Lake Washington School District Calendar 2026-2027

Across Kirkland, Redmond and parts of Sammamish, a residential address opens one branch of Lake Washington’s 30,000-student school network. Dozens of elementary schools feed middle schools and comprehensive high schools across the district. Residential assignment remains the starting point for most families, and the district’s scale creates distinct school communities across the Eastside even though they share one curriculum, calendar and central administration.

Choice schools add another layer to that geographic system. Programs such as International Community School, Tesla STEM High School, Renaissance School of Arts and Reasoning and several elementary or middle options use applications, grade-specific eligibility rules and lotteries. A choice-school seat changes the student’s daily destination and may leave transportation to the family. These schools are districtwide opportunities with limited enrollment; the regular neighborhood feeder continues to be governed by residential assignment.

Emerson K–12 and other alternative or online arrangements serve students who need a different scale, pace or delivery model. At the comprehensive high schools, Advanced Placement, College in the High School, Running Start, arts, athletics and extensive clubs allow students to build very different schedules while remaining in their assigned school. Large enrollment gives the district enough depth to sustain specialized courses that smaller systems often access only through outside partners.

Career education also extends beyond a single campus through the Washington Network for Innovative Careers. WANIC programs connect students to fields such as health care, engineering, technology, media and skilled trades through regional sites and partner districts. Lake Washington combines a neighborhood school system with a choice-rich regional hub. The key family decisions involve address assignment, competitive program entry and the point at which a specialized course or school is worth a longer daily journey.