Seattle Public Schools, Washington

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Seattle Public Schools
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Seattle, Washington
District details
Superintendent: Brent Jones
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

Seattle Public Schools is a school district in Washington.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

Superintendent

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 		This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Brent Jones is the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. Jones began serving in an interim capacity on May 1, 2021, following Superintendent Denise Juneau's resignation. The school board appointed Jones permanent superintendent on March 11, 2022.[1] Jones' previous career experience includes serving as Seattle Public Schools' chief officer of equity, partnerships, and engagement and assistant general manager of strategy and partnerships for King County Metro.[2]

Past superintendents

  • Denise Juneau was the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools from 2018 to 2021. Juneau's previous career experience included working as an instructional coach and as the Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction.[3]
  • Larry Nyland was the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools from 2014 to 2018. Nyland's previous career experience included working as the superintendent of the Marysville School District and as the chief academic officer and human resources director of Highline Public Schools.[4][5]
  • Jose Banda was the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools from 2012 to 2014. Banda's previous career experience included working as the superintendent of the Anaheim City School District in California.[6]

School board

The Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Members are elected to specific geographic districts.[7] Members run within their districts during primaries and citywide during general elections.[8]


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 		This officeholder information was last updated on January 31, 2025. Please contact us with any updates.
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Elections

See also: Seattle Public Schools elections in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, & 2025

Elections for the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors are held in November of odd-numbered years with primaries in August. Elections are staggered so that three or four seats are up for election each cycle.

Four seats on the board are up for general election on November 4, 2025. A primary is scheduled for August 5, 2025. The filing deadline for this election is May 9, 2025.

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Public participation in board meetings

The Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[9][10]

District map

School district map

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[11]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $112,105,000 $2,077 9%
Local: $527,761,000 $9,778 40%
State: $663,112,000 $12,286 51%
Total: $1,302,978,000 $24,141
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $1,114,357,000 $20,646
Total Current Expenditures: $970,715,000 $17,985
Instructional Expenditures: $590,995,000 $10,949 53%
Student and Staff Support: $149,088,000 $2,762 13%
Administration: $114,721,000 $2,125 10%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $115,911,000 $2,147 10%
Total Capital Outlay: $141,802,000 $2,627
Construction: $137,630,000 $2,549
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $1,557,000 $28
Interest on Debt: $232,000 $4


Teacher salaries

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2022-2023[12] $67,603 $132,151
2020-2021[13] $51,310 $118,757

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[14]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2018-2019 64 70 30 41 35-39 68 78
2017-2018 65 72 31 42 35-39 69 79
2016-2017 65 72 31 44 30-34 67 79
2015-2016 65 73 31 44 35-39 68 79
2014-2015 62 69 29 40 30-34 66 78
2013-2014 73 82 44 57 45-49 76 86
2012-2013 72 81 43 54 45-49 74 85
2011-2012 69 78 40 51 40-44 71 83
2010-2011 65 73 35 47 41 69 82

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2018-2019 72 73 40 51 45-49 75 86
2017-2018 72 73 38 51 40-44 75 86
2016-2017 71 72 37 51 45-49 73 85
2015-2016 71 74 40 52 40-44 74 85
2014-2015 65 67 32 45 30-34 70 83
2013-2014 77 80 52 63 50-54 80 90
2012-2013 77 79 53 63 50-54 80 90
2011-2012 74 76 49 58 50-54 78 88
2010-2011 72 75 49 56 53 79 86

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 84 85 79 72 >=80 88 90
2018-2019 83 85 77 69 60-79 80-84 89
2017-2018 86 89 78 77 >=80 85-89 91
2016-2017 79 83 71 64 50-59 80-84 86
2015-2016 77 80 70 63 50-59 75-79 84
2014-2015 77 83 66 58 50-59 70-74 85
2013-2014 76 82 62 61 50-59 80-84 84
2012-2013 73 76 61 56 40-49 70-74 82
2011-2012 75 76 63 61 60-69 85-89 85
2010-2011 76 77 63 65 50-59 >=50 85


Students

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 51,238 -0.4
2021-2022 51,443 -4.9
2020-2021 53,973 -3.7
2019-2020 55,986 1.3
2018-2019 55,271 1.3
2017-2018 54,573 0.7
2016-2017 54,215 1.7
2015-2016 53,317 0.9
2014-2015 52,834 4.4
2013-2014 50,509 -0.3
2012-2013 50,655 2.7
2011-2012 49,269 3.1
2010-2011 47,735 2.5
2009-2010 46,522 1.2
2008-2009 45,968 0.8
2007-2008 45,581 -1.2
2006-2007 46,113 0.1
2005-2006 46,085 -1.4
2004-2005 46,746 -1.8
2003-2004 47,588 -0.6
2002-2003 47,853 0.8
2001-2002 47,449 -0.3
2000-2001 47,575 -0.9
1999-2000 47,989 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Seattle Public Schools (%) Washington K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.4 1.1
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 12.3 8.7
Black 14.5 4.8
Hispanic 13.8 25.6
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.5 1.4
Two or More Races 12.6 8.8
White 44.8 49.1

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Staff

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Seattle Public Schools had 3,165.52 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 16.19.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 50.30
Kindergarten: 296.37
Elementary: 1,482.52
Secondary: 1,336.33
Total: 3,165.52

Seattle Public Schools employed 43.00 district administrators and 202.11 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 43.00
District Administrative Support: 80.81
School Administrators: 202.11
School Administrative Support: 208.34
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 764.60
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 287.05
Total Guidance Counselors: 118.99
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 48.75
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 70.24
Librarians/Media Specialists: 68.21
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 311.30
Other Support Services: 1,074.20


Schools

Seattle Public Schools operates 109 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Adams Elementary School318KG-5
Aki Kurose Middle School7726-8
Alan T. Sugiyama High School319-12
Alki Elementary School296PK-5
Arbor Heights Elementary School512PK-5
Bailey Gatzert Elementary School346PK-5
Ballard High School1,5909-12
Beacon Hill International School342KG-5
B F Day Elementary School390PK-5
Bridges Transition127PK-12
Broadview-Thomson K-8 School565PK-8
Bryant Elementary School479KG-5
Cascade Parent Partnership Program213KG-8
Cascadia Elementary474KG-5
Catharine Blaine K-8 School450KG-8
Cedar Park Elementary School243PK-5
Chief Sealth International High School1,2899-12
Cleveland High School Stem9029-12
Concord International School306PK-5
Daniel Bagley Elementary School322KG-5
David T. Denny International Middle School8116-8
Dearborn Park International School323PK-5
Dunlap Elementary School290PK-5
Eckstein Middle School1,0456-8
Edmonds S. Meany Middle School5056-8
Emerson Elementary School328PK-5
Fairmount Park Elementary School428PK-5
Franklin High School1,2229-12
Frantz Coe Elementary School454KG-5
Garfield High School1,6429-12
Gatewood Elementary School372KG-5
Genesee Hill Elementary519KG-5
Graham Hill Elementary School268PK-5
Green Lake Elementary School328PK-5
Greenwood Elementary School337PK-5
Hamilton International Middle School9286-8
Hawthorne Elementary School363PK-5
Hazel Wolf K-8720KG-8
Highland Park Elementary School307PK-5
Ingraham High School1,4529-12
Interagency Detention School176-12
Interagency Open Doors849-12
Interagency Programs1946-12
Jane Addams Middle School8836-8
John Hay Elementary School271KG-5
John Muir Elementary School316KG-5
John Rogers Elementary School257KG-5
John Stanford International School427KG-5
Kimball Elementary School379KG-5
Lafayette Elementary School476PK-5
Laurelhurst Elementary School273KG-5
Lawton Elementary School335KG-5
Leschi Elementary School275KG-5
Licton Springs K-8109PK-8
Lincoln High School1,6539-12
Louisa Boren Stem K-8483PK-8
Lowell Elementary School331PK-5
Loyal Heights Elementary School502KG-5
Madison Middle School9816-8
Madrona K-5 School217KG-5
Magnolia Elementary School319KG-5
Maple Elementary School434KG-5
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School267PK-5
Mcclure Middle School4296-8
Mcdonald International School459KG-5
Mcgilvra Elementary School222KG-5
Mercer International Middle School8626-8
Middle College High School959-12
Montlake Elementary School183KG-5
Nathan Hale High School1,1059-12
North Beach Elementary School344PK-5
Northgate Elementary School209PK-5
Nova High School2859-12
Olympic Hills Elementary School499PK-5
Olympic View Elementary School361KG-5
Orca K-8 School398KG-8
Pathfinder K-8 School465KG-8
Private School Services181PK-12
Queen Anne Elementary205KG-5
Rainier Beach High School8189-12
Rainier View Elementary School239PK-5
Residential Consortium0PK-12
Rising Star Elementary School330PK-5
Robert Eagle Staff Middle School6766-8
Roosevelt High School1,5419-12
Roxhill Elementary School281PK-5
Sacajawea Elementary School216PK-5
Salmon Bay K-8 School657KG-8
Sand Point Elementary185PK-5
Sanislo Elementary School173KG-5
Seattle Skills Center09-12
Seattle World School1796-12
South Shore Pk-8 School602PK-8
Stephen Decatur Elementary School208KG-5
Stevens Elementary School174KG-5
The Center School2459-12
Thornton Creek Elementary School456PK-5
Thurgood Marshall Elementary473PK-5
Tops K-8 School475PK-8
Viewlands Elementary School273PK-5
View Ridge Elementary School302PK-5
Washington Middle School5556-8
Wedgwood Elementary School359KG-5
West Seattle Elementary School381PK-5
West Seattle High School1,3299-12
West Woodland Elementary School395KG-5
Whitman Middle School6796-8
Whittier Elementary School362KG-5
Wing Luke Elementary School281KG-5

Noteworthy events

2024: Recall effort

See also: Liza Rankin recall, Seattle Public Schools, Washington (2024)

An effort to recall Liza Rankin, District 1 representative on the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors in Washington, did not go to a vote in 2024. King County Superior Court Judge Michael Scott ruled that the recall petitions could not be circulated as the charges listed on the petition did not meet the state's required grounds for recall.[15]

The recall effort began in November 2024.[16] Recall supporters listed the board's school closure process as a reason for the recall effort. Rankin said the board had not yet voted on any school closures. The board reviewed multiple proposals to close schools in the district due to a decrease in student enrollment, a decrease in federal funding, and a $100 million budget gap.[17]

At the time the petition was filed, Rankin was serving as president of the board.[16] Rankin was first elected to the seven-member board on November 5, 2019, with 55% of the vote against one opponent in the general election. She won re-election to a four-year term on the board on November 7, 2023, defeating one opponent in the general election with 63% of the vote.

2021: Recall effort

See also: Seattle Public Schools recall, Washington (2021)

An effort to recall six of the seven members of the Seattle Public Schools school board in Washington did not go to a vote in 2021. A King County Superior Court judge dismissed the recall petition on April 19, 2021.[15]

The recall charges were filed against Liza Rankin, Lisa Rivera Smith, Chandra Hampson, Zachary DeWolf, Leslie Harris, and Brandon Hersey in March 2021. District IV representative Erin Dury was not included in the recall effort as she was not a member of the board at the time charges were filed. She was appointed to the position on March 24, 2021.[18][19]

Recall supporters said the board had failed to transition to in-person instruction in a timely manner. Seattle Public Schools started out the 2020-2021 school year in remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16][20] The board voted on March 24, 2021, to move Pre-K through fifth-grade students into in-person instruction starting in April 2021.[18] When dismissing the petition, Judge Mafé Rajul said the decision to close schools was a “discretionary act and members of a school board cannot be recalled unless they arbitrarily or unreasonably exercised such discretion.” She said the school board members had not acted arbitrarily or unreasonably when they voted to close the schools.[15]

2013: Contract negotiations

Members of the Seattle Education Association (SEA) rejected a contract offer from the district during a meeting on August 26, 2013. Teachers said they were concerned about limited salary growth, crowded classrooms, and new evaluation methods in the new contract.[21] District officials and the SEA avoided a potential strike on September 3, 2013, as teachers voted to approve a new two-year contract that increased pay by 2% and included test scores in teacher evaluations.[22]

2013: Growing classroom sizes

In August 2013, district officials and the Seattle Board of Directors proposed increasing the maximum number of students per classroom in response to anticipated continued growth in enrollment. The proposal suggested increasing enrollment limits by two students per middle school teacher and 10 students per high school teacher. The Seattle Education Association (SEA) criticized the proposal, saying it was problematic for the student experience.[23] On August 22, 2013, the Board of Directors voted to remove the proposal from negotiations with the SEA.[24]

Contact information

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Seattle School District
2445 3rd Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98134
Phone: 206-252-0000

About school boards

Education legislation in Washington

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

Washington School Board Elections News and Analysis
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Seattle Times, "Interim Superintendent Brent Jones will be Seattle Schools’ next permanent leader," March 11, 2022
  2. ↑ King 5, "Seattle superintendent Denise Juneau to resign earlier than planned," March 20, 2021
  3. ↑ LinkedIn, "Denise Juneau, JD," accessed May 11, 2021
  4. ↑ Seattle Public Schools, "Superintendent," accessed July 28, 2016
  5. ↑ Seattle Times, "Seattle School Board opens search for new superintendent," accessed October 16, 2017
  6. ↑ Seattle Public Schools, "Jose L. Banda," accessed August 1, 2013
  7. ↑ Seattle Public Schools, "Board of Directors," accessed July 22, 2021
  8. ↑ Seattle Public Schools, "Board Member Compensation & Expenses," June 1, 2011
  9. ↑ Seattle Public Schools, "1430 Audience Participation," accessed January 9, 2024
  10. ↑ Seattle Public Schools, "1430BP Audience Participation," accessed January 9, 2024
  11. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
  12. ↑ Seattle Public Schools, " 2022-23 Certificated Instructional Staff Salary Schedule," accessed February 6, 2024
  13. ↑ Seattle Public Schools, "2020-21 Certificated Instructional Staff Salary Schedule," accessed July 23, 2021
  14. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 KOMO News, "King County judge blocks recall petition against school board leader," December 2, 2024 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "novote" defined multiple times with different content
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 The Seattle Times, "Parents file recall petition against Seattle School Board president," November 13, 2024 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "began" defined multiple times with different content
  17. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named background
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Seattle Times, "Seattle School Board chooses new board member, approves plan to return to classrooms," March 24, 2021
  19. ↑ Seattle Public Schools, "Board of Directors," accessed March 29, 2021
  20. ↑ Seattle Public Schools, "Timeline: Return to In-Person Learning Timeline," accessed March 29, 2021
  21. ↑ KOMO News, "Seattle, South Kitsap school districts vote to reject contracts," August 26, 2013
  22. ↑ Capitol Hill Seattle Blog, "Teachers ratify contract, Seattle Public Schools start new year Wednesday," September 3, 2013
  23. ↑ KPLU, "Teachers Slam Seattle Schools' Proposal to Increase Class Size," August 14, 2013
  24. ↑ The Seattle Times, " Seattle schools drop proposal to increase class sizes," August 22, 2013
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