Five Kent School District schools receive state recognition

Published 3:15 pm Monday, May 4, 2026

Five elementary schools in the Kent School District have been recognized by the Washington School Recognition Program for their work in closing opportunity gaps and supporting students’ growth and academic achievement during the 2024-25 school year.

Park Orchard, Sawyer Woods, Meridian, Emerald Park and Covington elementary schools were among the 379 public schools across the state recognized May 4, according to the Washington State Board of Education.

The recognition program is operated by the State Board of Education in collaboration with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee, as required by state law (RCW 28A.657.110). The program was established in 2010 by the state Legislature and was redesigned in 2018 to create a more equitable recognition framework that better highlights successes across the K-12 education system.

A look at each school and the reasons for recognition:

Park Orchard

• Closing Gaps: Targeted

• Multiracial student growth from the 2023-24 school year to the 2024-25 school year was in the top 10% of schools for: English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency rate, ELA student growth percentiles, math student growth percentiles.

Sawyer Woods

• Growth for: Low-income students

• Low-income student growth from the 2023-24 school year to the 2024-25 school year was in the top 10% of schools for: ELA proficiency rate, math proficiency rate, math student growth percentiles.

Meridian

• Growth for: Students in one or more racial or ethnic groups

• Multiracial student growth from the 2023-24 school year to the 2024-25 school year was in the top 10% of schools for: math proficiency rate, ELA student growth percentiles, math student growth percentiles.

Emerald Park

• Growth for: Students in one or more racial or ethnic groups

• Multiracial student growth from the 2023-24 school year to the 2024-25 school year was in the top 10% of schools for: ELA proficiency rate, ELA student growth percentiles, math student growth percentiles.

Covington

• Growth for: Students receiving special education services

• Growth for students with disabilities from the 2023-24 school year to the 2024-25 school year was in the top 10% of schools for: ELA proficiency rate, math proficiency rate, attendance.