Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District)
K-12 School in Seattle, WA · 5215 46TH AVE S · 98118
At a glance
Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) is a 59,955-square-foot K-12 school at 5215 46TH AVE S in Seattle, Washington, built in 1989. In its 2025 Seattle benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 56 out of 100 (grade C), a site energy-use intensity of 31.1 kBtu/ft² and 17 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 17% of the 152 scored K-12 school buildings in Seattle.
Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920) · reporting year 2025
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 56 (band C) |
| Site EUI | 31.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 83.1 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 17 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 0.3 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 518,743 kWh |
| Natural gas | 1,347 therms |
| Gross floor area | 59,955 sq ft |
| Source record | seattle:127:2025 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025latest | 56 | -12 | 31.1 kBtu/ft² | 17 tCO₂e |
| 2024 | 68 | +6 | 27.6 kBtu/ft² | 18 tCO₂e |
| 2023 | 62 | +11 | 30.0 kBtu/ft² | 19 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 51 | -10 | 34.8 kBtu/ft² | 23 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 61 | -21 | 30.9 kBtu/ft² | 21 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 82 | +10 | 23.1 kBtu/ft² | 18 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 72 | +1 | 26.4 kBtu/ft² | 17 tCO₂e |
| 2018 | 71 | -23 | 26.3 kBtu/ft² | 16 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 94 | +1 | 29.5 kBtu/ft² | 20 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 93 | +1 | 27.2 kBtu/ft² | 19 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 92 | 26.8 kBtu/ft² | 14 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)
Seattle's Building Emissions Performance Standard (adopted 2023) applies to buildings over 20,000 sq ft: benchmarking verification is due 2027–2030 and initial emissions targets 2031–2035, reaching net zero by 2041–2050, with fines for non-compliance.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 5215 46TH AVE S
- City
- Seattle
- State
- Washington
- ZIP
- 98118
- Coordinates
- 47.55478, -122.27596
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Seattle · biggest emitters
How does Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) compare with other K-12 school buildings in Seattle?
The latest disclosures cover 153 K-12 school buildings in Seattle, out of 3,871 buildings citywide. Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District)'s ENERGY STAR score of 56 compares with an average of 71 across the 152 that report a score; it scores higher than 17% of them and lower than 82%. Its site EUI of 31.1 kBtu/ft² is about 19% below the average of 38.3 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 0.3 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 75% below the group average of 1.1 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 59,955 sq ft, it is about 24% below the average floor area of 79,329 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1989, 19 years later than the group's average year built (1970). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 6,548 K-12 school buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 52.7 kBtu/ft².
How has Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District)'s energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 11 Seattle disclosures for Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District), covering report years 2015–2025. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 92 in 2015 to 56 in 2025 (-36 points); its best year on file was 2017, at 94. Site EUI moved from 26.8 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 31.1 kBtu/ft² (2025), an 16% increase. Reported emissions went from 14 tCO₂e to 17 tCO₂e over the same span (up 20%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 56 mean?
ENERGY STAR scores run from 1 to 100 and are computed by the EPA's Portfolio Manager as a percentile against similar buildings nationwide, adjusted for climate, size and use: a score of 56 means the building performs better than about 56% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 56 falls in band C — below median (55–69). It sits 19 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. In Seattle, 69% of scored buildings are at 75 or above.
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District)'s 31.1 kBtu/ft² across 59,955 sq ft works out to about 1.9 billion Btu (546 MWh-equivalent) in 2025. Its source EUI of 83.1 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 518,743 kWh of electricity and 1,347 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) to report its energy use?
Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) reports under the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920), the legal basis of Seattle's Building Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2025 disclosure (source record seattle:127:2025). Seattle's Building Emissions Performance Standard (adopted 2023) applies to buildings over 20,000 sq ft: benchmarking verification is due 2027–2030 and initial emissions targets 2031–2035, reaching net zero by 2041–2050, with fines for non-compliance.
More K-12 school buildings in Seattle
- Northwest School· 58,937 sq ft · score 65 (C)
- Gatewood Elementary School (Sps-District)· 58,118 sq ft · score 85 (A)
- Seattle World School At T.t. Minor (Sps-District)· 57,048 sq ft · score 78 (B)
- Graham Hill Elementary School (Sps-District)· 56,228 sq ft · score 95 (A)
- Seattle Hebrew Academy· 56,072 sq ft · score 73 (B)
- West Woodland Park Elementary (Sps-District)· 55,513 sq ft · score 82 (B)
- K-12 School buildings in Seattle· 153 benchmarked
- All Seattle benchmarked buildings· Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)
- Most efficient large buildings in Seattle
- Least efficient large buildings in Seattle
- Biggest emitters in Seattle
Frequently asked questions
What is Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District)'s energy grade?
Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) scores 56 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band C, below median (55–69) — in its 2025 Seattle disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) use?
Its 2025 site energy-use intensity was 31.1 kBtu/ft² (83.1 kBtu/ft² source) across 59,955 sq ft, including 518,743 kWh of electricity and 1,347 therms of natural gas.
What are Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District)'s carbon emissions?
Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) reported 17 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (0.3 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2025.
Where is Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District)?
Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) is at 5215 46TH AVE S, in Seattle, Washington 98118. Its coordinates are 47.55478, -122.27596 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Building Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) and when was it built?
Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) has 59,955 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2025 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1989 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District) covered by the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)?
Yes — it appears in the 2025 Building Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920).
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About this data
Source: Building Energy Benchmarking (Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Orca At Whitworth Elementary School (Sps-District), Seattle, Washington — 2025 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/seattle/orca-at-whitworth-elementary-school-sps-district-02fa2bbd (data as of October 2, 2026).