North West Esd 189

What North West Esd 189 does

Northwest Educational Service District 189 (NWESD 189) is a regional public agency created in 1969 by the Washington State Legislature under RCW 28A.310. The district provides cooperative educational support services to 35 public school districts, one tribal compact school, and one public charter school across Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties in northwest Washington. NWESD 189 is one of nine Educational Service Districts (ESDs) that together form the AESD Network, coordinating statewide education service delivery in partnership with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

The organization delivers a portfolio organized into three core service categories: Learning Programs (Computer Science, Educational Technology Network, English Language Arts, Math, Science, Inclusionary Practices, and Washington State Fellows' Network); Student Supports (DiscoverWorks, Regional School Safety Centers, and Statewide School-Based Bicycle Education Program); and Operations Support (Balanced Calendar Initiative, Program Evaluation, and AESD School Accreditation). Through the WSIPC cooperative — owned and governed by the nine ESDs — it also delivers statewide technology and data services including student information systems, payroll and financial systems, and data management and reporting.

NWESD 189 operates under a blended public funding model combining state core funding for specific programs and limited core operations, federal grants and programs, and local revenue through fee-for-service programs, cooperatives, and district contracts. As a political subdivision of the state, it does not charge fees to school districts for core services. Statewide, Washington's nine ESDs collectively turned $7.8 million in state core funding into $376.1 million in services during the 2023/24 school year, returning approximately $46 in services for every $1 in core funding and approximately $313 per student in educational programs.

Name

North West Esd 189

Legal name

Northwest Educational Service District 189

Website

https://waesd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Northwest Educational Service District 189 is a Washington State regional public agency providing cooperative educational support services to 35 school districts across five northwest Washington counties, coordinating with the AESD Network and OSPI on learning programs, student supports, operations, and shared technology services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional K-12 Educational Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Administration of Education Programs (923110), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

State/Provincial Education Department Administration (BPAIABAJ), Special Education Staffing & Contracted Providers (Paras, Therapists, Specialists) (EDAJAKAL), State/Provincial/Regional Education Departments (EDADAAAB)

Keywords

• Educational service district
• K-12 support services
• Regional education services
• School district cooperative
• Education program delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Anacortes

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. State Core Funding: State funding for specific programs and limited core operations. In 2023/24, ESDs turned $7.8 million in state core funding into $376.1 million in services statewide.
2. Federal Grants and Programs: Federal funding through grants and programs supporting statewide education initiatives.
3. Fee-for-Service and Cooperatives: Local revenue through fee-for-service programs, cooperatives, and district contracts. Includes services like WSIPC technology and data services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Northwest ESD 189 is a regional public agency that delivers cooperative educational services to 35 school districts, 1 tribal compact school, and 1 public charter school across five northwest Washington counties. Core offerings include Learning Programs (Computer Science, Educational Technology, ELA, Math, Science, Inclusionary Practices), Student Supports (DiscoverWorks, Regional School Safety Centers, Bicycle Education), and Operations Support (Program Evaluation, Accreditation), delivered regionally by ESD 189 and coordinated statewide through the AESD Network. Technology and data services are delivered to districts through the WSIPC cooperative.

Product overview

North West ESD 189 (Northwest Educational Service District 189) is one of Washington's nine Educational Service Districts that provides educational support services rather than a commercial product. The organization offers a portfolio of service categories including Learning Programs (Computer Science, Educational Technology, ELA, Math, Science, Inclusionary Practices), Student Supports (DiscoverWorks, School Safety, Bicycle Education), and Operations Support (Accreditation, Program Evaluation). Services are delivered regionally through NWESD 189 and coordinated statewide through the AESD Network, which enables ESDs to work as a unified system. The AESD Network also operates WSIPC, a cooperative providing technology and data services including student information systems and financial systems to school districts across Washington.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Learning Programs Statewide learning opportunities for educators across multiple disciplines including Computer Science, Educational Technology Network, English Language Arts (ELA), Inclusionary Practices, Math, Science, and Washington State Fellows' Network. Delivered to school districts and educators in northwest Washington.
• Student Supports Programs supporting K-12 student success across northwest Washington, including DiscoverWorks, Regional School Safety Centers, and the Statewide School-Based Bicycle Education Program.
• Operations Support Operational support services for Washington school districts, including the Balanced Calendar Initiative, Program Evaluation, and School Accreditation services.
• Washington School Information Processing Cooperative (WSIPC) Statewide cooperative owned and governed by the nine ESDs, providing essential technology and data services to school districts and ESDs, including student information systems, payroll and financial systems, and data management and reporting.
• AESD School Accreditation Washington State AESD Accreditation process designed to help schools develop practices best suited to continuously improve. Delivered statewide through the AESD Network.

Quantifiable outcome

• $7.8M state core funding turned into $376.1M in services ($46 return per $1 invested)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOSPI and the nine ESDs maintain a statewide system for coordination, communication, and alignment of initiatives. The AESD Network serves as the state's primary system for coordinating and delivering education programs regionally, with unique statutory relationship under RCW 28A.310.010.
• Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAESD and Washington ESDs are members of AESA, a national association serving educational service agencies in 45 states with 553 member agencies. AESA focuses on thought leadership, advocacy, and networking.
• AASA (American Association of School Administrators)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington's nine ESD superintendents are members of AASA, the national school superintendents' association, supporting district leaders across their regions.
• Department of Children, Youth and FamiliesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partnership for coordinated student and family support services.
• Healthcare AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partnership supporting healthcare-related student services.
• Department of HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partnership for health-related student support programs.
• Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-12 state association partnership for professional development and advocacy.
• Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-12 state association partnership supporting school administrators.
• Washington Education Association (WEA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-12 state association partnership for educator support.
• Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerK-12 state association partnership supporting school board governance.
• Washington School Information Processing Cooperative (WSIPC)coreTechnology or IntegrationStatewide cooperative owned and governed by the nine ESDs providing essential technology and data services to school districts and ESDs including student information systems, payroll and financial systems, and data management and reporting.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Capital Region Educational Service District 113: Washington ESD serving the Capital Region (Thurston, Mason, Lewis, etc.) under the same RCW 28A.310 framework. Operates the same shared service model for districts in its region.
• North Central Educational Service District 171: Washington ESD serving north-central counties. Operates the same cooperative shared-service model under RCW 28A.310 and is a co-owner of WSIPC.
• Olympic Educational Service District 114: Washington ESD covering the Olympic Peninsula region, providing identical categories of cooperative services (special education, technology, professional development) under the same statutory authority.
• Puget Sound Educational Service District 121: Largest of the nine Washington ESDs by population, serving districts in the Puget Sound region. Most directly comparable peer in scale and service breadth to ESD 189.
• Educational Service District 171 (North Central ESD): Washington ESD covering north-central counties. Operates the same cooperative shared-service model under RCW 28A.310 and is a co-owner of WSIPC.
• Southeast Washington Educational Service District 123: Washington ESD covering southeastern counties under the same statutory mandate, with a comparable mix of cooperative services and AESD Network participation.
• Educational Service District 105 (Yakima Valley): Another of Washington's nine regional ESDs, delivering cooperative educational services in the Yakima Valley. Functions as a true like-for-like peer in terms of statutory mandate, funding model, and service portfolio.
• Educational Service District 101 (Northeast Washington ESD): One of the other eight Washington ESDs, operating under the same RCW 28A.310 statutory framework. Provides cooperative services to school districts in its region and participates in the same AESD Network and WSIPC cooperative as ESD 189.

Broad incumbents

• NYS Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (NYSED BOCES): New York's BOCES are statewide regional cooperative education service organizations serving school districts — analogous in function to Washington's ESDs but operating under New York education law rather than Washington's RCW 28A.310.
• Texas Education Service Centers (Region ESCs): Texas's 20 regional Education Service Centers provide cooperative services to school districts statewide, the closest large-scale U.S. analogue to Washington's nine ESDs in terms of regional shared-service delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AESD-Network-288311554888831
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-west-esd-189

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 North West Esd 189