Washington State is in the top 20 states with the best schools, ranked 13th according to Scholaroo. They come in ninth place for student success, 26th for student safety, and 23rd for school quality. Today we're going to take a look at the 15 largest school districts in the state and how well they rank. These districts include Seattle Public Schools, Lake Washington School District, Tacoma School District, Spokane School District, Kent School District, Northshore School District, Evergreen Public Schools, Puyallup School District, Vancouver School District, Federal Way Public Schools, Bethel School District, Edmonds School District, Everett School District, Issaquah School District, and Bellevue School District.
Seattle Public Schools
Seattle Public Schools is the largest district in the state located in Seattle, Washington. They serve 51,443 students and have a student-to-teacher ratio of 17:1. They are ranked in 17th place for best school districts in Washington and receive an overall grade of A-. Districts are graded in nine categories. These include academics, teachers, activities, sports, facilities, diversity, college preparation, administration and food. This district received a mixture of As, Bs, and Cs, leading to its overall grade of A-. They have pretty good proficiency scores, with reading at 72% and math at 64%.
Lake Washington School District
Lake Washington School District is one of the best districts in the state and ranked number three. It is located in Redmond, Washington, and it is the second largest district serving 30,730 students and has a student-to-teacher ratio of 19:1. Their overall grade is an A+, scoring As and B' in the graded categories. They are also ranked 23rd for districts with the best teachers and 33rd for best place to teach. They also have good proficiency scores, receiving 85% proficiency score in reading and 79% proficiency score in math.
Tacoma School District
Tacoma School District is located in Tacoma, Washington, and is the third largest district in the state. They have 28,676 students and a student-to-teacher ratio of 21:1. This district receives an overall grade of B-, scoring mostly Bs and Cs in the graded categories. Their proficiency scores struggle a little bit more compared to the other two districts. Reading proficiency is at 53%, and math proficiency is at 40%.
©Galyna Andrushko/Shutterstock.com
Spokane School District
Spokane School District is the fourth largest district in the state and is located in Spokane, Washington. They serve 28,311 students and have a student-to-teacher ratio of 19:1. Their overall grade is a B+, scoring As and Bs in the graded categories, and is ranked in third place for best school district in the Spokane Area. It is also ranked in 30th place for best places to teach in the state and in the top 50 at 47th for best school districts in the state. Their reading proficiency is at 58%, and math proficiency at 47%.
Kent School District
Located in Kent, Washington, Kent School District is the fifth largest district in the state. They have 24,910 students with a student-to-teacher ratio of 18:1. Their overall grade is a B, scoring a mixture of As, Bs, and Cs in the graded categories. They are ranked in 12th place for best school districts in King County and in the top 50 at 42nd for best school districts for athletes in Washington. Their reading proficiency score is 57%, and math proficiency is 47%.
Northshore School District
Northshore School District is the sixth largest district located in Bothell, Washington. They serve 22,974 students and have a student-to-teacher ratio of 19:1. The district's overall grade is an A+, scoring As and Bs in the graded categories. It is ranked first place for best school district in Snohomish County, second place for districts with the best teachers, and sixth place for both best school districts in the state and best place to teach in the state. Their proficiency scores are pretty good at 78% for reading and 69% for math.
Evergreen Public Schools
Evergreen Public Schools is the seventh largest district in the state, located in Vancouver, Washington. They have 22,847 students and a student-to-teacher ratio of 17:1. The district's overall grade is a B, scoring a mixture of As and Bs in the graded categories. They are ranked third for best school districts in Clark County. Their academics struggle a little bit, and we see that in their proficiency scores. Reading proficiency is at 51%, and math proficiency is at 41%.
Puyallup School District
Puyallup School District is the eighth largest district in the state. It is located in Puyallup, Washington, and serves 22,534 students with a student-to-teacher ratio of 20:1. Puyallup is ranked in seventh place for best school districts in Pierce County and has an overall grade of B+. They score As and Bs in the graded categories. They are also ranked in 15th place for best school districts in the state for athletes. Their proficiency rates are 66% for reading and 53% for math.
Vancouver School District
Vancouver School District is the ninth largest district in the state, located in Vancouver, Washington. They serve 21,617 students and have a student-to-teacher ratio of 19:1. The district's overall grade is B, scoring a mixture of As and Bs in the graded categories. They are ranked in fourth place for best school districts in Clark County. Their reading proficiency is at 53%, and math proficiency at 43%.
©Evgeny Atamanenko/Shutterstock.com
Federal Way Public Schools
Federal Way Public Schools is the 10th largest district, located in Federal Way, Washington. They have 21,136 students with a student-to-teacher ratio of 21:1. The district's overall grade is a B, scoring a mixture of As, Bs, and Cs in the graded categories. Their proficiency rates are lower. We see this as their academics scored a C+, their reading proficiency is 47%, and their math proficiency is 35%.
Bethel School District
Bethel School District is the 11th largest district, located in Spanaway, Washington. They have 20,669 students with a 19:1 student-to-teacher ratio. The district's overall grade is C+, receiving a mixture of As, Bs, Cs, and Ds in the graded categories. Their reading proficiency is at 59% and 47%.
Edmonds School District
Edmonds School District is the 12th largest district, located in Lynnwood, Washington. They have 20,343 students enrolled with a 19:1 student-to-teacher ratio. The district's overall grade is a B, scoring As, Bs, and Cs in the graded categories. It is ranked as the seventh-best school district in Snohomish County. Their academics received a B, which is reflected in their proficiencies, which are 65% for reading and 54% for math.
Everett School District
Everett School District is the 13th largest school district, located in Everett, Washington. They serve 20,258 students with a student-to-teacher ratio of 21:1. The district receives an overall grade of B+, scoring mostly As and Bs, with one C, which was in facilities. They are ranked the fourth-best district in Snohomish County. They received a B+ in academics, and their reading proficiency is at 72%, and math at 60%.
Issaquah School District
Issaquah School District is the 14th largest district in the state, located in Issaquah. They have 19,590 students and a student-to-teacher ratio of 20:1. The district's overall grade is an A+, receiving As and Bs in the graded categories. They are ranked in several categories. They're ranked fifth for best school districts in Washinton, 17th for district with the best teachers, and 22nd for best place to teach in the state. They have good proficiency scores, at 81% for reading and 77% for math.
Bellevue School District
Bellevue School District is the number one district in the state! Located in Bellevue, Washington, they have 19,510 students and a 19:1 student-to-teacher ratio. They are also ranked the 13th best place to teach in Washington and 14th for the district with the best teachers. This district receives an overall grade of A+, scoring a mixture of As and Bs in the graded categories. Their reading proficiencies are at 79% for reading and 73% for math.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Alexander Lukatskiy/Shutterstock.com.