Data Table
Explanation
Public Schools
Eight school districts provide primary and secondary education to the majority of Thurston County’s students. These districts range in size from rural Griffin, with a total of 581 students, to the more urban North Thurston Public Schools, which had 15,209 students during the 2022-2023 school year. Enrollment countywide increased 1% between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years but remains below the enrollment high seen in the 2019-2020 school year.
The majority of students attend school in the Lacey–Olympia–Tumwater area, accounting for approximately 75% of total public school enrollment. The fastest growing school district between 1990 and 2022 was Yelm. Tenino School District is the only district in Thurston County with fewer students in 2022 than it had in 1990.
Private Schools
In addition to the educational opportunities offered by public schools, the State Board of Education provided enrollment counts for 15 board-approved private schools in Thurston County providing instruction to a total of 1,951 students during the 2022-2023 academic year. Enrollment countywide in private schools increased 3% between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years.
Most students enrolled in private schools are in elementary and middle school grades. Four private schools serve high school students, with two serving such students exclusively (Northwest Christian High School and Pope John Paul II High School).
Home-Based Instruction
Washington state law recognizes the right of parents to educate their children through home-based instruction. Parents must file a declaration of intent to provide home-based instruction with the school district's superintendent, and the school district tracks the number of students receiving such instruction.
From 2019-2020 to the 2020-2021 school year, nearly 50% more students in Thurston County were provided a home-based education. Home-based education students then dropped 20% in the 2021-2022 school year, and dropped an additional 19% from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023 to 1,452 students.
Source
Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; Washington State Board of Education