The Washington State Superintendent is celebrating the top districts in the state!
Out of the top 25, seven Pierce County districts made the list.
For the first time this year, State Superintendent Chris Reykdal tells us the award has moved away from being a federal program.
It’s now called the “State Superintendent’s Award for Educational Excellence”.
50 districts are receiving the award. 25 of them are for academic excellence, and 25 are for overall growth. Four districts are on both lists.
Awardees for Academic Achievement:
- Adna School District
- Anacortes School District
- Bainbridge Island School District
- Bellevue School District
- Camas School District
- Carbonado School District
- Cashmere School District
- Conway School District
- Dieringer School District
- Freeman School District
- Griffin School District
- Issaquah School District
- Lake Washington School District
- Liberty School District
- Mercer Island School District
- Northshore School District
- Oakesdale School District
- Peninsula School District
- Shoreline School District
- Snoqualmie Valley School District
- Steilacoom Hist. School District
- Sumner-Bonney Lake School District
- Tahoma School District
- University Place School District
- White River School District
Awardees for Academic Progress:
- Adna School District
- Carbonado School District
- Chimacum School District
- Cle Elum-Roslyn School District
- College Place School District
- Columbia (Stevens) School District
- Finley School District
- Hood Canal School District
- Inchelium School District
- Kiona-Benton City School District
- Lind School District
- Mount Adams School District
- Nine Mile Falls School District
- Onalaska School District
- Pateros School District
- Rainier School District
- Raymond School District
- Riverside School District
- Ritzville School District
- Sedro-Woolley School District
- Steilacoom Hist. School District
- Sultan School District
- Toledo School District
- Wahkiakum School District
- White River School District
Peninsula School District Chief Academic Officer John Yellowlees is celebrating that win. His district has about 9,000 students.
He says they are hanging a banner and a plaque in honor of the achievement.
“It feels good, the work is getting recognized, I think we are very much in a phase of aspiring to move from good to great,” Yellowlees said.
Reykdal said they looked at a number of things to judge each district.
“It’s likely a situation of good counseling, good mental health support, good nutrition; they’re thinking holistically, but focusing on success in the classroom,” Reykdal said.
He tells us these districts are an array of sizes and have various amounts of funding, but are all finding ways to help students succeed.
“We are moving in the right direction, but we know we have more work to do,” Yellowlees said. County