Seattle Public Schools

About

Seattle Public Schools

Seattle Public Schools, the largest K-12 school system in Washington state, has a deep commitment to every student’s journey—to ensure that each student will graduate ready for college, career and life. 

Our Students Come First

We believe it is essential to place the interests of students above all others in every decision we make. The core work of Seattle Public Schools is supporting student learning. We believe it is our responsibility to do whatever it takes to ensure that every child, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, language proficiency, learning style or disability, achieves to their highest level.

Our Mission and Vision

Mission
Seattle Public Schools is committed to eliminating opportunity gaps to ensure access and provide excellence in education for every student.

Vision
Every Seattle Public Schools’ student receives a high-quality, world-class education and graduates prepared for college, career, and community.

Seattle Public Schools Fast Facts 2023-24

Total Enrollment

49,226 students (as of Oct. 1, 2023)

  • 23,283 Students in K-5th grade
  • 10,648 Students in 6th-8th grade
  • 15,295 Students in 9th-12th grade

Educators

6,486 school-based staff

Our teachers have an average of 11 years of teaching experience.

Budget

$1.172 Billion (adopted 2022-23 Budget)

Schools and Grades Offered

Preschool – 12th Grade

104 Schools: Our schools include neighborhood, option, and service schools. While most students attend their neighborhood school, SPS also offers 22 option schools.

63 Elementary
11 K-8 Schools
12 Middle Schools
18 High Schools

A graduate in cap and gown stands at a podium during a graduation ceremony
Graduation Rate

88%: 4-year graduation rate

Class of 2023

Student Diversity

Gender
Female 48%
Male 51%
X 1%

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Countries of Origin

Race and Ethnicity

Asian 12%
Black 14%
Hispanic 15%
Multi-Race 13%
Native American 1%
Pacific Island 1%
White 46%

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Languages or Dialects Spoken at Home

Top 10 Languages

  1. Spanish
  2. Somali
  3. Vietnamese
  4. Chinese, Cantonese
  5. Amharic
  1. Chinese, Mandarin
  2. Oromo
  3. Tigrinya
  4. Japanese
  5. Arabic
A young student looks at the camera and smiles for a photo

Living our values: Seattle Excellence is about changing broken systems and undoing legacies of racism

At Seattle Public Schools, we are working to dramatically improve academic and life outcomes for students of Color by disrupting the legacies of racism in our educational system.

By actively becoming an anti-racist educational system – and ensuring students furthest away from educational justice thrive – conditions in Seattle Public Schools will improve for all.

Our Foundational Beliefs for Supporting Student Learning

In Seattle Public Schools, we understand that a shared vision of practice is essential to fostering the learning communities that each of our students and adults needs to thrive. Read more about our district foundational beliefs.

A photo of the SPS logo

Policies and Procedures

Seattle School Board establish and adopt policies that guide the operation of the school district. The superintendent procedures are the detailed directions that put policy into practice.

A group of early reader books

School Reports and C-SIP

School reports show a snapshot of a school’s academic growth, family and staff engagement, and overall school performance. and The C-SIP is an opportunity for schools to report on and monitor their goals.

School Levies

There is a gap between what the state funds for K-12 education and what Seattle students need.

The money Seattle Public Schools collects from local, voter-approved education levies stays in Seattle. We use these funds to provide the quality of education that our students and families expect, and to ensure our students have safe, welcoming schools that support student success.

Students in walk down a school hallway