Vashon Island School District had an enrollment total of 1602 students in May 2017. The schools are located in King County Washington on the largest island in Puget Sound. There are three schools in Vashon ISD: Chautauqua Elementary, McMurray Middle School, and Vashon Island High School. The most recent scores reported by the Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction on the Washington State Report Card includes the following data. English/Language Arts test scores at Chautauqua Elementary ranged from 51.0% of third-graders meeting proficiency level to 89.4% of eleventh-graders performing at this level. Scoring for mathematics ranged from 45.0% at the sixth-grade level to 62.5% at the fourth-grade level. Science scores for 2017 were extremely strong with the fifth-grade score showing 77.2%, 8th grade at 64.5% and 10th grade EOC Biology recorded at 89.5% of students meeting the standard. The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the class of 2016 was 93.1% with 80% of students enrolling in both public and private two and four-year colleges.

There were 99 teachers on staff at Vashon ISD for the 2016-2017 school year. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Washington State Report Card cites an experience level of 11.9 years for district teachers. Vashon ISD teachers are highly qualified with 71.7% holding Master’s Degrees and only 2.1% of all teachers working with a conditional certificate.

Chautauqua Elementary provides instruction for Pre-K through fifth grade. The instructional resources for reading are centered on Reading A to Z, RAZ Kids, and Comprehension Toolkit for upper-level students. Writing curriculum is utilizes the Lucy Calkins Unit of Study. The Bridges Curriculum for Math was implemented in 2014 which is comprised of discussion and problem-solving techniques. Students have many hands-on opportunities in Science, and the 5th graders attend an annual environmental camp in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

McMurray Middle School enrolls approximately 400 students attending grades six through eight with 30 staff members on board. Students have 6 classes per day plus a homeroom activity period. The students attend the same homeroom for all three years of middle school which provides time for reading, rapport building, exploring climate issues and instruction on bullying prevention. In addition to core courses, electives are offered in the Arts, Photography, Writing Club, foreign language exploration, and STEM classes.

Vashon High School enrolls approximately 540 students and employees 44 staff members. The school was recognized as a top 5% high school in both 2013 and 2014 in Washington State. A full-range of college preparatory courses are offered in Mathematics, World Languages, English, and Science. The vocational curriculum includes courses in maritime studies, technology, woodworking, culinary arts and wearable metals. A wide variety of co-curricular clubs and sports are also offered. Vashon High School is a proponent of intercultural learning and has a sister school located in Himeji, Japan and arranges exchange visits between both high schools every other year.

Vashon School District is a small, thriving district that receives a great deal of community support. The student-teacher ratio is at a good level and extracurricular activities are outstanding. The district presents many areas for students to seek a well -rounded education and the average number of students seeking higher education after graduation is commendable.