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PSESD Celebrates 28 School Districts Recognized for Growth by Washington State!
Young students sit at keyboards in class

Each year, the Washington State Board of Education's Washington School Recognition Program spotlights schools that demonstrate exceptional progress in key areas of student success. We're excited to share that 163 schools in the Puget Sound Educational Service District have been recognized for their performance during the 2024-2025 school year—out of a total of 379 public schools recognized in 150 school districts across the state of Washington!

The schools chosen were recognized for their work in supporting student growth and academic achievement  while closing opportunity gaps during the 2024-25 school year.

PSESD Districts with recognized schools included:

Auburn School District
Bainbridge Island School District
Bellevue School District
Bethel School District
Clover Park School District
Eatonville School District
Enumclaw School District
Federal Way School District
Franklin Pierce School District
Highline School District
Issaquah School District
Kent School District
Lake Washington School District
Mercer Island School District
Northshore School District
Peninsula School District
Puyallup School District
Renton School District
Seattle School District No. 1
Shoreline School District 
Skykomish School District 
Snoqualmie Valley School District
Steilacoom Hist. School District 
Sumner-Bonney Lake School District 
Tacoma School District 
Tahoma School District 
University Place School District 
White River School District 

This recognition reflects the hard work of our districts and schools and their students, educators, and families who came together and made a shared commitment to student success. It's a terrific honor, as only 16% of schools across the state were recognized.

The Washington State School Recognition Program is a joint effort between The Washington State Board of Education, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC). 

For more information on the program and its criteria, please visit https://sbe.wa.gov/our-work/school-recognition. Meanwhile, you can view the complete list of recognized schools at the State Board of Education's webpage at https://sbe.wa.gov/2026-recognized-schools.

 

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A photo of Ron Banner with the 2026 President's Award.

Earlier this summer, Clover Park School District Superintendent Ron Banner received the 2026 President's Award from the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP). The award recognizes an educational leader who is a relentless advocate for principals, assistant principals and the principalship in support of student success.

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Six Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students recently demonstrated determination, resilience, and athletic achievement at the Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) Annual Track Meet in Vancouver, Washington. The event brings together students ages 5-21 who are blind or have low vision from across Washington state for a day of competition, connection, and celebration of athletic accomplishment.

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Created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Slavery Remembrance Day, also known as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, is observed on August 23 worldwide. The day honors the millions who died under enslavement while also promoting education and awareness of the slave trade’s global violation of human rights across human history.

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A graphic image with the words Celebrating Civil Rights - Civil Rights Act and an image of Black marchers.

July 2 marks the anniversary of our Civil Rights Act—a landmark moment in U.S. history of the Act signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964. It prohibited racial discrimination in public places, as well as providing for the integration of schools and other public facilities. It also made employment discrimination illegal and was considered the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.
 

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A picture of young students examining a container of river water for science.

Across PSESD, today’s students are doing more than studying the environment—they’re working to save it.

In Snoqualmie Valley School District, Meadowbrook School’s (MBS) secondary students recently took their commitment to environmental stewardship to the banks of the Snoqualmie River. Students partnered with Nature Vision and the Changing Seasons Farm, as part of their Blue Team program, to continue a vital, multi-year study of the local salmon spawning watershed near Carnation.

Read More about Students Work to Restore Local Watershed