Federal Way
Three Decades to the Top: Jill Burnes Takes the Helm in Enumclaw
Jill Burnes started teaching elementary school in Bellingham, Washington in 1990. By her own account she felt "an incredible responsibility" and "a keen awareness of the influence or impact that my da...
1 in 20 Washington Students Now Has a 504 Plan
On Bainbridge Island, 17% of public school students have a Section 504 disability accommodation plan. In Federal Way, 30 miles to the southeast and serving a student body more than six times as large,...
1 in 25 Washington Students Was Homeless Last Year
In the 2024-25 school year, 43,542 students in Washington's public schools were identified as experiencing homelessness. That is 3.9% of total enrollment, or roughly one student in every classroom of ...
1 in 7 Washington Students Is Now an English Learner
In Federal Way, one in three students is learning English. Sixteen years ago, it was one in eight. The district did not move. The district did not change its boundaries. The students changed.
White Students Now 47% of Washington's Schools
In the fall of 2022, for the first time in recorded history, white students made up less than half of Washington's public school enrollment. The threshold was crossed quietly: 49.9%, a fraction of a p...