LWSD now second-largest district in Washington

2019-20 brings an 11th year of significant growth to the district.

Lake Washington School District’s (LWSD) official Oct. 1 student enrollment was 31,106 students.

This is 1,124 more students than last year’s Oct. 1 count. LWSD is now the second-largest district in the state, behind only Seattle Public Schools.

For the last 11 years, from 2008-19, the district’s enrollment grew by an average of 667 students each year, according to a press release. That is the size of a large elementary school. A total of 7,339 more students are in LWSD schools today than 11 years ago, representing 31 percent growth.

“Our enrollment growth is reflective of our dynamic communities,” district Superintendent Dr. Jane Stavem said in the release. “We are grateful for the ongoing support of our entire school district community as we continue to address the needs related to our rapidly growing student population. The growth of our school district presents unique challenges and opportunities as we address current over-crowding and future expansion possibilities.”

Enrollment growth is forecasted to continue. The district anticipates that it will grow by about 2,000 students in the next four years. These forecasts include the number of births in the area, current enrollment patterns and planned development within district borders.

The table below shows LWSD’s total enrollment for the past five years.

LWSD now second-largest district in Washington

LWSD students need additional space for student learning, the release states. Currently, LWSD relies heavily on portable classrooms to meet student space needs. There are 160 portable classrooms in the district, which is the equivalent of five elementary schools or 10 percent of the district’s overall capacity.