Frequently Asked Questions

Enrollment across Northshore's schools is significantly imbalanced - from smallest to largest, elementary head count ranges from 269 to 801, middle schools from 690 to 1,228, and comprehensive high schools from 1,398 to 1,866 (as of April 2026). And the imbalance continues to grow, for example one Northshore high school grew 23% over the past eight years, while another shrank 15%. The district's demographer projects continued birth rate declines along with new growth in the north tied to Snohomish County's Urban Growth Area changes, making it necessary to plan ahead rather than react later.

This trend is not unique to Northshore. Nationwide, K-12 school enrollment has declined and projections indicate the decline will continue. The following resources highlight the impact across the U.S.

• National Center for Educational Statistics data table: Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by region, state, and jurisdiction: Selected years, fall 1990 through fall 2031
• Education Commission of the United States article: What Declining Student Enrollment Means for Schools — and What States Are Doing About It

Previously called the Enrollment Demographics Task Force (EDTF), this group of parents, community members, students, and staff was tasked by the district for the 2025–26 school year and 2026-27 school year with reviewing and recommending potential school boundary adjustments for the 2028–29 school year. The process aims to optimize facility utilization and support long-term capacity alignment while ensuring equitable access to programs, balanced enrollment, and fiscally responsible use of district resources.

This committee was created by Board Policy 9400 in 2001 and tasked with reviewing enrollment data and trends across Northshore. According to the policy, the focus of the committee is "to make recommendations to manage enrollments and demographic changes from site to site at the various grade levels."

EDAC is reviewing several possible approaches, including changes to waiver practices, programmatic placement, choice school location flexibility, boundary adjustments, and school repurposing or closures. A combination of these methods may ultimately be included in the final recommendations introduced to the School Board in February for board action in early March 2027.

For a number of years, the district has closed schools to enrollment outside of the neighborhood boundaries (often referred to as schools being closed to waivers) as well as strategically placed programs and services to help balance enrollment.

A mix of factors: declining regional birth rates, shifting neighborhood demographics, and new development patterns tied to Snohomish County's Urban Growth Area, which is expected to add students in the north part of the district even as enrollment declines in other areas such as the east and southwest regions of the district.

See the question “Why is Northshore looking at enrollment changes now?” above in this FAQ page for more information.

All Northshore schools are part of this districtwide review, since the goal is to rebalance enrollment system-wide. 

The following words and phrases may be referenced in data discussions:

• Resident students: The number of students who currently reside or are projected to reside within a school’s service area or boundary. This excludes students who attend a school due to program placement, such as Special Education or Highly Capable services.
• Headcount: The individual number of students served, regardless of if they attend part-time or full-time. For example, high schools may have students who are on campus part-time if they are also enrolled in an offsite Career and Technical Education program. Northshore also offers a variety of partial-day programs supporting students in Early Childhood and Transition/Adult Services  within Special Education. 
• Full-time equivalent: A unit of measurement that converts the total time students spend at school and turns them into a single, standard number. Each full-time student is 1.0 FTE. This data is used to generate funding from the state and determine staffing needs.

Our priority is to serve students at their neighborhood schools, and boundaries are designed to guarantee a spot for students. We also look at long-term data for planning purposes, and looking past 2030, we plan with the assumption that students will attend their neighborhood school.

Apartments don’t generate the same number of school-age students as single-family housing. Most of the single-family housing construction is projected to take place in the north part of the district. These are schools that are already at or near capacity with students. We do not see the same construction boom in the east or southwest of the district where enrollment is declining. These are the data that EDAC is tracking and will inform development of the options for staff and the School Board to consider.

Shelton View originally opened in 1969, and it was identified by the Capital Bond Planning Task Force as one of the four schools most in need of improvements due to its building condition and campus-wide needs. The project was incorporated into the 2026 Capital Bond, approved by Northshore voters. While it has been lovingly cared for, the aging infrastructure needs to be replaced. In addition, the layout of the classroom facilities, bus loop, parking, and play areas can no longer support the many neighborhood students that attend the school.

Shelton View's campus does not have enough space to construct a new school building while the existing building remains in use, so students and staff need to move elsewhere during the replacement project, planned for Summer 2028 to Summer 2030.

That has not been decided. In some districts, there is an established swing site, which is a school building not currently being utilized as a school. A swing site can be used to temporarily house a school or program and their students and staff while their school site is under construction. Northshore currently does not have a swing site. Because there is enough physical capacity districtwide to serve students during construction, and the cost of a modular swing site was anticipated to be more than $20 million, the Capital Bond Planning Task Force did not recommend using bond dollars to build a swing site. The temporary relocation for Shelton View will be determined after the School Board addresses declining and imbalanced enrollment districtwide.

The Shelton View replacement project is planned from Summer 2028 through Summer 2030, so any relocation would be temporary, spanning roughly two years.

Possibly. Shelton View is one of several older Northshore elementary schools that lack enough on-site space to rebuild while staying in operation. EDAC's work this year is intended to recommend an approach that could be applied to future replacement projects as well.

Northshore will follow the teacher and principal contracts if changes impact staffing. Because of different endorsement areas and seniority we can’t predict what those impacts will be at this time. Every year, the district has staff that move or retire. Our goal is to ensure any staff member affected by the final recommended changes is placed in another Northshore school or building.

In spring 2026, Shelton View families and staff were surveyed about the school’s temporary relocation. EDAC is considering that feedback as it develops potential options, including where students would attend school during the replacement project. Families will not select their temporary school. Once districtwide decisions to address enrollment are made, a temporary location for Shelton View students will be determined. 

It will depend on the final recommendations approved by the School Board. We are committed to sustaining childcare and after-school programs at all of our elementary schools. We will work directly with partners if their school site is impacted.

No decisions have been made at this time. Families provided feedback on options through a Spring 2026 survey. EDAC is taking this input into consideration as options are being developed.

This was an option that was looked at. None of our lower-enrolled schools have space to accommodate all of the Shelton View students.

For Shelton View students, it depends on the final recommendations approved by the School Board. We will be working closely with school staff and school PTAs to help ensure a seamless transition for Shelton View families into the temporary school location. We recognize how important welcoming your child and family to the new school will be.

It’s possible. No boundary decisions have been made. EDAC gathered feedback on community values and priorities through conversations and a districtwide survey in Spring 2026. This feedback will be considered before any boundary adjustments are proposed.

Possibly. It is one of several options EDAC is reviewing as part of a comprehensive approach, but no decisions have been made. Any recommendations would go through community engagement and School Board approval before being finalized.

Enrollment levels directly affect the staffing and programming a school can offer. Part of EDAC's review includes data on how low and high enrollment affect staffing and programmatic access, which will be shared with the community as part of this process.

A significant increase of residential students (students living within the original boundary of the school). Based on projected birth rates, this is unlikely in the near future.

Our goal is to minimize students’ time on the bus. Transportation time is one factor EDAC is considering in the development of the options.

No. Class sizes are determined by our teacher contract. One thing to note, smaller schools do not mean smaller class sizes. In fact, larger schools allow for more flexibility within our staffing model.

Yes.

March 2027. The approved changes will take effect during the 2028-29 school year, giving schools and families more than a year to prepare.

EDAC develops recommendations informed by data and community input; staff test feasibility of the recommendations and make final adjustments; the School Board reviews and votes on final recommendations, currently anticipated in March 2027.

Community input is vital to this process and in shaping the final recommendations to the School Board. There will be a variety of opportunities to provide input this fall and winter. Community conversations, feedback forms, and open houses will provide real chances to shape the outcome. Watch this website for updated opportunities.

Yes. The engagement process is designed to consider impacts on those furthest from racial and educational justice, including tailored input experiences and language access support based on family needs at particular schools.