Seattle Public Schools

What Seattle Public Schools does

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is a public K-12 school district headquartered at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence (2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA), founded in 1854 and operated under a seven-member elected School Board with Superintendent Dr. Ben Shuldiner. The district serves Seattle-resident students through 19 high schools, 12 middle schools, 11 K-8 schools, and 68 elementary schools, supplemented by specialized programs including the Seattle Skills Center (Career and Technical Education), the Exploratory Internship Program (XIP) for students with IEPs/504 Plans, multiple preschool pathways (SPP, SPP Plus, Head Start, Developmental Preschool), and the SPSTV media production studio. The Special Education department alone supports more than 7,000 students (~13% of the student body), with 1,000+ dedicated staff and an 80% general-education inclusion rate.

The district's core digital infrastructure centers on seattleschools.org, integrated with a portfolio of third-party tools: Schoology as the Learning Management System, Clever as the single sign-on student portal, Seesaw for younger students, Microsoft 365 for email and productivity, and The Source as the parent/guardian portal (attendance, grades, and SchoolPay integration). District-issued iPads and laptops are provided to all students, and a districtwide cellphone policy was implemented in 2026. Student transportation is operated through a channel partnership with Zum covering more than 280 routes with 98% on-time performance and a 4.9/5-star family satisfaction rating.

SPS is funded primarily through state education funding formulas, local property taxes (levies), and federal grants — not commercial revenue. The go-to-market motion is effectively direct-to-consumer and mandatory by residence, with students assigned to attendance-area schools and families participating in an open-enrollment school choice lottery (Jan 5-31) for alternative placements. Ancillary revenue streams include a la carte meal pricing ($2.25-$6.50 depending on grade and adult status) and select fee-based activities (athletic fees, ASB cards, yearbooks) processed via MySchoolBucks and SchoolPay. Most recent strategic initiatives include a Microsoft + Gates Foundation AI tutoring pilot focused on special education and a significantly expanded Zum transportation partnership.

Name

Seattle Public Schools

Legal name

Seattle Public Schools

Website

https://seattleschools.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1854

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Seattle Public Schools is a K-12 public school district in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1854 and operating 19 high schools, 12 middle schools, 11 K-8 schools, and 68 elementary schools. The district serves resident students with general education, special education, preschool, career and technical programs, and contracted student transportation via the Zum partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Special education services
• Career technical education
• Student transportation
• Early childhood programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: District is funded primarily through state education funding formulas, local property taxes, and federal grants. Revenue is allocated to cover basic education costs including special education, transportation, and materials supplies.
2. Student Meal Sales: District sells breakfast and lunch meals to students and adults. Students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals receive meals at no cost. Additional items beyond reimbursable meals are charged at a la carte prices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Seattle Public Schools is a public school district operating free K-12 educational services across 19 high schools, 12 middle schools, 11 K-8 schools, and 68 elementary schools in Seattle, Washington. The district delivers classroom instruction, special education (serving approximately 13% of its 7,000+ students), preschool programs, Career and Technical Education (Seattle Skills Center), student transportation, school meals, and family engagement services.

Product overview

Seattle Public Schools is a public school district operating a unified platform of educational services and digital tools. The core digital infrastructure centers on the seattleschools.org website with integrated portals including Clever (student SSO), Schoology LMS, Seesaw, The Source (parent portal), and Microsoft 365 email. Supporting services include student device programs (iPads/laptops), school meals (Culinary Services), Special Education (serving 13% of students), preschool programs, Seattle Skills Center (CTE), the Exploratory Internship Program (XIP) for students with IEPs/504s, student transportation via Zum, SPSTV media production, and Family Learning Guides. The district is also piloting AI-powered tutoring through a Microsoft/Gates Foundation-supported initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SPS: Common abbreviation for Seattle Public Schools used in internal communications and branding
• Seattle Skills Center
• John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence
• XIP (Exploratory Internship Program)

Products and services

• K-12 Education Programs Free public education from kindergarten through 12th grade, delivered through attendance-area schools and school choice options, including core academic subjects, advanced learning programs, and athletics.
• Special Education Services Specialized instruction, related services, IEP development, and continuum-of-placements support for students with disabilities, including services for deaf/hard-of-hearing, vision, autism, and assistive technology needs.
• Preschool Programs Early childhood education programs for children ages 3-5, including Seattle Preschool Program (SPP), Seattle Preschool Program Plus (SPP Plus), Head Start, and Developmental Preschool.
• Seattle Skills Center Career and Technical Education (CTE) program offering advanced courses in maritime, media arts, video game design, and teaching careers for 11th-12th grade students.
• Exploratory Internship Program (XIP) Work-based learning program for students aged 16-21 with IEPs/504 plans, providing paid and unpaid job experiences to gain skills for post-high school education and career pathways.
• Culinary Services / School Meals District meal program providing nutritionally balanced breakfast and lunch daily, with free and reduced-price meal options and online payment through MySchoolBucks.
• Student Transportation Services Bus transportation services operated through Zum partner, covering over 280 routes with 98% on-time performance and 4.9/5 star family satisfaction rating.
• SPSTV (Seattle Public Schools Television) Full-service high-definition TV studio with professional audio/video equipment, broadcast switcher, advanced lighting, green screen, and Adobe Suite for producing district content and student media.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of special education students spend majority of day in general education or advanced learning settings
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ZumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 June 2026Zum is a student transportation provider that has continued and expanded its partnership with Seattle Public Schools for the 2026-2027 school year. The partnership now covers more than 280 routes serving students across the district, with over 130 new routes added. Zum reports a 4.9 out of 5-star family satisfaction rating with 98% average on-time performance. To support the expansion, Zum will hire 150 additional drivers and open a new location.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026Microsoft is supporting a two-year AI project with school districts in Washington state, including Seattle Public Schools, to explore practical applications of AI in education. Projects include AI-powered tutoring and support for special education students.
• First StudentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFirst Student is a student transportation service provider with national contract negotiations ongoing between the company and the Teamsters union. Local collective bargaining agreements remain in place governing the relationship between First Student and its employees. SPS is closely monitoring the situation and planning for contingencies while First Student has committed to continuing service without disruption.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SeattlePublicSchoolsTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/seattlepublicschools
• Instagraminstagram.com/seattlepublicschools
• Xx.com/seapubschools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seattle-public-schools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Seattle Public Schools