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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

North Beach
Elementary.

A neighborhood of readers and learners.

North Beach has welcomed neighborhood children since 1958. Its history of cross-grade reading partnerships, student journalism and language exchange shows how much a small school can offer. [1]

Get to know this school
North Beach Elementary, photographed 1960Crown Hill, Seattle
North Beach Elementary, 1960. Photo: SPS Archives · Cropped
Crown HillK–5Seattle Public SchoolsResearch updated October 9, 2026
School community established [1]
1958
Students · September 2026 [2]
326
Budget for completed upgrades · 2021 budget · work completed 2022 [23]
$3.5M

01Community consent

Don’t close North Beach without community consent.

SPS included North Beach in both September 2024 closure alternatives. It became one of the final four schools recommended for closure that October, with students proposed to move to Viewlands Elementary. The board withdrew the 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. [28] Brent Jones resigned in 2025. After Fred Podesta served as interim superintendent, Ben Shuldiner took over in February 2026. [29][30]

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. 348October 2024
  2. 320October 2025
  3. 326September 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 North Beach Elementary, ranked by driving distance. [3][18]

Four schools. Four neighborhood communities.

Walking routes from North Beach and available neighborhood attendance areas.

North BeachLoyal HeightsWhittierSalmon Bay K-8
North BeachNearby 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

Loyal Heights

10 min0.7 mi
15 min0.7 mi3 mapped crossings: 24TH AVE NW · NW 80TH ST · NW 85TH ST

Whittier

14 min1.4 mi
30 min1.4 mi2 mapped crossings: 15TH AVE NW · NW 80TH ST

Salmon Bay K-8

24 min1.5 mi
30 min1.5 mi2 mapped crossings: NW 80TH ST · NW 85TH ST

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.

  • North Beach students
    3442024

    Left scale

  • Seattle children under 18
    109,5192024

    Right scale

  • Private K–12 share
    25.8%2024

    Right scale

North Beach enrollment, Seattle children and private-school share, 2010–2024Three lines share one timeline. North Beach students use the left scale, 0 to 500. 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.012525037550000%50k10%100k20%150k30%North Beach students, 2010: 328North Beach students, 2011: 314North Beach students, 2012: 314North Beach students, 2013: 306North Beach students, 2014: 300North Beach students, 2015: 301North Beach students, 2016: 328North Beach students, 2017: 338North Beach students, 2018: 382North Beach students, 2019: 402North Beach students, 2020: 368North Beach students, 2021: 357North Beach students, 2022: 344North Beach students, 2023: 366North Beach students, 2024: 344Seattle 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.)2010201520202024North Beach enrollment, Seattle children and private-school share, 2010–2024Three lines share one timeline. North Beach students use the left scale, 0 to 500. 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.012525037550000%50k10%100k20%150k30%North Beach students, 2010: 328North Beach students, 2011: 314North Beach students, 2012: 314North Beach students, 2013: 306North Beach students, 2014: 300North Beach students, 2015: 301North Beach students, 2016: 328North Beach students, 2017: 338North Beach students, 2018: 382North Beach students, 2019: 402North Beach students, 2020: 368North Beach students, 2021: 357North Beach students, 2022: 344North Beach students, 2023: 366North Beach students, 2024: 344Seattle 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.

1986–2024: the longer enrollment record
North Beach annual enrollment, 1986–2024NCES fall student headcounts. Dots mark reported observations; lines connect years.0100200300400500198620052024344North Beach annual enrollment, 1986–2024NCES fall student headcounts. Dots mark reported observations; lines connect years.050100150200250300350400450500198620052024344
NCES fall headcounts; school-year starting year
FallStudentsTeacher FTE
198627816
198733515
198833116
198924711
199024912
199126912
199226811
199330113
199428313
199528013
199629312
199728112
199830112
199928214
200027713
200126714
200224910
200324814
200423113
200526213
200628014
200730815
200832614
200933917
201032817
201131416
201231417
2013306—
201430020
201530118
201632818
201733819
201838223
201940226
202036827
202135726
202234425
202336623
202434423

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 2019402389
October 2020371357
October 2021357348
October 2022346340
October 2023369351
October 2024348331
October 2025320303
September 2026326310

September and October counts are different snapshots. [2]

04Public investment

Invest here. Then walk away?

Keep these investments working for students and their neighborhoods.

$3.5M

Budget for completed upgrades

2021 budget · work completed 2022 [23]

  • Heating, seismic and exterior doors$3,505,070

BEX VI · 2026–31

Technology for this school.

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

Projects, amounts & sources

Earlier projects and levy plans

  • Heating, seismic and exterior doors

    2021 project budget · BEX IV / BEX V / state grant · Project budget [23]

    $3,505,070
  • Site improvements

    2018 levy estimate · BEX V · Original levy estimate [24]

    $645,468
  • Exterior doors

    2018 levy estimate · BEX V · Original levy estimate [24]

    $100,990

Construction record

  • Heating, exterior doors and seismic upgrades

    Completed 2021–22 · BEX IV / BEX V / state grant [25]

  • HVAC, seismic and doors accepted as final

    2025 closeout · BEX IV / BEX V / state grant [26]

Contracts shared with other schools

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

  • North Beach, Sacajawea and Jane Addams paving

    Shared completed project · 2021 closeout [27]

    $1,391,570

Earlier SPS project listings [14]

  • 2009: Reroofing and structural repair of the play court canopy, selective painting and sealing of the concrete walls, and new window coverings in the gymnasium.
  • 2008: Re-roof, Exterior renovation, Interior upgrades, ADA upgrades, Mech upgrades, Playground upgrade, Waterline replacement
  • 2003: Fire alarm, seismic upgrade

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 North Beach [8]

$5.35M

$5,345,860 · $16,025 per student FTE

Reported total, including district allocations [7]

$8.17M

$8,172,222 · $24,498 per student FTE

Per-student costs divide each total by 333.59 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—$7,154,198399.81$17,894
2020-21—$6,760,307361.52$18,700
2021-22—$7,486,562356.68$20,990
2022-23—$8,540,101352.42$24,233
2023-24$5,383,065$8,227,869356.87$23,056
2024-25$5,345,860$8,172,222333.59$24,498
15 years of budgets and funded staffing
School budget allocations and planned staffing; nominal dollars
School yearBudgetBudgeted studentsStaff FTEBudget per student
2010-11$1,955,45833223.7$5,890
2011-12$2,016,47733723.8$5,984
2012-13$1,950,31931423.5$6,211
2013-14$1,984,18431423.5$6,319
2014-15$1,915,07628021.8$6,840
2016-17$2,531,64331326.7$8,088
2017-18$2,847,93433028.4$8,630
2018-19$3,273,24732232.4$10,165
2019-20$4,527,83039340.3$11,521
2020-21$4,768,14238940.7$12,257
2021-22$4,728,57136939.7$12,815
2022-23$4,838,52435138.6$13,785
2023-24$4,844,58632738.0$14,815
2024-25$5,111,36332638.4$15,679
2025-26$5,248,17233138.8$15,856

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

2010-11 source ↗2011-12 source ↗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
2017-1822338
2018-1929382
2019-2031402
2020-2135367
2021-2235357
2022-2333344
2023-2436367
2024-2534348

[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]

75.5%

English language arts · 2025–26

72.7%

Mathematics · 2025–26

81.2%

Science · 2025–26

  • English language arts
  • Mathematics
  • Science
0%25%50%75%100%2021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262021-22 · English language arts: 78.5%2022-23 · English language arts: 77.0%2023-24 · English language arts: 76.2%2024-25 · English language arts: 71.9%2025-26 · English language arts: 75.5%2021-22 · Mathematics: 78.7%2022-23 · Mathematics: 71.3%2023-24 · Mathematics: 70.7%2024-25 · Mathematics: 75.0%2025-26 · Mathematics: 72.7%2021-22 · Science: 84.1%2022-23 · Science: 72.2%2023-24 · Science: 75.4%2024-25 · Science: 76.2%2025-26 · Science: 81.2%0%25%50%75%100%2021-222022-232023-242024-252025-262021-22 · English language arts: 78.5%2022-23 · English language arts: 77.0%2023-24 · English language arts: 76.2%2024-25 · English language arts: 71.9%2025-26 · English language arts: 75.5%2021-22 · Mathematics: 78.7%2022-23 · Mathematics: 71.3%2023-24 · Mathematics: 70.7%2024-25 · Mathematics: 75.0%2025-26 · Mathematics: 72.7%2021-22 · Science: 84.1%2022-23 · Science: 72.2%2023-24 · Science: 75.4%2024-25 · Science: 76.2%2025-26 · Science: 81.2%
Assessment results by school year
General state assessments; percentage of tested students meeting standard
School yearELAMathScience
2014-1589.3%80.3%94.4%
2015-1681.5%71.8%94.4%
2016-1782.0%78.2%Suppressed
2017-1885.2%76.6%81.4%
2018-1980.3%79.5%83.7%
2021-2278.5%78.7%84.1%
2022-2377.0%71.3%72.2%
2023-2476.2%70.7%75.4%
2024-2571.9%75.0%76.2%
2025-2675.5%72.7%81.2%

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 Crown Hill.

North Beach opened in 1958 with 446 pupils on land associated with the former Olympic Golf Course. The surrounding development became Olympic Manor. The school’s history includes reading partnerships across grades, a Japanese language exchange and student journalism. [1]

  1. 1958

    North Beach opened in its current building.

  2. 1971

    Library expanded into a second classroom.

  3. 1994–2019

    Portable classrooms added as enrollment grew.

  4. 2022

    Seismic improvements.

The North Beach Chronicle began in 2001 as part of a student communications program. [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

    North Beach HVAC, seismic and doors: project budget

    2021 award: $3,505,070 total project budget. Includes levy and state grant funding.

  24. 24

    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.

  25. 25

    Seattle Public Schools

    SPS recent completed construction projects

    Completed work and funding sources, including 2019–25 summer projects. Accessed Oct. 9, 2026.

  26. 26

    Seattle Public Schools

    June 4, 2025 board meeting

    Final acceptance of North Beach HVAC, seismic and doors.

  27. 27

    Seattle Public Schools

    North Beach, Sacajawea and Jane Addams paving: final acceptance

    2021 closeout: shared completed project $1,391,570; contract included. Amount appears on PDF p. 2.

  28. 28

    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.

  29. 29

    Seattle Public Schools Archives

    SPS directors and superintendents

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

  30. 30

    Seattle Public Schools

    New Superintendent Begins Tenure Leading Seattle Public Schools

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