2008-2009 Federal Way Public Schools
Fact Sheet

District Facts

• 37 schools (21 elementary, 2 Kindergarten – 8th grade schools, 7 middle schools, five high schools, TAF Academy (6-12), Public Academy (6-10), and Internet Academy (K-12))
• 22,178 enrollment (7th largest)*
• 2,768 staff members
• Founded in 1929
• 35 square miles

FWPS Community Facts

• Approximately 86,000 people within Federal Way city limits/up to 200,000 within the greater metropolitan area.
• The district encompasses four cities and parts of unincorporated King Co.
• 700 Chamber members and business partners
• Around one-third of the population is Asian-American, African-American or Hispanic-American background.

Our students specifically*:

• 51.7% minority student population
• 48.3% in/near poverty (free and reduced lunch figures)
• 10.5% transitional/bilingual
• 105 languages spoken by district families

Recent Accomplishments

• The district partnered with Technology Access Foundation to open the TAF Academy, a science and technology academics program focused on encouraging girls and minority students to study science and math, Sept., 2008.
• Superintendent Murphy was presented the 2007 Washington State Association Of Supervision And Curriculum Development (WASCD) “Educating The Whole Child” Leadership Award.
• In early 2008, Federal Way High School’s AVID Program was selected as a Demonstration School, one of the “best of the best,” by the AVID organization. Of 3,300 schools in the nation to offer AVID, only around 130 are designated as demonstration schools.
• During the summer of 2008, the district completed 20 high-impact projects at 10 sites. The projects are much-needed energy-saving upgrades including heating, lighting and roofs.
• King County’s Green Schools Program presented the ‘Green Globe Leader In Sustainable Schools Award’ to Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS) Superintendent Thomas Murphy on April 13, 2007.
• The first and only West-coast site of the Cambridge Program opened in fall, 2006, at Federal Way High School. In 2007, Lakota and Sacajawea Middle Schools added Cambridge Checkpoint Programs for high-achieving sixth through eighth grade students.  In fall, 2008, Cambridge programs was implemented at several elementary schools.
• Standard and Poor’s announced in 2006 that three of the district’s high schools -- Federal Way, Thomas Jefferson and Todd Beamer High Schools -- were among 51 schools in the state recognized for narrowing the achievement gap. (In fact, not only was Federal Way the only district in the state to have more than one high school on the Standard and Poor’s list, two of them – Federal Way High School and Thomas Jefferson High School – achieved the greatest reductions in the achievement gap of all the South Sound schools.)  
• Federal Way was honored with a 2006 Diversity Award by the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) for outstanding efforts to promote and value diversity/multicultural education in their schools and their communities.
• Federal Way Public Schools was named one of the top ten high-performing districts in the state, based on WASL scores and other factors, by the Washington School Research Center at Seattle Pacific University in 2004.
• With the support of the Communities in Schools Foundation of Federal Way, the district offers a free summer school program for any child who is not achieving grade level expectations.

High Impact Projects

• A district-wide emphasis on professional coaching’s role in our staff’s development, based in part on the findings of the McKinsey Report.
• A district-wide math initiative, including Algebraic Thinking in middle school
• Beyond High School planning for all students, beginning in 8th grade
• Partnerships with innovative academic programs such as the TAF Academy, and the Cambridge and College Board-SpringBoard programs
• The design and construction/remodeling of 31 schools and district facilities over six years
• The Fair Funding Lawsuit, which seeks to require the state to fund all school districts at the same rate

Focus on Literacy and Math: A Comprehensive Partnership
of Students, Teachers & Parents

System Wide Support

• Clear Targets: grade level and course expectations
• Diagnostics: pre/post instructional assessments
• Parents: individual academic plans and school conferences
• Partners: community involvement and business partnerships
• Assistance: targeted assistance and summer school

Federal Way Public Schools Every Student . . . A Reader

Federal Way Public Schools Strategic Plan "All Means All"

* Student figures will be updated in early October, 2008.