LWSD Now 2nd Largest In State

Superintendent Message - November 2019

What are the implications for being the second largest district in the state?
This is a question I recently posed to our District Leadership Team as we reflected on our
new rank within Washington school districts. 

You may have just reread that first sentence thinking it’s potentially an error
because just five short years ago the district was only the sixth largest district in
the state. That is a short trip to second place as we welcomed over 31,100 students this fall. 

To help you digest that enrollment figure a little more, let me give you some fun facts for
 perspective:

• This year, 12 of the 19 King County school districts experienced enrollment growth with
•  Lake Washington, Seattle, Northshore and Auburn representing 87% of the King County growth
• Of that 87%, Lake Washington accounts for about 40% of the growth, which is the
•  fastest growth of any district in the Puget Sound area
• Since 2008, our district has grown by 31%
• On average, our district has grown the size of a large elementary school every year for the past eleven years

District growth is not unusual, but the growth trajectory of Lake Washington is. So, back to my original
question – what are some of the implications for a growing district? What are the things we need to pay attention to the most
as we ride this wave?

Here are some of the themes that emerged as we thought about the future together: