Special Populations
1 in 17 Washington Students Now Has a 504 Plan
Section 504 disability accommodations more than quadrupled since 2010, but affluent districts identify students at five times the rate of high-poverty peers.
Washington Education News & Data
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Enrollment
55 Washington Districts Hit All-Time Lows
More Washington school districts sit at record-low enrollment than in any year since 2010, as the state gave back half of three years of post-COVID recovery.
District Spotlight
Lake Washington Added 7,125 Students. No Other District Came Close.
Lake Washington grew 30% since 2010, climbing from 6th to 2nd largest in Washington. Asian students now outnumber white in a district reshaped by tech.
Demographics
Gender X Grew 6,300% in Washington Schools, Then the Count Reversed
Washington, one of few states tracking nonbinary students, saw Gender X enrollment surge from 77 to nearly 5,000 before declining two years running.
Special Populations
1 in 25 Washington Students Was Homeless Last Year
Washington's count of students experiencing homelessness tripled to 43,542 over 15 years, then fell 8% in 2026, a drop concentrated in Federal Way and Tacoma.
Covid Impact
Six Years Later, 63% of Washington Districts Haven't Recovered
Only 118 of 316 Washington school districts have recovered to pre-COVID enrollment levels. In 2026, even the recovery stalled.
District Spotlight
Three Districts, 10,000 New Students: The Tri-Cities Boom
Pasco and Richland both grew 30% since 2010 while most of Washington lost students. Then all three Tri-Cities districts declined in the same year.
Demographics
141,000 Fewer White Students in 16 Years
White enrollment in Washington fell every year since 2010, a decline larger than Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma combined. The post-pandemic pace is faster than before COVID.
Special Populations
1 in 7 Washington Students Is Now an English Learner
Washington's English learner population more than doubled in 16 years to 165,537. The growth reshaped suburban districts and agricultural communities alike.
Grade Shift
Kindergarten Down 16%, and the Worst Is Still Coming
Washington kindergarten enrollment fell 13,364 from its 2020 peak while Grade 12 hit a record 99,231. The pipeline inversion signals decline through 2032.
District Spotlight
Seattle Spent a Decade Building. Six Years Erased It.
Seattle added 9,000 students over a decade, then lost 5,103 since 2020. A shrinking kindergarten pipeline and $87M budget gap signal structural decline.
Enrollment
Washington Lost 7,165 Students and Half Its Three-Year Recovery
After three years of post-COVID recovery, Washington's K-12 enrollment reversed course in 2025-26, dropping by the most since the pandemic year itself.
Demographics
White Students Now 47% of Washington's Schools
White enrollment fell below 50% in 2022 and keeps dropping. Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian growth reshaped the state over 16 years.
Enrollment
Washington Publishes 2025-26 Enrollment Data
OSPI releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing a 7,165-student loss that erased about half of three years of post-COVID recovery.