Lake Washington School District

What Lake Washington School District does

Lake Washington School District (LWSD) is a public K-12 school district headquartered in Redmond, Washington, serving over 30,500 students (October 2024) across 55 schools — 32 elementary, 13 middle, and 7 high schools — in Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, and portions of Bellevue, Woodinville, and unincorporated King County. The district operates under Washington state regulations with an elected School Board and appointed Superintendent, and is funded primarily through state education appropriations, voter-approved local property tax levies, capital construction bonds, and federal grants (including IDEA special education and USDA meal reimbursements). It also generates supplementary revenue through student fees (athletics, ASB, preschool), Nutrition Services meal payments, and before/after school care programs.

The district's core service portfolio spans standard K-12 instruction, 109 Career & Technical Education courses across eight program areas, accelerated and Highly Capable programming (Quest, AP, Running Start, Cambridge), 12+ Choice Schools offering alternative pedagogies (Tesla STEM High School, dual language immersion, arts, environmental education), WIAA interscholastic athletics, special education and 504 services, and multilingual learner support. Non-academic services include bus transportation via Skyward/StopFinder/ORCA, Sodexo-operated nutrition services (35+ year partnership, 2026 OSPI award winner), Extended Day child care, and volunteer programs managed through the Raptor platform. The technology stack integrates Canvas LMS, Skyward SIS, ClassLink SSO, ParentSquare communications, Microsoft 365, Finalsite web, and FinalForms athletic registration as third-party SaaS — there is no proprietary technology product or platform being developed.

LWSD has 1,001–5,000 employees including 353 National Board Certified Teachers, achieved a 94.2% four-year graduation rate in 2024-25, and engages 17,000+ community volunteers annually. Strategic recent moves include passage of the 2024 Building Excellence capital levy, expansion of the Choice Schools portfolio, integration of electric buses and snow route transportation systems, and pursuit of AI literacy evidenced by Northstar Middle School's first-place finish in the 2025 Presidential AI Challenge. The district operates as a government entity with no equity holders, no subsidiaries, and no parent company; financial scale is not publicly disclosed but is benchmark-comparable to other large Washington districts in the $500M–$1B annual operating range.

Name

Lake Washington School District

Legal name

Lake Washington School District

Website

https://lwsd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Lake Washington School District is a public K-12 school district headquartered in Redmond, Washington, serving over 30,500 students across 55 schools in Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, and parts of Bellevue and Woodinville. It delivers standard, accelerated, CTE, and choice school education funded primarily by state and local tax levies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

District Student Services Administration (Special Ed, Counseling, Health) (EDADABAJ)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• School district services
• Special education programs
• Career technical education
• Student nutrition services

Headquarters

HQ city

Redmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: Revenue primarily from state and local tax levies, bonds, and federal grants. The district operates multiple capital construction levies (2024 Building Excellence, 2022 Construction Levy, 2019 Capital Construction Levy) and receives additional grant funding such as the $2 million King County Parks grant.
2. Student Fees and Programs: Revenue from student fees including athletic participation fees ($275 high school, $125 middle school), ASB cards, before/after school care programs, and preschool tuition.
3. Nutrition Services: Food services operated through Sodexo partnership providing breakfast and lunch programs. Revenue from paid meals at $3.00-$5.75 per meal. District also receives USDA commodity foods and reimbursement for free/reduced meals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lake Washington School District operates a public K-12 education system serving over 30,500 students (October 2024) across 55 schools in Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, and portions of Bellevue, Woodinville, and unincorporated King County, Washington. The district provides core academic instruction, specialized programs (Career & Technical Education, Accelerated/Honors programs), Choice Schools with alternative educational models, athletics, special education services, transportation, nutrition services, before/after school care, and volunteer/community engagement programs.

Product overview

Lake Washington School District is a public K-12 education system serving over 30,500 students (October 2024) across 55 schools in Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, and portions of Bellevue, Woodinville, and unincorporated King County, Washington. The district offers a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and services including core academic programs (Preschool, K-12 general education), specialized programs (Career & Technical Education with 109 courses, Accelerated Programs for Highly Capable students), alternative schooling options through Choice Schools (12 unique programs including Tesla STEM High School, Emerson K-12, and International Community School), athletics, Special Services (special education), and support services (Transportation via Skyward/StopFinder, Nutrition Services via Sodexo/Nutrislice, Extended Day care, and volunteer programs via ParentSquare/Raptor). The district's technology stack integrates Canvas LMS, ClassLink SSO, Skyward student information system, and Microsoft 365, with digital resources accessed through the student and family portals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LWSD: Abbreviated name for Lake Washington School District used in communications and branding

Products and services

• Preschool Programs Early childhood education including inclusion preschool, Head Start preschool, and tuition-based preschool programs serving children before kindergarten enrollment in the Lake Washington School District service area.
• Career & Technical Education (CTE) 109 different CTE courses across middle and high school providing 21st-century academic and technical skills across eight program areas: Agriculture & Natural Resources, Arts Media & Entertainment, Business & Marketing, Computer Science & IT, Health Science, Human Services, Skilled & Technical Trades, and STEM.
• Choice Schools Optional schooling alternatives with unique educational approaches including Dual Language Program at Einstein Elementary, Emerson K-12, Environmental & Adventure School, International Community School, Northstar Middle School, Renaissance School of Art & Reasoning, Stella Schola, Cambridge Program at Juanita High School, Emerson High School, and Tesla STEM High School.
• Athletics Middle and high school interscholastic athletics under WIAA standards with sports seasons, athletic contacts, and conduct codes. Includes middle school athletics model and intramural sports.
• Accelerated Programs Highly Capable services offering enriched instructional opportunities for identified students including Early Entrance to Kindergarten, Classroom-Based Services, Full-Time Quest, Middle School Quest, Advanced Placement, Running Start, and College in the High School programs.
• Special Services Special education services including assistive technology, Child Find screening, Section 504 accommodations, and service animal accommodations for students with disabilities.
• Extended Day Program Before and after school child care at select elementary schools including Bell, Clara Barton, Franklin, Frost, Keller, Kirk, Lakeview, Muir, Rockwell, Rose Hill, Sandburg/Discovery, and Thoreau Elementary schools.
• Transportation Services Bus transportation for students living outside one-mile radius with route information via Skyward Family Access, StopFinder app for real-time tracking, ORCA cards, electric bus program, and snow routes during inclement weather.
• Nutrition Services School breakfast and lunch programs operated in partnership with Sodexo for over 35 years. Includes free and reduced meal applications, special dietary accommodations, wellness policy, and culturally-inclusive meal offerings.
• Volunteer Programs Volunteer opportunities including general school volunteers, AVID Mentor Program, and LINKS Lunch Buddy Program. Managed through Raptor volunteer portal with two-year approval periods; 17,000+ parents, students and community members volunteer annually.
• WANIC Washington Network for Innovative Careers - career and technical education cooperative offering specialized CTE programs for high school students at its own campus.
• Tesla STEM High School Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-focused high school using problem-based learning. Students complete approximately six science and four math courses over four years with STEM Lab Concentrations and Pathways in junior and senior years.
• Emerson K-12 Parent Partnership Program (PPP) for grades K-12 operating under Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) regulations. Core and enrichment classes offered two days per week with parents delivering instruction on other days.
• YMCA Before & After School Care Before and after school enrichment programs offered by YMCA of Greater Seattle at multiple elementary schools including Alcott, Audubon, Blackwell, Dickinson, Einstein, Mann, McAuliffe, Mead, Rush, Smith, and Wilder Elementary.
• Boys & Girls Clubs Child Care Before and after school programs offered by Boys & Girls Clubs of King County at Carson, Redmond, Rosa Parks, and Juanita Elementary schools with transportation from multiple other schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94.2% four-year high school graduation rate (2024-25)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration17 records

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SodexocoreOthersLake Washington School District has partnered with Sodexo to provide nutrition services for more than 35 years. Sodexo is an integrated food and facilities management services company serving students nutritious meal options. Sodexo provides commodity food utilization including USDA cheese for pizza programs and supports culturally inclusive meal offerings.
• YMCA of Greater SeattlecoreOthersYMCA of Greater Seattle provides before and after school enrichment programs at multiple LWSD elementary schools including Alcott, Audubon, Blackwell, Dickinson, Einstein, Mann, McAuliffe, Mead, Rush, Smith, and Wilder Elementary Schools.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of King CountycoreOthersBoys & Girls Clubs of King County provides before and after school programs at various LWSD schools including Carson, Redmond, Rosa Parks Elementary schools, and transports from multiple other schools. Programs operate at their facility in Kirkland.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Snoqualmie Valley School District: Adjacent Eastside suburban district serving Snoqualmie and North Bend with similar growth-corridor demographic and levy-funded public K-12 operating model.
• Bellevue School District: Immediate geographic neighbor in the Eastside corridor serving Bellevue with overlapping K-12 public schooling, Choice School programs, and similar levy-funded operating model. Most directly comparable district by demographics and funding structure.
• Tahoma School District: East-adjacent King County district (Maple Valley/Covington) with similar suburban K-12 public-school model, levy funding structure, and comparable student outcomes focus.
• Mercer Island School District: Small but high-performing Eastside district with the same public K-12, levy-funded model and similar affluent-family demographic. Comparable on outcomes benchmarking even though smaller scale.
• Northshore School District: Neighbor to the north serving Bothell, Woodinville, and Kenmore. Comparable scale (~20,000+ students), levy-funded model, and overlapping Choice/STEM programming, making it a direct K-12 public peer.
• Issaquah School District: Adjacent Eastside district serving Issaquah, Sammamish, and parts of Bellevue with comparable high-performing, tech-corridor demographics and Choice School options. Direct competitor for in-migration families in the same submarket.

Broad incumbents

• Seattle Public Schools: Larger urban Washington state K-12 district with broader programmatic scope, more diverse student body, and similar levy/grant funding model. Wider portfolio of programs but same public-K-12 operating model.
• Kent School District: Larger Washington public K-12 district (south King County) with similar governance and funding structure, broader demographic mix, and similar operating-model reliance on levies and state apportionment.

Regional players

• Renton School District: Southern King County public K-12 district with similar governance and funding structure but more urban demographic and lower-cost positioning. Comparable as a King County levy-funded district.

Others

• Lake Washington Institute of Technology: Community/technical college serving the same Kirkland/Redmond catchment with overlapping CTE-adjacent programming and shared employer pipeline. Not a direct K-12 competitor but an adjacent educational ecosystem partner for LWSD graduates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LakeWashSchools
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LakeWashingtonSchoolDistrict
• Facebookfacebook.com/LakeWashingtonSchools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-washington-school-district
• Instagraminstagram.com/lakewashingtonschools

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Lake Washington School District