Federal Way School District

The Federal Way School District in Washington state consists of 42 schools, including 24 elementary schools, 7 middle schools, 9 high schools, and 2 alternative schools, serving students from diverse backgrounds. The district faces significant challenges, with test scores and graduation rates lagging behind state averages, and high rates of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Within the district, a few schools stand out as high-performers. Federal Way Public Academy, a middle school, ranks 23rd out of 539 Washington middle schools and has the highest test scores in the district, significantly outperforming the district and state averages. Nautilus K-8 School and Twin Lakes Elementary also perform very well, with strong test scores and relatively low rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. In contrast, the district's alternative and specialized schools, such as Internet Academy, tend to have lower graduation rates, higher dropout rates, and lower test scores compared to the traditional high schools.

The data reveals significant performance gaps between the highest and lowest-performing schools in the district, as well as between the district and state averages. This suggests that some schools are struggling to provide equitable educational opportunities, and that the district could benefit from identifying and replicating the practices of the highest-performing schools while also targeting additional support and resources to the lower-performing schools to help close achievement gaps. Addressing the high levels of economic disadvantage among the student population may also be a key factor in improving educational outcomes across the district.