The Diverse Landscape of Washington State

Washington is a beautiful state in which opportunity is plentiful, yet not distributed equally across lines of difference. Our work is centered in two Washington communities that are as diverse culturally as they are geographically. King County is home to many Coast Salish-speaking tribes and nations, the top five most diverse school districts in Washington State, and a booming tech industry. Yakima County is home to the Yakama Nation, along with a community that is more than half Latinx-identifying, and a thriving agriculture industry.

e have seen great progress for kids in Washington over the years. There have been increases in kindergarten readiness, graduation rates, and ELA proficiency, alongside decreases in the student to teacher ratio and the number of suspensions lasting longer than six days*. However, there is still work to be done. In fact, suspensions have increased specifically for BIPOC students, ELL students, students with non-binary gender identities, low-income students, and students who are in foster care or experiencing homelessness. Additionally, growth in teacher and school leader diversity remains insufficient. 

*Find and compare these metrics and more with the OSPI Washington State Report Card.

Making Meaningful Progress for Kids in Washington

After years of unprecedented changes and challenges, we must seize this moment to creatively explore new possibilities. At Teach For America, we are pursuing our goal that by 2030, twice as many children in communities where we work will reach key educational milestones indicating they are on a path to economic mobility and co-creating a future filled with possibility.

While we have far to go, we know our network of corps members, alumni, and other equity-oriented educators will continue to make great strides for kids in Washington. Check out Our Work and learn more about how we are pursuing this goal.