An Introduction to K-12 Education in Seattle

By April L. Karbowsky
Staff Writer - SeattleSchools.com
April 8, 2005

If you have children and are moving to Seattle, or if you simply want to relocate to a different part of the city, how do you ensure that your children will receive the best education that you can possibly provide for them? There are several things to think about - public vs. private school; educational costs; the type of curriculum offered; how a school rates on both local and national levels as far as educational achievement test scores go; what overall reputation does a school have; what are the educational issues in the school system and how are they being addressed.

Choosing a School: Public vs. Private

Choosing the type of school for your children to attend can be based on various factors - some listed above, and others such as religious affiliation, cost for education, ethnic diversity, and more.

Public Schools

The Seattle Public School system is broken down into nine districts that encompass 98 educational facilities. These schools most often go from grades K-5 for elementary school, then grades 6-8 for middle school, with 9-12th grades for high schools.

While the public school system in Seattle is considered to be one of the best in the state, it has had its share of difficulties. Cuts in funding and other resources have been a major issue. In addition, administrators of the system have recognized a disparity between educational achievements of different races as well. To correct this, a new plan is being implemented beginning in the 2005/2006 school year. The Seattle Public Schools Plan for Student Success [PDF] is an outline that covers the changes that the school system expects to make over the next five years to bring educational equality to students of all races and nationalities.

Private Schools

There are 59 private schools in Seattle. Of these, only one covers education continuously from Kindergarten through 12th grade; 11 are for elementary education only, 32 are elementary through middle/jr. high, 3 are for middle/jr. high only, and 12 are considered high schools.

The Seattle Times: School Guide provides excellent information about these schools, including the class sizes, acceptance rates, expected openings, and more. Information about various rankings, such as most expensive tuition rates and college preparatory programs can be found through this site as well.

Funding an Education

How Public Schools Are Funded In Seattle

When many young couples move into their first home, be it a rental or their first home purchase, they often don't understand how the taxes of the area affects the quality of the educational system in the associated area. In some areas, a town or city levies a tax that is directly applied towards funding the area's school system. These taxes can have quite a range, usually depending on the market values of properties in the neighborhood - in many cases, the more affluent neighborhoods usually collect higher taxes, and therefore can pump back more dollars into the school and its community, while more economically distressed areas collect less taxes and have less to put towards the educational needs of their citizens.

Property taxes for the Seattle area are levied based upon the yearly assessed (real) value of a home. The rate or amount which goes to the state of Washington is $2.78 per $1000.00 and the county resided in levies an additional rate of 30 to 35 cents per $1000.00 of property value.

Costs for Attending Private Schools

Private schools in the Seattle area are close to evenly split between religious-based and secular education. According to the Seattle Times, the costs for attending private schools in the area can vary widely depending on the type of school chosen. Some examples of the highest annual tuitions follow:

A further survey of the information provided by this site shows that the most expensive schools are secular with averages of $9,500.00 per year, while for religious schools the average tuition is in the $5,000.00 per year range.

Curriculum

Curriculum styles can vary depending on the type of school and the age level that is being taught. Discipline-based, Montessori, and college-preparatory programs are just some examples to consider.

Public schools in Seattle typically are discipline-based, with curriculum geared towards teaching the basics of reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Some high schools offer college preparatory programs in addition to programs that emphasize project-based learning on a personal level. Cyber schools are becoming more readily available as well.

Seattle's private schools offer Montessori-based programs and numerous religious-based programs, in addition to traditional college-based curriculum.

The learning environment provided can greatly affect your children's education, so be sure to check out your options.

Test Scores

An important consideration is a school's standardized test score rankings. This information typically shows two things: the rankings of students within the school as related to other students, and the student's test rankings as related to national averages. Educational score levels are assessed on reading, expression, quantitative thinking, social studies, and science. There are several types of tests that can be used to measure skill levels, with The Iowa Tests of Educational Development being only one of several used in the Seattle school system. Other test reports for Seattle schools can be found at "Seattle Public Schools: Test Summary and Survey Data".

Typically, information on educational test score rankings is not published for private schools, however it can be obtained by contacting the private schools themselves.

Reputation

Another important aspect to consider is the overall reputation of a school. Be sure to look for information about class sizes, student to teacher ratio, teaching styles, diversification of studies, after-school activities, and student drop-out rates, etc. Check with the Educational Department of Seattle for statistics, or talk to teachers, principals, future neighbors and/or other parents to find out what their opinions are.

Educational Issues

Many other things influence your decision on where to send your children to school. You should get some statistics on safety at the school and make sure it is up to par. Find out how satisfied teachers are with their jobs. Unionized teachers that are unhappy with their salary, benefits, or working conditions are more likely to go on strike, which may be a disruption to your children's education. Research the financial management record of the school; there should be a good ratio of how many dollars are spent directly on education per student.

Summary

The wonderful thing about schooling in the Seattle area is the diversity of choices a parent has in determining what kind of education their children will receive. The abundance of both public and private schools (religious and secular), the range of curriculum offered, and the city's positive outlook on addressing educational issues makes Seattle a fine choice for your children's educational needs.