Seattle Public Schools has reversed its earlier decision regarding the gifted education program, announcing plans to maintain dedicated schools for advanced learners for at least the next three years. The district will also continue to provide advanced learning opportunities in neighborhood schools, allowing parents to choose the best option for their children.
This revised strategy aims to integrate advanced learning into neighborhood schools, with teachers expected to tailor lesson plans to meet the individual needs and abilities of each student. Initially, all highly-capable cohort schools were set to be phased out by the 2027-28 school year.
District officials are focused on enhancing the consistency and quality of advanced learning across schools by providing new training for educators. Over the next three years, they will assess the effectiveness of this hybrid model and determine whether to continue phasing out cohort schools.
These changes are part of a broader initiative to address longstanding equity issues, as Black and Hispanic students have historically been underrepresented in advanced learning programs. To support this effort, the district has implemented universal screening, which eliminates the need for families to pay for external testing or obtain teacher recommendations for program admission.
Recent data indicates that the steps taken to promote equity are beginning to yield positive results, with an increase in the number of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students identified as advanced learners in 2024. Officials are committed to keeping highly-capable cohort schools open for at least another three years, with a potential phase-out date for these schools set for the 2029-30 academic year.
However, there has been a decline in the number of students pursuing advanced or accelerated math courses over the past nine years, and concerns have arisen regarding the decreasing representation of these students from neighborhood schools, which are intended to provide advanced learning services similar to those offered in cohort schools.
