have come to expect from the educational experience in better-equipped districts. In a decade, the district may have things turned around because the area is improving. Unless you are a decade away from having school-aged children, this is not the school (or district) for you.
This review was posted by a parent.