Skip to content

Public schools. Public promise.

SAVE SEATTLESCHOOLS.

Our position

  • Keep great public schools open. Schools anchor communities. Families need stability to plan years ahead. Closure threats weaken trust and push families away.
  • Closures won’t fix the budget. Other districts have lost students and funding to large-scale closures. Promised efficiencies haven’t fixed their budgets.
  • Make public schools work for everyone. Maintain academic excellence and support every learner. Keep families from every socioeconomic background invested.

A school worth knowing

Louisa Boren STEM
K–8.

Big questions. Hands-on possibilities.

Louisa Boren STEM brings science, technology, engineering and math into a public K–8 option school. Its Delridge campus has served Seattle students for decades, finding new purpose as the program grew from elementary through middle school. [1]

Get to know this school
Louisa Boren, now home to Boren STEM, photographed circa 1963Delridge, Seattle
Louisa Boren, now home to Boren STEM, circa 1963. Photo: SPS Archives · Cropped
DelridgeK–8Seattle Public SchoolsResearch updated October 9, 2026
School community established [1]
2012
Students · September 2026 [2]
437
Capital budget · 2026–27 [24]
$435K

01Community consent

Don’t close Louisa Boren STEM without community consent.

SPS included Louisa Boren STEM in both September 2024 closure alternatives. It was not among the final four schools recommended that October. The board withdrew that proposal in November 2024. [4][5][6]

The leadership has changed since then. The 2025 election brought Kathleen Smith and Jen LaVallee onto the board, alongside returning directors Vivian Song and Joe Mizrahi. [26] Brent Jones resigned in 2025. After Fred Podesta served as interim superintendent, Ben Shuldiner took over in February 2026. [27][28]

Plan for more students, not fewer schools. Rebuild trust, maintain academic excellence and help families discover what their local school offers. Give this community the stability and support to grow enrollment—and a direct say in its future.

The years after the proposals

  1. 438October 2024
  2. 426October 2025
  3. 437September 2026

SPS student headcounts [2]

02Nearby schools

Longer commutes. More crossings.

Closing a neighborhood school can mean longer school runs, time away from work and more busy streets for children to cross. Apparent savings to SPS are paid for in families’ time. Moving costs off the district’s books does not make them disappear.

Compare the 3 nearest SPS elementary or K–8 campuses to Louisa Boren STEM K-8, ranked by driving distance. [3][18]

Four schools. Four neighborhood communities.

Walking routes from Louisa Boren STEM K-8 and available neighborhood attendance areas.

Louisa Boren STEM K-8SanisloRoxhillWest Seattle
Louisa Boren STEM K-8Nearby schoolsAttendance areasWalking routesArterial crossings

Option school; no attendance area · © SPS 2025–26 GIS [20] · 2026–27 attendance map [21] · © SDOT / King County [22] · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Route data (ODbL)

Travel time for families.

Campus to campus · Driving: round trip per drop-off or pickup · Walking & distances: one way

SchoolParent driving Round tripChild walking One wayArterial crossings On foot

Sanislo

12 min1.1 mi
28 min1.3 mi1 mapped crossings: SW ORCHARD ST

Roxhill

14 min1.9 mi
41 min1.8 mi4 mapped crossings: SW HOLDEN ST · SW ORCHARD ST · SYLVAN WAY SW

West Seattle

26 min1.9 mi
24 min0.9 mi2 mapped crossings: DELRIDGE WAY SW · SYLVAN WAY SW

Driving: 2× one-way estimate, without traffic · Walking routes [18][19]

03Enrollment

More kids in Seattle. Fewer in public schools.

Enrollment & the city

2010–2024 · Each line uses its own color-matched scale.

  • Louisa Boren STEM students
    4372024

    Left scale

  • Seattle children under 18
    109,5192024

    Right scale

  • Private K–12 share
    25.8%2024

    Right scale

Louisa Boren STEM enrollment, Seattle children and private-school share, 2010–2024Three lines share one timeline. Louisa Boren STEM students use the left scale, 0 to 600. The right-hand axis pairs blue labels for Seattle residents under 18, 0 to 150,000, with red labels for private K–12 share, 0 to 30 percent. All scales start at zero. Dashed segments and hollow points show linear interpolation for the missing 2020 city data. Exact values, survey margins and definitions are in Data & sources.015030045060000%50k10%100k20%150k30%Louisa Boren STEM students, 2012: 269Louisa Boren STEM students, 2013: 326Louisa Boren STEM students, 2014: 354Louisa Boren STEM students, 2015: 403Louisa Boren STEM students, 2016: 476Louisa Boren STEM students, 2017: 545Louisa Boren STEM students, 2018: 557Louisa Boren STEM students, 2019: 556Louisa Boren STEM students, 2020: 545Louisa Boren STEM students, 2021: 498Louisa Boren STEM students, 2022: 483Louisa Boren STEM students, 2023: 457Louisa Boren STEM students, 2024: 437Seattle children under 18, 2010: 95,293; 90% margin ±5,001Seattle children under 18, 2011: 98,585; 90% margin ±3,957Seattle children under 18, 2012: 97,199; 90% margin ±4,372Seattle children under 18, 2013: 100,535; 90% margin ±5,296Seattle children under 18, 2014: 99,837; 90% margin ±4,811Seattle children under 18, 2015: 99,795; 90% margin ±4,654Seattle children under 18, 2016: 105,996; 90% margin ±5,142Seattle children under 18, 2017: 114,411; 90% margin ±5,315Seattle children under 18, 2018: 111,713; 90% margin ±5,986Seattle children under 18, 2019: 110,672; 90% margin ±5,207Seattle children under 18, 2020: 104,893; linearly interpolated between neighboring yearsSeattle children under 18, 2021: 99,114; 90% margin ±5,548Seattle children under 18, 2022: 100,014; 90% margin ±5,563Seattle children under 18, 2023: 109,297; 90% margin ±5,966Seattle children under 18, 2024: 109,519; 90% margin ±6,349Private K–12 share, 2010: 19.4%; 90% margin ±2.7 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2011: 20.7%; 90% margin ±2.2 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2012: 22.1%; 90% margin ±2.8 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2013: 23.2%; 90% margin ±2.6 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2014: 19.9%; 90% margin ±2.3 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2015: 21.1%; 90% margin ±2.7 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2016: 21.2%; 90% margin ±2.7 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2017: 18.3%; 90% margin ±2.5 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2018: 21.7%; 90% margin ±2.2 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2019: 21.8%; 90% margin ±2.4 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2020: 23.3%; linearly interpolated between neighboring yearsPrivate K–12 share, 2021: 24.9%; 90% margin ±3.5 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2022: 17.3%; 90% margin ±2.2 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2023: 25.1%; 90% margin ±2.6 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2024: 25.8%; 90% margin ±3.4 percentage points (approx.)2010201520202024Louisa Boren STEM enrollment, Seattle children and private-school share, 2010–2024Three lines share one timeline. Louisa Boren STEM students use the left scale, 0 to 600. The right-hand axis pairs blue labels for Seattle residents under 18, 0 to 150,000, with red labels for private K–12 share, 0 to 30 percent. All scales start at zero. Dashed segments and hollow points show linear interpolation for the missing 2020 city data. Exact values, survey margins and definitions are in Data & sources.015030045060000%50k10%100k20%150k30%Louisa Boren STEM students, 2012: 269Louisa Boren STEM students, 2013: 326Louisa Boren STEM students, 2014: 354Louisa Boren STEM students, 2015: 403Louisa Boren STEM students, 2016: 476Louisa Boren STEM students, 2017: 545Louisa Boren STEM students, 2018: 557Louisa Boren STEM students, 2019: 556Louisa Boren STEM students, 2020: 545Louisa Boren STEM students, 2021: 498Louisa Boren STEM students, 2022: 483Louisa Boren STEM students, 2023: 457Louisa Boren STEM students, 2024: 437Seattle children under 18, 2010: 95,293; 90% margin ±5,001Seattle children under 18, 2011: 98,585; 90% margin ±3,957Seattle children under 18, 2012: 97,199; 90% margin ±4,372Seattle children under 18, 2013: 100,535; 90% margin ±5,296Seattle children under 18, 2014: 99,837; 90% margin ±4,811Seattle children under 18, 2015: 99,795; 90% margin ±4,654Seattle children under 18, 2016: 105,996; 90% margin ±5,142Seattle children under 18, 2017: 114,411; 90% margin ±5,315Seattle children under 18, 2018: 111,713; 90% margin ±5,986Seattle children under 18, 2019: 110,672; 90% margin ±5,207Seattle children under 18, 2020: 104,893; linearly interpolated between neighboring yearsSeattle children under 18, 2021: 99,114; 90% margin ±5,548Seattle children under 18, 2022: 100,014; 90% margin ±5,563Seattle children under 18, 2023: 109,297; 90% margin ±5,966Seattle children under 18, 2024: 109,519; 90% margin ±6,349Private K–12 share, 2010: 19.4%; 90% margin ±2.7 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2011: 20.7%; 90% margin ±2.2 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2012: 22.1%; 90% margin ±2.8 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2013: 23.2%; 90% margin ±2.6 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2014: 19.9%; 90% margin ±2.3 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2015: 21.1%; 90% margin ±2.7 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2016: 21.2%; 90% margin ±2.7 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2017: 18.3%; 90% margin ±2.5 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2018: 21.7%; 90% margin ±2.2 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2019: 21.8%; 90% margin ±2.4 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2020: 23.3%; linearly interpolated between neighboring yearsPrivate K–12 share, 2021: 24.9%; 90% margin ±3.5 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2022: 17.3%; 90% margin ±2.2 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2023: 25.1%; 90% margin ±2.6 percentage points (approx.)Private K–12 share, 2024: 25.8%; 90% margin ±3.4 percentage points (approx.)20102012201420162018202020222024

Dashed segments interpolate the 2020 gap. Sources: NCES and Census ACS. [3][16][17]

Seattle’s under-18 population grew from about 100,000 in 2022 to 110,000 in 2024. Private schools’ share of K–12 enrollment rose from 21.8% in 2019 to 25.8% in 2024. [16][17]

Uncertainty weakens public schools.

Continued closure uncertainty gives families who can afford private school another reason to leave. With them go students, funding and advocates. Instead of protecting a safety net, we erode the public support that sustains it. Public schools need families from every socioeconomic background invested in their success.

2012–2024: the longer enrollment record
Louisa Boren STEM annual enrollment, 2012–2024NCES fall student headcounts. Dots mark reported observations; lines connect years.0100200300400500600201220182024437Louisa Boren STEM annual enrollment, 2012–2024NCES fall student headcounts. Dots mark reported observations; lines connect years.050100150200250300350400450500550600201220182024437
NCES fall headcounts; school-year starting year
FallStudentsTeacher FTE
201226915
2013326—
201435422
201540323
201647627
201754532
201855737
201955636
202054538
202149838
202248335
202345733
202443729

The series follows this school’s NCES identifier. Grade spans and programs have changed over time. [3]

Recent district enrollment counts
SPS P223 monthly headcounts; total includes preschool where present
Count dateAll studentsFunded students
October 2019555542
October 2020541525
October 2021497483
October 2022484468
October 2023457439
October 2024438422
October 2025426410
September 2026437420

September and October counts are different snapshots. [2]

04Public investment

Invest here. Then walk away?

Keep these investments working for students and their neighborhoods.

$4M

Original HVAC levy estimate

2018 plan · not actual spending [23]

  • HVAC upgrades$4,034,016

$435K

Capital allocated this year

2026–27 adopted budget [24]

  • Electrical and intercom$434,726

Annual allocations cover one fiscal year; they are separate from total project costs.

BEX VI · 2026–31

Lighting and technology.

LED lighting and controls. Student and staff devices, digital learning and cybersecurity. [13]

Projects, amounts & sources

Earlier projects and levy plans

  • HVAC upgrades

    2018 levy estimate · BEX V · Original levy estimate [23]

    $4,034,016

Construction record

  • Boilers and heating controls

    Completed 2021 · accepted 2024 · BEX V [25]

Earlier SPS project listings [14]

  • 2013: Made structural upgrades to improve earthquake safety. Made major maintenance repairs. Completed renovations for capacity management.
  • 2012: Interior and exterior painting, flooring, electrical, mechanical and playground upgraded to house elementary STEM.
  • 2011: Installed energy-conserving fan and pump motors.
  • 1999: Replace Gym Athletic Scoreboards
  • 1999: Reroofing, Seismic Upgrade, Hazard. Materials, Fire Alarm Upgrades

School spending.
District allocations.

School-coded spending is the annual operating expense recorded under the school’s own accounting code, including any shared costs assigned to it. The reported total includes a broader share of districtwide spending allocated to the school in the state’s expenditure report.

These figures show what SPS spent to serve students that year. A closure proposal must show which expenses would actually end, after accounting for transition costs, transportation and funding lost when families leave.

2024-25 actual expenditure

Spending coded to Louisa Boren STEM [8]

$7.25M

$7,248,722 · $17,090 per student FTE

Reported total, including district allocations [7]

$10.84M

$10,842,274 · $25,563 per student FTE

Per-student costs divide each total by 424.14 full-time-equivalent students, the school year’s average enrollment. [7][8]

6 years of reported actual spending
OSPI actual expenditure in nominal dollars
School yearSchool-coded spendingTotal with allocationsStudent FTEReported per pupil
2019-20—$9,800,113534.23$18,344
2020-21—$10,065,831518.76$19,404
2021-22—$11,296,158493.64$22,883
2022-23—$11,856,938474.89$24,968
2023-24$7,434,472$11,000,859447.39$24,589
2024-25$7,248,722$10,842,274424.14$25,563
13 years of budgets and funded staffing
School budget allocations and planned staffing; nominal dollars
School yearBudgetBudgeted studentsStaff FTEBudget per student
2012-13$1,582,3315519.1$28,770
2013-14$2,529,44732731.7$7,735
2014-15$2,850,48636134.9$7,896
2016-17$3,983,10046143.6$8,640
2017-18$5,134,88755152.3$9,319
2018-19$5,563,57555954.6$9,953
2019-20$6,474,13855457.4$11,686
2020-21$6,609,40955257.0$11,974
2021-22$6,995,89952257.8$13,402
2022-23$6,960,14248355.4$14,410
2023-24$6,912,09548153.1$14,370
2024-25$6,924,04444551.0$15,560
2025-26$6,942,46741851.0$16,609

Budget allocations are distinct from actual expenditure. 2025-26 budget: [9]

2012-13 source ↗2013-14 source ↗2014-15 source ↗2016-17 source ↗2017-18 source ↗2018-19 source ↗2019-20 source ↗2020-21 source ↗2021-22 source ↗2022-23 source ↗2023-24 source ↗2024-25 source ↗2025-26 source ↗

Teacher headcounts
OSPI teacher headcounts, distinct from funded staff FTE
School yearTeachersStudents in this report
2017-1832557
2018-1944557
2019-2039556
2020-2146545
2021-2247498
2022-2348483
2023-2451457
2024-2552438

[15]

05Learning

Student outcomes.

Academic excellence for every student builds families’ trust. Keep expectations high, give each learner the support to succeed and measure progress honestly. SPS should improve outcomes, not dilute the metrics used to judge them. That is how Seattle can become the nation’s No. 1 urban school district.

Share of tested students meeting the state standard, across tested grades. [10]

52.7%

English language arts · 2025–26

45.8%

Mathematics · 2025–26

63.4%

Science · 2025–26

  • English language arts
  • Mathematics
  • Science
0%25%50%75%100%2021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262021-22 · English language arts: 47.9%2022-23 · English language arts: 40.7%2023-24 · English language arts: 51.2%2024-25 · English language arts: 52.9%2025-26 · English language arts: 52.7%2021-22 · Mathematics: 34.0%2022-23 · Mathematics: 28.2%2023-24 · Mathematics: 40.8%2024-25 · Mathematics: 45.7%2025-26 · Mathematics: 45.8%2021-22 · Science: 61.1%2022-23 · Science: 30.9%2023-24 · Science: 46.8%2024-25 · Science: 48.8%2025-26 · Science: 63.4%0%25%50%75%100%2021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262021-22 · English language arts: 47.9%2022-23 · English language arts: 40.7%2023-24 · English language arts: 51.2%2024-25 · English language arts: 52.9%2025-26 · English language arts: 52.7%2021-22 · Mathematics: 34.0%2022-23 · Mathematics: 28.2%2023-24 · Mathematics: 40.8%2024-25 · Mathematics: 45.7%2025-26 · Mathematics: 45.8%2021-22 · Science: 61.1%2022-23 · Science: 30.9%2023-24 · Science: 46.8%2024-25 · Science: 48.8%2025-26 · Science: 63.4%
Assessment results by school year
General state assessments; percentage of tested students meeting standard
School yearELAMathScience
2014-1573.6%60.4%82.2%
2015-1663.6%54.7%76.2%
2016-1759.7%51.7%75.0%
2017-1863.6%57.1%63.8%
2018-1966.0%60.0%63.1%
2021-2247.9%34.0%61.1%
2022-2340.7%28.2%30.9%
2023-2451.2%40.8%46.8%
2024-2552.9%45.7%48.8%
2025-2652.7%45.8%63.4%

Suppressed results stay blank in the chart. Science assessments changed during this period; the trend above covers the current testing era. [10][11][12]

06History & community

Rooted in Delridge.

Louisa Boren opened as a junior high in 1963. After closing in 1981, the building housed programs and schools displaced by construction. It became the permanent home of Boren STEM in 2012, beginning with elementary grades and expanding to K–8 by 2018. [1]

  1. 1963

    Louisa Boren Junior High opened.

  2. 1981

    Junior high closed; campus served other programs.

  3. 1999

    Seismic upgrades.

  4. 2012

    STEM elementary option school opened.

  5. 2013

    Seismic and childcare improvements.

  6. 2018

    K–8 expansion completed.

The campus served as an interim home for several West Seattle schools during construction projects. [1]

07Research

Sources & citations.

  1. 01

    SPS / HistoryLink

    Building for Learning: school and building history, 2022

    Origins, building chronology and community history.

  2. 02

    Seattle Public Schools

    Monthly P223 enrollment reports

    October 2019–2025 and September 2026. Total headcount includes preschool where offered.

  3. 03

    NCES / Urban Institute

    Common Core of Data: annual school enrollment

    A consistent school identifier; grade spans and program locations can change.

  4. 04

    KUOW

    September 11, 2024: the two closure alternatives

    Option A named 21 schools; Option B named 17. Their union contains 22 distinct schools.

  5. 05

    Seattle Public Schools

    October 24, 2024: preliminary recommendations

    North Beach, Sacajawea, Sanislo and Stevens, with named receiving schools.

  6. 06

    Seattle School Board

    November 26, 2024: withdrawal record

    Board action on withdrawal of the preliminary school-closure recommendation.

  7. 07

    Washington OSPI

    Actual school-level expenditures, 2019–2025

    Report-card spending includes district allocations; denominator is annual-average student FTE.

  8. 08

    Washington OSPI

    F-196 expenditures by school location

    2023–24 and 2024–25 school-coded actuals. These may already include costs allocated by the district.

  9. 09

    Seattle Public Schools

    School budgets and funded staffing

    School allocations and planned staff FTE; separate from actual expenditures and employee headcounts.

  10. 10

    Washington OSPI

    State assessment results, 2021–2026

    All Students, All Grades, general assessments; percent meeting standard among tested students.

  11. 11

    Washington OSPI

    Historical state assessments, 2014–2017

    Different subjects/test regimes retained separately; suppressed results remain unpublished.

  12. 12

    Washington OSPI

    Historical state assessments, 2017–2019

    General assessments; results for tested students.

  13. 13

    Seattle Public Schools

    BEX VI: approved 2025 capital levy

    $1.8 billion districtwide, collected 2026–2031. School project lists are not school-specific expenditure totals.

  14. 14

    Seattle Public Schools

    School directory and levy projects

    School address, programs and dated building projects.

  15. 15

    Washington OSPI

    Teacher counts and student–teacher ratios

    Classroom teacher headcounts, 2017–18 through 2024–25; distinct from staff FTE.

  16. 16

    U.S. Census Bureau

    Seattle children: ACS B09001

    Seattle residents under 18, including preschool-age children; annual estimates through 2024.

  17. 17

    U.S. Census Bureau

    Seattle public and private enrollment: ACS B14002

    Private share of city residents enrolled in K–12. The 2020 chart gap is interpolated.

  18. 18

    Valhalla / FOSSGIS / OpenStreetMap

    Campus-to-campus route estimates

    Cached pedestrian and shortest-distance driving routes, October 2026. No live traffic in these source records.

  19. 19

    Seattle Department of Transportation

    Official arterial street classifications

    Principal, minor and collector arterial street geometry.

  20. 20

    Seattle Public Schools GIS

    Elementary attendance areas, 2025–26

    Published geographic boundaries; option schools do not have ordinary attendance areas.

  21. 21

    Seattle Public Schools

    Current district attendance-area reference

    2026–27 district PDF map; a separate vintage from the available GIS.

  22. 22

    King County GIS

    Major waterbodies

    Geographic context for the campus maps.

  23. 23

    Seattle Public Schools

    BEX V levy resolution and original project estimates

    Oct. 30, 2018 board action packet. Budget attachment is labeled preliminary; estimates precede escalation and later project changes. PDF pp. 18–19.

  24. 24

    Seattle Public Schools

    2026–27 adopted capital budget

    Annual project allocations, not lifetime costs or remaining balances. PDF pp. 185–187; printed pp. 178–180.

  25. 25

    Seattle Public Schools

    Feb. 7, 2024 board meeting

    Final acceptance of Boren HVAC and shared Salmon Bay ceiling-fan work.

  26. 26

    Seattle Public Schools

    New Directors Sworn in to Seattle School Board

    Dec. 8, 2025. Kathleen Smith and Jen LaVallee joined; Joe Mizrahi and Vivian Song continued after the November election.

  27. 27

    Seattle Public Schools Archives

    SPS directors and superintendents

    2025 revision, page 9. Brent Jones resigned in 2025; Fred Podesta served as interim superintendent.

  28. 28

    Seattle Public Schools

    New Superintendent Begins Tenure Leading Seattle Public Schools

    Feb. 2, 2026. Ben Shuldiner began leading the district.