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.
- Contact Us
- Goals and Guardrails
- Official Notices
- School Board
- School Levies
- School Reports and Improvement Plans
- Strategic Plan
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.
Seattle Public Schools Fast Facts
Total Enrollment
50,056 students (as of Oct. 1, 2022)
- 23,691 Students in K-5th grade
- 11,001 Students in 6th-8th grade
- 15,364 Students in 9th-12th grade
Educators
5,955 school-based staff
Our teachers have an average of 11 years of teaching experience.
Budget
$1.14 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
![Four graduates in cap and gown walk across a sports field](http://4mfz.tincyn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ballard-grads-2022-walk-150x150.jpg)
Graduation Rate
87.6%: 4-year graduation rate
Class of 2022
Student Diversity
Gender
Female 47.5%
Male 51.4%
X 1.1%
Countries of Origin
Race and Ethnicity
Asian 12.2%
Black 14.3%
Hispanic 13.9%
Multi-Race 12.8%
Native American 0.4%
Pacific Island 0.5%
White 45.9%
Languages or Dialects Spoken at Home
Top 10 Languages
- Spanish
- Somali
- Vietnamese
- Chinese, Cantonese
- Amharic
- Oromo
- Tigrinya
- Chinese, Mandarin
- Japanese
- Arabic
![A young student looks at the camera and smiles for a photo](http://4mfz.tincyn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/elementary-student-classroom-530.jpg)
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.
![Superintendent Jones smiles for a photo](http://4mfz.tincyn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/BJones-325.jpg)
Superintendent Jones
Dr. Brent Jones, superintendent, leads Washington state’s largest K-12 school district, a vibrant and diverse community of scholars.
![Seven school board members pose for a photo together](http://4mfz.tincyn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-School-Board-325.jpg)
School Board
The Seattle School Board is an elected body of seven citizens representing geographical regions, known as districts, within Seattle.
![A photo of the SPS logo](http://4mfz.tincyn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/JSC-auditorium-sps-motto-375.jpg)
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](http://4mfz.tincyn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/books-early-readers-375.jpg)
School Reports and CSIP
School reports show a snapshot of a school’s academic growth, family and staff engagement, and overall school performance. and The CSIP 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](http://4mfz.tincyn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/OlympicHills-students-hallway-375.jpg)