2012-2013 Federal Way Public Schools
Fact Sheet
District Facts:
- 38 schools (21 elementary, 2 Kindergarten – 8th grade schools, 7 middle schools, 5 high schools, TAF Academy (6-12), Public Academy (6-10), and Internet Academy (K-12))
- 21,554 enrollment (8th largest)
- 2,584 staff members
- Founded in 1929
- Our service area encompasses 35 square miles
About the Community We Serve:
- The district serves all of Federal Way and parts of three other cities - Auburn, Kent and Des Moines - and unincorporated King County.
- Over 89,000 people live within Federal Way city limits, and, according to 2010 census data, 130,061 live within the school district boundaries, including the portions of Des Moines, Kent, Auburn and unincorporated King County served by the district.
- The Chamber of Commerce includes about 550 members and business partners.
- Our community is richly diverse:
- The Caucasian population is around 57 percent of the total.
- The Hispanic or Latino population makes up 15 percent of the population.
- Federal Way's Asian population is approximately 13 percent of the total.
- The city's black population is around 9 percent of the total.
- Another 15 percent said they were multiracial.
A Closer Look at Our Students Reveals:
- 63.2% are an ethnicity other than white
- 56.4% live in or near the federal poverty level (based on free and reduced lunch figures)
- 12.7% are transitional/bilingual, also known as English Language Learners
- 105 languages are spoken by our students' families
Recent Accomplishments
- Superintendent Rob Neu joined Federal Way Public Schools in 2010. Superintendent Neu came to Federal Way with more than 20 years experience in education, and describes himself as a student-centered decision maker who firmly believes in educating the whole child. A comprehensive curriculum supported by extra-curricular programs, he says, is the foundation of American public education.
- The district implemented a Standards-Based Education system beginning in fall, 2011. Teams of teachers and administrators worked together to align the curriculum through the development of selected power standards. The standards endure beyond the test, are applicable in other disciplines, and are essential in the next level of students' instruction. Students will have multiple opportunities and ways in which to demonstrate mastery.
- A year after the implementation of the Academic Acceleration policy, which automatically enrolls students who demonstrate ability into advanced classes, testing results showed a positive impact on student achievement.
- The district has updated its anti-harassment and bullying policies and procedures, and provided training to staff with an emphasis on intervening and reporting every time bullying is witnessed.
- The district's Beginning Teacher Assistance Program (BTAP) has twice received a highly competitive grant from OSPI to continue its much-praised work in supporting beginning teachers.
- All four of the district's comprehensive high schools were named among the country's top 1,500 high schools by the Washington Post in 2011.
- With 2007 construction bond dollars, the district has rebuilt five schools, including four elementary schools and a middle school. The new Panther Lake and Valhalla elementary schools opened in 2009. Lakota Middle School opened in 2010. Lakeland and Sunnycrest elementary schools opened in 2011. In addition, passage of the bond measure is allowing the district to rebuild the district's maintenance, transportation and nutrition services facilities in a location near Celebration Park. Finally, over $20 million in state match funding triggered by the passage of the bond measure is providing vital upgrades to all district facilities built before 1990 except for Federal Way High School and the district's central offices (ESC).
- The district passed a six-year capital levy in November 2102 to rebuild the district's oldest school, Federal Way High School, to improve security at schools across the district and to renovate playgrounds at 19 elementary schools.
High Impact Projects
- The Board of Education implemented a new Policy Governance model of leadership in 2010, in which the Board tells administration the results they want to see, and allows the district to manage the work required to get there.
- The district continues to host one of the largest school-based AmeriCorps teams in the country, whose 70 members focus on supporting AVID formal tutorials and tutoring one-on-one, in small groups, and in before- and after-school programs in the schools.
- The district maintains an emphasis on professional coaching's role in our staff's development, based in part on the findings of the McKinsey Report.
- The district continues to focus on a district-wide math initiative that includes Algebraic Thinking in middle school.
- Beyond High School planning for all students begins in 8th grade.
- The district has an innovative partnership with the Technology Access Foundation via a public school/provide foundation operating agreement. In addition, the district has contractual agreements with College Board to offer Advanced Placement (AP) and Pre-AP classes, Cambridge University to offer the Cambridge Preparatory Academy, and the International Baccalaureate Organization to offer IB the Middle Years and IB Diploma programs.
- The design and construction and facility upgrades of 31 schools and district facilities over six years is being fulfilled on time and under budget through a 2007 construction bond.
* Todd Beamer High School, Thomas Jefferson High School, Totem Middle School and Kilo Middle School are all candidate schools* for the IB Middle Years Program. These schools are pursuing authorization as IB World Schools. IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education—that we believe is important for our students.
Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its three academic programs: the Primary Years Program (PYP), the Middle Years Program (MYP) or the Diploma Program (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programs, visit http://www.ibo.org.