WA has a new list of top-performing school districts. Seven are in Pierce County
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Seven Pierce County districts were named to the new State Superintendent’s Award.
- Carbonado, Steilacoom Historical and White River were also top 25 for academic progress.
- OSPI used reading, math, grad rates, attendance, dual credit and additional metrics.
Several Pierce County school districts have been named among the best in the state.
According to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s website, seven Pierce County districts have been named for the newly-created State Superintendent’s Award for Educational Excellence.
Washington state has 295 school districts, but only 25 received the award. OSPI announced the winners on March 5.
“The State Superintendent’s Award for Educational Excellence (SSAEE) is presented by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal to the 25 top-performing school districts in educational achievement in the previous school year,” the website said.
Here are the seven awardees from Pierce County:
- Carbonado School District
- Dieringer School District
- Peninsula School District
- Steilacoom Historical School District
- Sumner-Bonney Lake School District
- University Place School District
- White River School District
The Carbonado, Steilacoom Historical and White River school districts were also named in the top 25 awardees for academic progress. According to the website, the academic progress awards go to “the 25 top-performing school districts in progress and improvement in educational achievement over the last three school years.”
According to the website, several factors go into deciding which districts receive the award:
- 4th grade reading
- 8th grade reading
- 8th grade math
- 4-year graduation rates
- Ninth Graders on Track, a metric the state uses to measure the rate of credits 9th graders earn at the end of the year compared to the credits they attempted. The metric is designed to see how many 9th graders in a district are on track to graduate with their class.
- Regular attendance
- Kindergarten readiness
- “Highly capable program participation.”
- 8th graders who are taking high school-level math
- Dual credit participation, which covers programs where students can take classes for both high school and college credit.
The data comes from reports every district submits to the state each year, measuring the district’s progress on OSPI’s key areas. These reports are called the Annual Snapshot on Student Opportunity and Outcomes.
This is the first year of the State Superintendent’s Award for Academic Excellence, the website said. OSPI created the award in 2026 after the U.S. Department of Education discontinued its Blue Ribbon Schools Program on Aug. 29, 2025, which awarded schools across the country for academic excellence.
