Northshore School District http://www.nsd.org Click for Northshore SD website
Northshore is the 10th largest school district in the state, with students from the cities of Bothell, Kenmore and Woodinville. It crosses the county line northeast of Lake Washington; about two-thirds of the district is in King County and one-third of it is in Snohomish County.
Student test scores on the WASL and ITBS rank among the top five in the state for districts with more than 10,000 students.
Northshore has had to make budget cuts in recent years. And because new-home construction has made the northern part of the district grow faster than the eastern part, some schools are overcrowded while enrollment at others is declining. Boundary changes must be made, effective by the start of the school year in 2007.
Superintendent: Karen Forys has been with the district since 1994.
Alternative/home school programs: Secondary Academy for Success, Home School program.
The numbers: 2.5% African-American, 10.2% Asian-American, 6.6% Hispanic, 1.1% Native American, 79.6% White, 12.1% low-income, 13.6% special-education, 3.2% ESL.
Funding: A four-year, $142 million operations levy; a four-year, $18 million capital projects levy; and a 20-year, $123 million bond measure were approved in 2006.
Renton School District http://www.renton.wednet.edu Click for Renton SD website
Eleven miles from Seattle, the Renton district is one of the most urban in South King County and has a diverse student population.
During Superintendent Dolores Gibbons' nine-year tenure with Renton schools, every school in the district was reconstructed or remodeled and every classroom got technology upgrades. She retired at the end of the 2005-06 school year.
Superintendent: Mary Alice Heuschel is the former deputy superintendent of learning and teaching at the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, where she coordinated the state response to the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Alternative/home school programs: Black River High School, Sartori Education Center, Home-school Opportunities for Merging Education (HOME).
The numbers: 18.4% African-American, 22.1% Asian-American, 12.5% Hispanic, 1.3% Native American, 45.8% White, 30.3% low-income, 12.8% special-education, 11.3% ESL.
Funding: A $150 million construction bond measure was approved in 2003. A four-year, $78.5 operations levy passed in 2004.
Riverview School District http://www.riverview.wednet.edu Click for Riverview SD website
Riverview draws students from Carnation, Duvall and the surrounding areas, communities that have demonstrated support in the schools and at the polls. The district ranks high in graduation rates while low in dropout rates.
The school district's Strategic Plan, which focuses on continuous student academic improvement, has resulted in the highest three year increase in 4th, 7th and 10th graders passing all three sections of the WASL in King County.
This growing district is small enough to meet the needs of individual students yet also offers a wide range of academic programs and activities. It has posted some of the highest AP scores in the state.
Superintendent: Conrad Robertson was hired in 2001.
Seattle School District http://www.seattleschools.org Click for Seattle SD website
One of the distinguishing features of Washington's largest school district is the degree to which Seattle gives parents a variety of choices. Parents may choose elementary schools within their geographic cluster or from a number of all-city options, and may apply to any high school or middle school.
Free buses take students to the all-city options, and if parents choose a school in their region but at least a mile from home, the district also provides bus transportation.
The system is tough on latecomers, though. To have the best chance of getting assigned to their first-choice school, parents must make their selections in February. About 90 percent of families who apply before the deadline receive their first or second choices.
Facing a declining enrollment that leaves the district strapped for cash, the Seattle School Board voted in July 2006 to close seven schools, and eventually plans to close a total of 11 buildings for the 2007-08 school year.
Superintendent: Raj Manhas, former chief operating officer, was named superintendent in October 2003.
Alternative/home school programs: John Marshall High School, Middle College High School, Seahawks Academy, Seattle Evening School at John Marshall, South Lake High School, K-12 Homeschool Resource Center. (The John Marshall building will be closed and its programs relocated).
The numbers: 22.2% African-American, 22.9% Asian-American, 11.2% Hispanic, 2.4% Native American, 41.3% White, 42.2% low-income, 12.4% special-education, 12.7% ESL.
Funding: Voters approved a three-year, $338 million operating levy and a six-year, $178 million capital and technology levy in 2004.
Snoqualmie School District http://www.svsd410.org/ Click for Snoqualmie SD website
The Snoqualmie Valley School District includes the valley towns of Fall City, Snoqualmie and North Bend and sprawls across 400 square miles, making it geographically one of the state's largest school districts. The fast-growing area has become an outer-ring suburb of Seattle, and the district has been adding new classrooms and schools to keep up.
In 2005, the district opened the new Cascade View Elementary School in Snoqualmie as well as a new sports complex at Mount Si High. Construction has begun on a third middle school.
Helping to supplement programs and services not funded by the district is the Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation, a grass roots organization originally called Citizens For Better Schools that incorporated in 1988.
Superintendent: Joel Aune, former superintendent of the Colfax School District, replaced longtime Superintendent Rich McCullough in 2005.
Alternative program: Two Rivers School.
The numbers: 1.1% African American, 3.1% Asian American, 3.5% Hispanic, 1.4% Native American, 90.9% White; 12.8% get reduced-priced meals, 10.4% in special education; .5% ESL.
Funding: In 2006 voters approved a four-year, $34 million operations levy; a four-year, $4 million technology levy and a one-year, $2.6 million bus levy.
Click here for List of schools in district
School Report Cards: Snoqualmie Valley School District
