Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle Public Schools has a five-year strategic plan to achieve academic excellence at every school. An important component of this plan is a new student assignment process that is equitable, predictable, and easy for families to understand—as well as one that is feasible for the District to implement and maintain.

The School Board adopted a framework to guide the development of a new student assignment plan that would consider factors such as equitable access to programs and services, offer opportunities for school choice, foster diversity, support stronger family engagement with schools, be easy to understand, provide predictability and continuity for families, and be feasible and cost effective to implement and to sustain over time.

Over the past year, we have worked with the community to determine how to best meet these goals. Some can be achieved through the design of a new student assignment plan; others can be met through decisions about academic programs.

A proposed new student assignment plan was submitted to the School Board in March 2009. Community meetings and work sessions with the Board to gather input were then held. The Board voted to approve the plan on June 17, 2009 with implementation of the plan to be phased in beginning with grades K, 6, and 9 in the 2010-11 school year. It will take several years to complete the implementation of the new student assignment plan.

Proposed attendance area boundary maps were presented to the School Board on October 6, 2009. Following that presentation, we gathered community feedback. Thousands of people attended community meetings and sent comments via e-mail, postal mail, comment cards, and an online survey. To read these comments, or a high-level summary of them, please click here.

Recommended maps were presented by Seattle Public Schools staff to the Seattle School Board on November 3, 2009. The maps will be formally introduced on November 4. A public hearing on the maps is set for November 9 and a School Board vote for November 18. You can give testimony at public meetings and hearings; to learn how to sign up to testify, please click here.

Recommended maps were presented by Seattle Public Schools staff to the Seattle School Board on November 3, 2009. The maps will be formally introduced on November 4. A public hearing on the maps is set for November 9 and a School Board vote for November 18. You can give testimony at public meetings and hearings; to learn how to sign up to testify, please click here.