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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

McGilvra
Elementary.

A small school. A strong community.

A Madison Park landmark where generations of children have learned since 1899. McGilvra combines a walkable neighborhood campus with an active PTA supporting art, enrichment and family connection. [1][41]

Get to know this school
McGilvra’s red-brick school building, playground and field, photographed in 2015Madison Park, Seattle
McGilvra, 2015. Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped
Madison ParkKindergarten–5th gradeSeattle Public SchoolsResearch updated October 9, 2026
A school at this site since [1]
1899
Students · September 2026 [2]
187
Capital funding · 2015–18 package [3]
$9.1M
Capital budget · 2026–27 [38]
$1.2M

01Community consent

Don’t close McGilvra without community consent.

SPS included McGilvra 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][16]

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. [42] Brent Jones resigned in 2025. After Fred Podesta served as interim superintendent, Ben Shuldiner took over in February 2026. [43][44]

McGilvra is working with local community organizations on its own marketing and growth plan. Its PTA is promoting enrollment through school tours and parent outreach. [45] Build on that work: maintain academic excellence, welcome more families and give the school the stability to grow. McGilvra’s future should be shaped with its community’s consent.

The years after the proposals

  1. 193October 2024
  2. 187October 2025
  3. 187September 2026

SPS student headcounts [6]

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 McGilvra Elementary, ranked by driving distance. [17][18]

Four schools. Four neighborhood communities.

Walking routes from McGilvra and available neighborhood attendance areas.

McGilvraMadronaMontlakeStevens
McGilvraNearby schoolsAttendance areasWalking routesArterial crossings

© 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

Madrona

16 min2.0 mi
41 min1.7 mi6 mapped crossings: E Madison St · Lake Washington Blvd E · E John St · 32nd Ave E · E Denny Way · E Union St

Montlake

18 min2.1 mi
41 min1.9 mi4 mapped crossings: Lake Washington Blvd E · Boyer Ave E · 24th Ave E

Stevens

20 min2.1 mi
46 min2.1 mi4 mapped crossings: Lake Washington Blvd E · E Madison St · 23rd Ave E · 19th Ave E

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.

  • McGilvra students
    1942024

    Left scale

  • Seattle children under 18
    109,5192024

    Right scale

  • Private K–12 share
    25.8%2024

    Right scale

McGilvra enrollment, Seattle children and private-school share, 2010–2024Three lines share one timeline. McGilvra students use the left scale, 0 to 400. 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.010020030040000%50k10%100k20%150k30%McGilvra students, 2010: 269McGilvra students, 2011: 299McGilvra students, 2012: 301McGilvra students, 2013: 288McGilvra students, 2014: 286McGilvra students, 2015: 275McGilvra students, 2016: 282McGilvra students, 2017: 242McGilvra students, 2018: 243McGilvra students, 2019: 239McGilvra students, 2020: 226McGilvra students, 2021: 223McGilvra students, 2022: 222McGilvra students, 2023: 215McGilvra students, 2024: 194Seattle 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.)2010201520202024McGilvra enrollment, Seattle children and private-school share, 2010–2024Three lines share one timeline. McGilvra students use the left scale, 0 to 400. 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.010020030040000%50k10%100k20%150k30%McGilvra students, 2010: 269McGilvra students, 2011: 299McGilvra students, 2012: 301McGilvra students, 2013: 288McGilvra students, 2014: 286McGilvra students, 2015: 275McGilvra students, 2016: 282McGilvra students, 2017: 242McGilvra students, 2018: 243McGilvra students, 2019: 239McGilvra students, 2020: 226McGilvra students, 2021: 223McGilvra students, 2022: 222McGilvra students, 2023: 215McGilvra students, 2024: 194Seattle 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. [5][23][24]

39 years. A changing school.

Annual student headcount · Fall 1986–2024

McGilvra annual enrollment, 1986–2024Enrollment was 215 in 1986, reached a series high of 301 in 2012, and was 194 in 2024. Source: NCES CCD via Urban Institute. The full data table follows.0100200300198620052024194McGilvra annual enrollment, 1986–2024Enrollment was 215 in 1986, reached a series high of 301 in 2012, and was 194 in 2024. Source: NCES CCD via Urban Institute. The full data table follows.050100150200250300350198619901995200020052010201520202024194
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, via Urban Institute. This series ends in 2024–25; it is kept separate from SPS monthly counts. The school’s reported grade span varies in the early years. [5]

The recent enrollment picture.

October P223 counts, 2019–2025 · September 2026 shown separately

McGilvra October enrollment, 2019–2025October counts were 238 in 2019 and 187 in 2025. A separate September 2026 observation is 187 and is not connected as an October result. The full data table follows.0100200300201920222025187McGilvra October enrollment, 2019–2025October counts were 238 in 2019 and 187 in 2025. A separate September 2026 observation is 187 and is not connected as an October result. The full data table follows.0501001502002503002019202020212022202320242025187

September 2026: 187 students. Separate monthly observation.

Source: SPS P223 reports. Compare the same count month where possible. [6]
Data & sources
City comparison, 2010–2024. ± indicates a 90% survey margin; percentage-point margins are approximate. Interpolated 2020 city values are not Census observations.
YearMcGilvra studentsSeattle under 18Private K–12 share
201026995,293 ± 5,00119.4% ± 2.7 pp
201129998,585 ± 3,95720.7% ± 2.2 pp
201230197,199 ± 4,37222.1% ± 2.8 pp
2013288100,535 ± 5,29623.2% ± 2.6 pp
201428699,837 ± 4,81119.9% ± 2.3 pp
201527599,795 ± 4,65421.1% ± 2.7 pp
2016282105,996 ± 5,14221.2% ± 2.7 pp
2017242114,411 ± 5,31518.3% ± 2.5 pp
2018243111,713 ± 5,98621.7% ± 2.2 pp
2019239110,672 ± 5,20721.8% ± 2.4 pp
2020226104,893 (interpolated)23.3% (interpolated)
202122399,114 ± 5,54824.9% ± 3.5 pp
2022222100,014 ± 5,56317.3% ± 2.2 pp
2023215109,297 ± 5,96625.1% ± 2.6 pp
2024194109,519 ± 6,34925.8% ± 3.4 pp

City estimates describe Seattle residents, not the McGilvra catchment. Under-18 population includes younger children. Private share is private K–12 enrollment divided by public plus private K–12 enrollment; it excludes preschool and college. [23][24]

McGilvra: NCES fall headcounts. City: Census ACS tables B09001 and B14002, surveyed throughout the calendar year. The city series ends in 2024, the latest release retrieved. [5][27]

The missing 2020 city values are linearly interpolated between 2019 and 2021. Survey margins apply only to reported estimates; the private-share margin is approximate. Margins remain in this table and point descriptions to keep the overlaid chart clear. [25][26]

School headcounts differ by source: 2024–25 is 194 in CCD/OSPI and 193 in SPS’s October P223. P223 is shown separately below. These records do not establish why individual families enrolled or left.

Long view: NCES CCD annual headcount
Fall yearStudents
1986215
1987231
1988256
1989206
1990195
1991185
1992213
1993190
1994177
1995202
1996212
1997215
1998226
1999234
2000236
2001243
2002240
2003239
2004241
2005254
2006257
2007253
2008250
2009257
2010269
2011299
2012301
2013288
2014286
2015275
2016282
2017242
2018243
2019239
2020226
2021223
2022222
2023215
2024194

Reported grade span varies in the early years. [5]

Recent SPS P223 headcounts
Count dateStudents
October 2019238
October 2020226
October 2021224
October 2022223
October 2023216
October 2024193
October 2025187
September 2026187

Compare the same count month where possible. [6]

SPS projected 186 students for fall 2025 and counted 187, down from 193 a year earlier. September 2026 counted 187. [7][2]

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. [23][24]

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.

District enrollment exceeded a key closure-era forecast
Actual district annual enrollment versus FLO Analytics’ April 2024 middle scenario. A dated forecast, not the latest staffing projection.
School yearForecastActualAbove forecast
2024–2548,67449,240566
2025–2647,91348,9571,044

SPS gained 14 students in 2024–25, then lost 283 in 2025–26. Both totals exceeded this forecast. The record supports questioning projections; it does not show uninterrupted growth or establish that withdrawing closures caused enrollment to rise. [31][32]

04Public investment

Invest here. Then walk away?

Keep these investments working for students and their neighborhoods.

$9M

Estimated upgrade spending

2015–18 projects [36]

  • Cafeteria, seismic, HVAC and associated upgrades$8,951,594

$1.2M

Capital allocated this year

2026–27 adopted budget [38]

  • Windows, doors and cladding$566,229
  • Seismic improvements$683,237

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. [30]

  • Windows, doors, masonry and seismic upgrades2026–28 project · BEX V [11]
Projects, amounts & sources

Earlier projects and levy plans

  • Cafeteria, seismic, HVAC and associated upgrades

    2015–18 projects · BTA III / BEX IV · Estimated spending [36]

    $8,951,594
  • Cafeteria and seismic construction contract · included in total

    2020 closeout · BTA III / BEX IV · Paid construction contract [36]

    $4,895,547
  • HVAC construction contract · included in total

    2017 closeout · BTA III / BEX IV · Paid construction contract [34]

    $1,657,083
  • Playground

    2018 levy estimate · BEX V · Original levy estimate [37]

    $105,000
  • Exterior cladding

    2018 levy estimate · BEX V · Original levy estimate [37]

    $963,732
  • Exterior doors

    2018 levy estimate · BEX V · Original levy estimate [37]

    $102,944
  • Exterior windows

    2018 levy estimate · BEX V · Original levy estimate [37]

    $1,259,423
  • Field conversion

    2018 levy estimate · BEX V · Original levy estimate [37]

    $412,302

Construction record

  • Synthetic turf and flagpole

    Completed 2021 · accepted 2023 · BEX V [39]

  • Windows, doors, masonry and seismic upgrades

    2026–28 project · BEX V [11]

Contracts shared with other schools

These amounts cover multiple schools and are excluded from this school’s totals.

  • Playgrounds at 10 schools

    Shared completed project · 2021 closeout [40]

    $1,710,063

School spending.
District allocations.
What would actually disappear?

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.

Same year · 2024-25 actual expenditure

Spending coded to McGilvra [28]

$3.22M

$3,219,386 total · $16,484 per annual-average student FTE

Reported total, including district allocations [8]

$4.87M

$4,874,077 total · $24,957 per annual-average student FTE

Reporting difference: $1,654,691. School-coded totals can include shared costs. Neither total measures closure savings. Denominator: 195.3 annual-average student FTE. [29]

Compare the two available years
Nominal dollars; school location 2201, district 17001. Neither scope measures avoidable closure costs.
YearSchool-coded spendingReported totalReporting difference
2023-24$3,393,509$5,125,804$1,732,295
2024-25$3,219,386$4,874,077$1,654,691

We summed the original F-196 school-location records. A fully reconciled ledger separating direct school services, shared services and central administration is still needed. The public data do not establish that the allocation formula itself penalizes small schools.

Six years of reported actual expenditures
OSPI actual school-level spending, including district allocations. Nominal dollars.
School yearTotal expenditureAnnual-average FTEPer pupil
2019-20$4,291,476235.65$18,211
2020-21$4,187,077219.00$19,119
2021-22$4,763,736222.39$21,421
2022-23$5,258,154221.13$23,779
2023-24$5,125,804217.31$23,588
2024-25$4,874,077195.30$24,957
19 years of school budgets and funded staffing

Budget allocations and planned FTE, not actual expenditures or staff headcounts. Missing years remain missing. Figures are nominal; budget-vintage labels vary.

School budget allocations and matching budgeted enrollment
School yearSchool budgetBudgeted studentsFunded staff FTE
2002-03$1,210,97424022.2
2003-04$1,240,67924320.5
2004-05$1,248,03323320.6
2010-11$1,711,16725919.6
2011-12$1,870,94930521.8
2012-13$1,768,32329920.3
2013-14$1,965,92930123.0
2014-15$2,012,26127522.8
2015-16$2,019,46128921.8
2016-17$2,128,55428322.0
2017-18$2,169,21925521.0
2018-19$2,156,99623919.5
2019-20$2,135,22823117.5
2020-21$2,569,08125319.9
2021-22$2,544,51622819.2
2022-23$2,685,06822819.0
2023-24$2,702,91722218.2
2024-25$2,662,49320117.2
2025-26$2,498,05018615.7

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.

Students meeting the state standard in 2025–26, as a share of those tested. [12]

81.0%

English language arts

78.3%

Mathematics

All tested grades · General assessments · Tested-student denominator.
The 2025–26 science result is suppressed, not zero.

Different schools. A shared public purpose.

John Stanford envisioned an international school built around language and culture, preparing children for a global future. The school that carries his name chose Spanish and Japanese after surveying 5,000 parents and 1,200 business leaders. Its programs began in 2000 and 2001. Community input and a distinctive model were part of the design. [33]

That is the spirit we want SPS to build on: schools rooted in their communities’ strengths and needs, with room to try different approaches. Evaluate children’s learning and wellbeing, improve or retire approaches that fail, and share those that succeed—with equitable access across neighborhoods. A school monoculture needs evidence that it serves children better; easier administration is not enough. This is our proposed approach, not a quotation from Stanford.

Compare the last five school years
OSPI proficiency among students tested; science is grade 5 here
School yearELAMathScience
2021-2279.3%78.8%Suppressed
2022-2375.7%76.7%Suppressed
2023-2475.7%74.8%Suppressed
2024-2577.5%78.6%84.0%
2025-2681.0%78.3%Suppressed

Suppressed results are not reconstructed. These are results for tested grades, not all enrolled K–5 children. Current dataset vintage: September 9, 2026.

Historical results and what is still missing

A visually verified 2004–05 WASL table reports 85.7% proficiency in grade-4 math, 90.5% in reading, 81.0% in writing, and 65.7% in grade-5 science. These are a different test regime and should not be joined to modern results as a continuous comparable trend. [13]

The collected modern records span 11 school years, including the delayed fall 2021 administration. The 2019–20 spring tests were cancelled. A complete 25-year assessment series remains unfinished; scores alone do not isolate a school’s contribution from its pupils’ other experiences.

06History

A Madison Park landmark.

The area’s history begins long before its subdivision, with Duwamish use of this Lake Washington shore. Later, the Madison Street route, waterfront recreation and cable-car service helped shape Madison Park. [14]

Lake School opened here in 1899 with about 50–60 pupils. Edgar Blair’s nine-classroom brick building followed in 1913, and the school took the McGilvra name in 1914. The Landmarks Preservation Board voted for designation in 2014. [1]

Historic black-and-white photograph of McGilvra School in 1915, with its flagpole and young trees
McGilvra, 1915. Webster & Stevens; MOHAI, PEMCO collection, image 5154. Source and rights record. Commons identifies the historic work as U.S. public domain; institutional metadata also includes an “All Rights Reserved” credit line.
The garden at McGilvra in 2015, with a hand-painted garden sign, plant beds and pathways
The school garden, 2015. Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0. Display cropped.

Before another closure proposal

The community deserves answers, not assumptions.

01Which costs would actually disappear—and which would remain?

02What would change for students, including at the receiving school?

03What do the families, staff and neighbors directly affected want?

07Research

Sources & citations.

  1. 01

    Seattle Public Schools

    McGilvra school history, 2022 edition

    School origins, building, historic enrollment and parent-funded programs. Printed pp. 301–303.

  2. 02

    Seattle Public Schools

    September 2026 P223 enrollment report

    187 students. PDF p. 61. September count; not an October count.

  3. 03

    Seattle Public Schools

    2015–18 capital package: final acceptance report

    $9,071,594 funding; about $120,000 expected underspend. Includes cafeteria and other phases. PDF pp. 2, 5.

  4. 04

    Capitol Hill Seattle

    The September 2024 closure alternatives

    Contemporaneous reporting on the initial alternatives. Distinct from the later four-school recommendation.

  5. 05

    NCES / Urban Institute

    Common Core of Data: McGilvra annual records

    39 annual observations, fall 1986–2024. Urban Institute is the distributor of the NCES series.

  6. 06

    Seattle Public Schools

    Monthly P223 enrollment archive

    68 reports, September 2019–September 2026. The on-page chart separates October counts from the latest September observation.

  7. 07

    Seattle Public Schools

    2025–26 annual enrollment report

    Table 1-D, PDF p. 21: projected 186; actual 187; previous year 193.

  8. 08

    Washington OSPI

    School-level expenditure data and allocation method

    Actual expenditures include district allocations. The denominator is annual-average student FTE.

  9. 09

    Seattle Public Schools

    2025–26 school budget

    PDF p. 102: $2,498,050 budget; 15.7 school-funded staff FTE. An allocation, not audited actual spending.

  10. 10

    Seattle Public Schools

    McGilvra levy and building history

    Elevator, roof, mechanical, playground and network projects. Some entries overlap; do not sum project listings.

  11. 11

    Seattle Public Schools

    Current capital projects, 2026–2028

    Announced work on McGilvra windows, doors, masonry and seismic safety. Total actual cost not established.

  12. 12

    Washington OSPI

    State assessment results, 2021–26

    All Students, All Grades, general assessments. Current tested-student denominator; September 9, 2026 vintage.

  13. 13

    Seattle Public Schools / U.S. Supreme Court archive

    2004–05 WASL results

    SPS report, PDF p. 145. Grade 4 reading, math, writing; grade 5 science. Historical test regime.

  14. 14

    HistoryLink

    Madison Park: thumbnail history

    Duwamish history, neighborhood development, the Madison Street route and waterfront recreation.

  15. 16

    Seattle School Board

    November 26, 2024 withdrawal record

    The October recommendation named North Beach, Sacajawea, Sanislo and Stevens, not McGilvra.

  16. 17

    Seattle Public Schools / NCES

    School directory and campus locations

    Current SPS school names and addresses; 2024–25 NCES campus coordinates via Urban Institute. Seven nearby K–5-serving campuses compared; routes use campus coordinates rather than individual homes.

  17. 18

    Valhalla / FOSSGIS / OpenStreetMap

    Driving and walking route estimates, October 7, 2026

    Cached public routing results. Driving ranked by shortest route distance; walking modeled at 4.8 km/h with crossing narration. No live traffic. Routes include stairs; estimates are not an accessibility assessment.

  18. 19

    Seattle Department of Transportation

    Seattle Streets: official arterial classifications

    Principal, minor and collector arterial centerlines, retrieved October 7, 2026. Crossings are estimates from route geometry, not field inspections; repeated streets appear once.

  19. 20

    Seattle Public Schools · GIS

    Elementary attendance-area polygons, 2025–26

    Latest public geometry located October 7, 2026. McGilvra, Madrona, Montlake and Stevens; original school IDs retained. The geometry is not labeled 2026–27, so the map preserves its published vintage.

  20. 21

    Seattle Public Schools · Enrollment Planning

    Elementary attendance areas, 2026–27 district map

    Current PDF reference, updated June 10, 2026. Distinct from the 2025–26 geometry used in the interactive map. Nearby schools are comparisons; no capacity or reassignment decision is implied.

  21. 22

    King County GIS

    Major waterbodies: geographic map context

    Lake Washington and Lake Union polygons, retrieved October 7, 2026. Combined with SDOT street centerlines to situate school communities; all map layers are served locally.

  22. 23

    U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey

    Seattle population under 18: ACS table B09001

    One-year estimates, 2010–2024; Seattle city, Washington (state 53, place 63000). Fourteen observations, with no standard 2020 release. Includes infants and preschool-age children. 2024: 109,519 ± 6,349 at 90% confidence.

  23. 24

    U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey

    Seattle public and private enrollment: ACS table B14002

    One-year estimates of city residents, both sexes, kindergarten through grade 12. Private share = private / (public + private), excluding preschool and college. It is not the share attending schools physically located in the city or a measure of departures from SPS.

  24. 25

    U.S. Census Bureau

    Why 2020 has no standard ACS one-year estimate

    Pandemic disruptions prevented the standard release. Experimental 2020 estimates are not mixed into the trend. Dashed chart segments and hollow dots identify linear interpolation between 2019 and 2021; those values are not Census observations.

  25. 26

    U.S. Census Bureau

    ACS estimates and margins of error

    City population uses the published 90% margin. Private-share uncertainty uses the Census approximation for a proportion derived from summed cells, including the ratio fallback when needed. Survey margins appear in the data table and chart point descriptions.

  26. 27

    U.S. Census Bureau

    2025 ACS release timing: August 2026 update

    The Bureau reported that the 2025 ACS one-year release date was still being determined. The city series uses data through 2024, the latest official files retrieved October 7, 2026, without inventing later values.

  27. 28

    Washington OSPI

    F-196 actuals: expenditures by school location

    2023–24 and 2024–25 Actuals Child General Fund Expenditures files. Sum Amount for district 17001, school 2201. School-coded actuals can include allocations made by SPS before submission; they are not a pure direct-cost ledger.

  28. 29

    Washington OSPI

    School-level expenditure reporting and shared costs

    2019–20 accounting changes, slides 38–46: school location coding, district pre-allocation and OSPI allocation of non-instructional costs. Used to explain reporting scope, not to assert an unchanged current allocation formula.

  29. 30

    Seattle Public Schools

    BEX VI capital levy: approved 2025, collected 2026–2031

    $1.8 billion districtwide. McGilvra is listed for interior LED lighting, lighting controls and district technology investment; the school list does not assign a McGilvra-specific dollar amount.

  30. 31

    FLO Analytics / Seattle Public Schools

    April 2024 ten-year enrollment forecast

    Page 29, Table A-2: middle scenario 48,674 for 2024–25 and 47,913 for 2025–26. This is a dated long-range scenario, not the district’s latest annual staffing projection. Preschool and full-time Running Start are excluded.

  31. 32

    Seattle Public Schools

    District annual enrollment: 2021–22 through 2025–26

    Annual headcounts: 49,226 in 2023–24, 49,240 in 2024–25 and 48,957 in 2025–26. Compare like annual series, rather than mixing monthly headcount or budget FTE.

  32. 33

    John Stanford International School / SPS

    John Stanford’s vision and community input

    Stanford’s international-school vision; Spanish and Japanese programs began in 2000 and 2001. Language choices followed a survey of 5,000 parents and 1,200 business leaders. Our proposed cycle of testing and improving models is advocacy, not a Stanford quotation.

  33. 34

    Seattle Public Schools

    McGilvra HVAC: 2017 final acceptance

    P5062 final contract: $1,657,083 including sales tax. All payments made, no outstanding invoices. Phase two of the three-phase capital package; included in its total. PDF p. 2.

  34. 35

    Seattle Public Schools

    2025–26 recommended capital budget: McGilvra exterior

    PDF p. 185: $2,264,915 annual appropriation for windows, doors and cladding. Budgeted funding, not verified spending or the full project cost. Separate from the 2015–18 package.

  35. 36

    Seattle Public Schools

    McGilvra 2015–18 package: final acceptance

    2020 closeout: $9,071,594 funding less about $120,000 expected unspent; estimated spending, not an audited ledger.

  36. 37

    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.

  37. 38

    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.

  38. 39

    Seattle Public Schools

    Jan. 18, 2023 board meeting

    Final acceptance of Lafayette upgrades, Graham Hill playground and McGilvra field.

  39. 40

    Seattle Public Schools

    2020 playground improvements at 10 schools: final acceptance

    2021 closeout: shared completed project $1,710,063. No school-level split. Amount appears on PDF p. 3.

  40. 41

    McGilvra Elementary School PTA

    Enroll at McGilvra Elementary

    School introduction, enrichment, family involvement and tours. Accessed Oct. 9, 2026.

  41. 42

    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.

  42. 43

    Seattle Public Schools Archives

    SPS directors and superintendents

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

  43. 44

    Seattle Public Schools

    New Superintendent Begins Tenure Leading Seattle Public Schools

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

  44. 45

    McGilvra Elementary School PTA

    Standing Up for McGilvra

    Published enrollment outreach priorities include school tours and parents sharing their experiences with prospective families. Accessed Oct. 9, 2026.

A living research record. Enrollment coverage is stronger than the historical financial record. Complete 25-year actual-cost and assessment series, and a full 50-year capital ledger, are not yet available. Source documents remain authoritative. Read our methods and remaining gaps.