MISD Elementary Schools Recognized by Washington School Recognition Program

Mercer Island, WA, May 6, 2025 – The Mercer Island School District is extremely pleased to announce all four elementary schools are being recognized by the Washington School Recognition Program for supporting students' growth and academic achievement as measured by the schools Washington School Improvement Framework (WSIF) performance during the 2023-2024 school year.

• Island Park Elementary – Achievement & Growth
• Lakeridge Elementary – Achievement
• Northwood Elementary – Achievement & Growth
• West Mercer Elementary – Achievement
   

“This news is an indication we are holding the right conversations and focusing on the results in ways that matter for students,” said Superintendent Dr. Fred Rundle. “The fact not every school is being recognized for achievement and/or achievement and growth does not mean we are not headed in the right direction.”

“Continuous quality improvement and a Multi-Tiered System, K-12 or PreK-Pathways, go hand-in-hand,” continued Rundle.

Receiving this recognition is no small honor — only 16% of schools statewide received recognition this year.

Schools can be recognized in three categories: Closing Gaps, Growth, and Achievement.

• Achievement: These schools have the state's highest performance in at least two key areas, including attendance, dual credit completion, assessment scores in English language arts or math, graduation rates, or ninth-grade credit attainment, and are above average across all reportable student groups on the 2025 Washington School Improvement Framework.
• Growth: Schools recognized for growth have at least one student group that has shown some of the state’s largest annual gains across multiple measures, such as attendance, assessment scores, English learner progress, graduation rates, or the percentage of ninth graders who successfully earned all their attempted credits.
• Closing Gaps: Schools in this category have made significant progress in areas identified for improvement in previous school years. These areas may include English language arts and math assessment scores, English learner progress, or graduation rates.

More information about award methodology, definitions of award categories, and a list of all schools being honored this year is posted on the Board’s School Recognition webpage.

The Washington School Recognition Program is a joint effort between the State Board of Education (SBE), the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC). Its purpose is to celebrate effective practices, support student success, and promote continuous improvement in schools across Washington.

As part of being recognized, each elementary school will receive a banner. The State Board of Education has partnered with Puget Sound Educational Service District 121 to facilitate the delivery of banners to the schools.

We recently published a story about the increase in elementary Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) test scores with the adoption of new curricula, which was funded by the Mercer Island Schools Foundation.