Understand the School System
To understand the public education system, you should begin by taking a look at the big picture. Here is demographic information about the state of Washington and statistical facts about the public education system that can be helpful to you as you get involved in your child’s education. An informed parent is an involved parent.
Washington state population
Public education facts
Achievement gap
The Washington State Constitution says:
"It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex."
Washington state population
The total population is 6,549,224.
5,743,768 people live in urban areas.
805,456 people live in rural areas.
1,477,507 are children and 4,668,831 are adults.
There are 813,035 households with children under 18. (U.S. Census Bureau)
The federal poverty threshold for 2008 for a family of four with two children was $21,834. (U.S. Census Bureau)
Sixteen percent (approximately 226,000) of Washington’s children younger than 18 live below the federal poverty level. (Washington Kids Count, 2009)
Twenty-one percent of rural children in Washington live in poverty compared to thirteen percent of urban children. (Washington Kids Count, 2009)
White | 5,566,607 |
Hispanic | 613,929 |
Asian & Pacific Islander | 470,361 |
Black or African American | 237,917 |
American Indian & Alaska Native | 109,792 |
Source: Washington State Office of Financial Management
Public education facts
1,031,846 students were enrolled in K-12 public schools in 2007–08. (OSPI)
White | 709,324 |
Black | 56,719 |
Hispanic | 151,410 |
American Indian | 27,616 |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 86,777 |
Source: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
Free or reduced lunch | 37.9% |
Special education | 12.6% |
Transitional bilingual | 7.9% |
Migrant | 1.8% |
Source: OSPI
There are 295 school districts in Washington state. The largest is the Seattle School District, which enrolls more than 46,000 students. The smallest are Adams County’s Benge School District and Stevens County’s Evergreen School District, each with an enrollment of 6 students. (2007–08) (OSPI)
There are 2,279 public school buildings in Washington. (OSPI)
More than seventy-five percent of all Washington students are enrolled in Western Washington school districts that make up the Puget Sound area. Nearly one quarter of Washington’s public school students are enrolled in King County. (OSPI)
Student/teacher ratio in 2007–08 was 17:1. (OSPI)
88,000 students were enrolled in the State Transitional Bilingual Instructional Program. Among these students, 170 languages are spoken. (OSPI)
47.9% of public high school graduates enrolled in public higher education institutions in Washington in 2006–07. (Educational Research and Data Center)
strong>72.4% of all students from Washington public schools graduated from high school on time in
2006–07. (OSPI)
Student high school dropout rate in 2006–07 was 5.5%. (OSPI)
Achievement gap
More than one quarter of all Washington school-age children are minorities, and this number is growing. (Washington Learns)
White | 66.2% |
Hispanic | 14.7 % |
Asian | 7.8% |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 14.4% |
Black | 5.5% |
American Indian/Native American | 2.7% |
Source: OSPI
Asian/Pacific Islander | 61.6% |
White | 55.1% |
American Indian | 30.9% |
Hispanic | 25.7% |
Black | 22.8% |
Source: OSPI
Annual dropout rate for low-income students (eligible for a free or reduced-price meal) is higher than the dropout rate for all students (2006–07): 8.1% vs. 5.5%. (OSPI)
Males dropped out at a higher rate (6.3%) than females (5.0%). (2005–06) (OSPI)
Native American | 11.2% |
Hispanic | 8.9% |
African American | 10.3% |
White | 4.8% |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 4.3% |
Source: OSPI
Asian/Pacific Islander | 76.5% |
White | 74.1% |
Hispanic | 57.5% |
African American | 53.6% |
Native American | 48.0% |
Source: OSPI