2007-2008 Federal Way Public Schools
Fact Sheet
District Facts
- 37 schools (23 elementary, 7 middle schools, five high schools, Public Academy, and Internet Academy (K-12)
- 22,178 enrollment (7th largest)
- 2,700 staff members
- Founded in 1929
- 35 square miles
FWPS Community Facts
- Approximately 86,000 people within the city limits/up to 200,000 within the greater metropolitan area.
- 3 cities and King Co. within the district
- 700 Chamber members and business partners
- Around one-third of the population is Asian-American, African-American or Hispanic-American background.
Our students specifically:
- 51.7% minority student population
- 48.3% in/near poverty (free and reduced lunch figures)
- 10.5% transitional/bilingual
- 105 languages spoken by district families
Recent Accomplishments
- Federal Way Public Schools was named one of the top ten high-performing districts in the state, based on WASL scores and other factors, by the Washington School Research Center at Seattle Pacific University in 2004.
- Standard and Poor’s announced in 2006 that three of the district’s high schools -- Federal Way, Thomas Jefferson and Todd Beamer High Schools -- were among 51 schools in the state recognized for narrowing the achievement gap. (In fact, not only was Federal Way the only district in the state to have more than one high school on the Standard and Poor’s list, two of them – Federal Way High School and Thomas Jefferson High School – achieved the greatest reductions in the achievement gap of all the South Sound schools.)
- Federal Way was honored with a 2006 Diversity Award by the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) for outstanding efforts to promote and value diversity/multicultural education in their schools and their communities.
- King County’s Green Schools Program presented the ‘Green Globe Leader In Sustainable Schools Award’ to Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS) Superintendent Thomas Murphy on April 13, 2007.
- With the support of the Communities in Schools Foundation of Federal Way, the district offers a free summer school program for any child who is not achieving grade level expectations.
- The first and only West-coast site of the Cambridge Program opened in fall, 2006, at Federal Way High School. In 2007, Lakota and Sacajawea Middle Schools added Cambridge Checkpoint Programs for high-achieving sixth through eighth grade students.
- Coming to a Federal Way campus next year: The Technology Access Foundation will open the TAF Academy, a science and technology academics program focused on encouraging girls and minority students to study science and math.
High Impact Projects
- A district-wide math initiative, including Algebraic Thinking in middle school
- Beyond High School planning for all students, beginning in 8th grade
- Partnerships with innovative academic programs such as the TAF Academy, and the Cambridge and SpringBoard programs
- The design and construction/remodeling of 31 schools and district facilities over six years
- The Fair Funding Lawsuit, which seeks to require the state to fund all school districts at the same rate
Focus on Literacy and Math: A Comprehensive Partnership
of Students, Teachers & Parents
System Wide Support
- Clear Targets: grade level and course expectations
- Diagnostics: pre/post instructional assessments
- Parents: individual academic plans and school conferences
- Partners: community involvement and business partnerships
- Assistance: targeted assistance and summer school
Federal Way Public Schools Every Student . . . A Reader
Federal Way Public Schools Strategic Plan "All Means All"