Public schools in Washington

The NCES directory lists 2,543 public schools operating in Washington in 2024-25; 2,437 of them reported 1,088,922 students, averaging 17.8 students per teacher, the 5th highest of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Seattle Public Schools, with 50,398 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools2,4371,223 elementary, 380 middle, 606 high, 228 other
Students1,088,9222.2% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher17.8U.S. 15.3

Washington has more students per teacher than the U.S. average

Washington ranks 5th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Utah20.6
  2. Nevada19.2
  3. Florida17.9
  4. Washington17.8
  5. Arizona17.5
  6. Ohio17.4
  7. Oregon17.3

Eight in ten larger Washington districts spent between $15,141 and $19,199 per student

Among the 150 Washington districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $15,141 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $19,199; the median was $17,250. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Washington districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23150 values from $13,374 to $22,639; ; state median $17,250.$15,141$19,199the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $17,250
Current spending per student, Washington districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23150 values from $13,374 to $22,639; ; state median $17,250.$15,141$19,199the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $17,250
Current spending per student, Washington districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23150 values from $13,374 to $22,639; ; state median $17,250.$15,141$19,199the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $17,250
Current spending per student, Washington districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23150 values from $13,374 to $22,639; ; state median $17,250.$15,141$19,199the middle eight in ten$10k$20k$30kcurrent spending per studentstate median $17,250

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 52.8% of the Washington students tested met the state's reading standard and 41.1% its math standard. Washington writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Washington's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 83.8% of 85,003 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Washington almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Chiawana Senior High School, 3,127 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Bryant Montessori Middle School, 6.0 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: La Conner School District, $28,416 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Everett Public Schools, $123,009 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Vancouver Virtual Learning Academy, 0.1% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: South Colby Elementary, 64 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Mercer Island School District, 61.5 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Washington

  1. Seattle Public Schools50,398
  2. Lake Washington School District31,011
  3. Tacoma School District28,847
  4. Spokane School District27,933
  5. Kent School District24,537
  6. Puyallup School District23,026
  7. Northshore School District22,741
  8. Federal Way School District22,250

Every Washington school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Seattle58,584 students126 schools
  2. Spokane40,512 students93 schools
  3. Tacoma42,494 students92 schools
  4. Vancouver43,301 students88 schools
  5. Yakima23,983 students51 schools
  6. Everett23,101 students40 schools
  7. Puyallup22,021 students36 schools
  8. Spokane Valley14,717 students35 schools
  9. Kennewick19,754 students35 schools
  10. Renton18,221 students34 schools
  11. Bellingham12,666 students34 schools
  12. Kent17,445 students32 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Washington's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Washington?
    The NCES directory lists 2,543 operating in 2024-25; 2,437 of them reported students: 1,223 elementary, 380 middle, 606 high and 228 other, enrolling 1,088,922 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Washington?
    17.8 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Washington?
    Seattle Public Schools, with 50,398 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Washington spend per public-school student?
    $18,093 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .