Education (K-12) · 2024–25 school year
Washington Public Schools
Public K-12 education statistics for Washington — 1,094,502 students in 2,566 schools in 2024–25, with enrollment history back to 1986 and county-level detail from 2002.
| Statistic | Value | School year |
|---|---|---|
| Student enrollment | 1,094,502 | 2024–25 |
| Public schools | 2,566 | 2024–25 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 60,617 | 2024–25 |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 17.9 | 2024–25 |
| Free/reduced-price lunch students | 48.2% | 2024–25 |
| School poverty rate (MEPS) | 11.9% | 2022–23 |
| Charter school enrollment | 0.4% | 2024–25 |
| High school graduation rate | 82.6% | 2024–25 |
| Math proficiency (of tested) | 40.1% | 2021–22 |
| Reading proficiency (of tested) | 53.4% | 2021–22 |
| Chronically absent students | 18.4% | 2021–22 |
| White students | 47.5% | 2024–25 |
| Black students | 4.9% | 2024–25 |
| Hispanic students | 26.6% | 2024–25 |
| Asian students | 9.2% | 2024–25 |
Not every statistic is collected every year — each row shows its most recent available school year (amber when older than 2024–25). Blank/absent means not collected or below reliability floors, never zero. Some universal-meals states no longer report free/reduced-price lunch — school poverty (MEPS) is the better lens there. A 0% charter share in a state without a charter-school law is a true zero.
Washington state report card
Outcomes reported directly by Washington’s education agency — often more current than the federal series above. Because each state uses its own tests, definitions, and reporting windows, these figures are not comparable state-to-state; each row notes how Washington measures it.
| Measure | Latest | Trend | School year |
|---|---|---|---|
5-year graduation rate How Washington measures this5-year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate as reported in SY 2024-25 (Class of 2024 cohort + 1 extra year, i.e. entered grade 9 five school years earlier); statewide, Cohort='Five Year', All Students; labeled by the school year the 5-year window closed, matching the file's SchoolYear column | 85.1% | 2024–25 | |
Dropout rate How Washington measures this4-year cohort dropout rate: students in the SY 2024-25 Four Year adjusted cohort who dropped out ('dropout' column) / FinalCohort; statewide, All Students; remainder of cohort = graduates + continuing students | 9.8% | 2024–25 | |
Math proficiency (state test) How Washington measures thisSmarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) Math, grades 3-8 and 10 combined ('All Grades' state row), percent meeting standard (Levels 3+4, 'consistent grade level knowledge and above'); All Students; denominator = count of students expected to test (includes ~4-5% non-participants), NOT tested-only | 40.7% | 2024–25 | |
Reading / ELA proficiency (state test) How Washington measures thisSmarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) ELA, grades 3-8 and 10 combined ('All Grades' state row), percent meeting standard (Levels 3+4, 'consistent grade level knowledge and above'); All Students; denominator = count of students expected to test (includes ~4-5% non-participants), NOT tested-only | 50.9% | 2024–25 | |
Chronic absenteeism (recent) How Washington measures thisPercent of students chronically absent (missed >=10% of enrolled days). WA publishes only the complement, SQSS 'Regular Attendance' = 72.86% (0.7286, students missing <10% of days); converted as 100 - 72.86 = 27.14. Numerator derived as denominator 1,092,564 minus 796,020 regular attenders. State row, All Students, All Grades; DataAsOf 2026-01-06 | 27.1% | 2024–25 |
Source: Washington Department of Education (public reporting), 2026 collection. Not comparable across states — proficiency reflects different assessments and cut scores; graduation, dropout, and college-going use each state’s own cohort definitions and windows. Absent rows mean the state doesn’t publish that measure in a comparable file.
Washington schools by county
Students enrolled, 2024–25.
Washington schools — FAQ
How many students attend public school in Washington?+
1,094,502 students were enrolled in Washington's 2,566 public K-12 schools in the 2024–25 school year, taught by 60,617 full-time-equivalent teachers (NCES Common Core of Data).
What share of Washington students get free or reduced-price lunch?+
48.2% of Washington public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25 — a common proxy for student economic need.
What is Washington's high school graduation rate?+
82.6% of Washington's adjusted cohort graduated in the 2024–25 school year — reported by Washington's education agency (its 4-year ACGR, more current than the federal series, which lags to 2021–22). Graduation rates run from 2010–11 onward.
Where does this data come from?+
Core statistics (enrollment, schools, teachers, poverty, demographics) come from the National Center for Education Statistics — the Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and the Civil Rights Data Collection. The most recent graduation rates and the state report-card outcomes (proficiency, college-going, dropout, chronic absenteeism) come directly from state education agencies, which publish sooner than the federal series. Full source and license details are on the methodology page. pumsdata is independent and not affiliated with NCES or any state agency.
Other states
Data: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (CCD, EDFacts, CRDC) and ED Data Express, plus current-year graduation and report-card outcomes from state education agencies. Full source and license details on the methodology page.