School Attendance Boundary Update

On November 10, 2021, the Kent School Board held a work session to hear an update about the  school boundary change process. Due to the scope of work required to evaluate the School Boundary Review Report recommendations provided by MGT Consulting Group, create implementation plans, and the unusual circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, additional boundary changes are postponed until the 2023-2024 school year.

The district is moving forward with an analysis of the MGT recommendations, identifying subcommittees to create implementation plans, and a timeline to complete boundary changes. After completing these objectives, a boundary change plan will be brought to the school board for approval.

Progress To Date

In February 2021, the board approved limited boundary changes and recommendations that were implemented for the 2021-2022 school year. The approved boundary changes populated the new River Ridge Elementary School, which opened this year, and adjusted boundaries to seven neighboring schools in the Kent Valley and on Kent East Hill.

The Board also approved converting the building that formerly housed Kent Phoenix Academy/Kent Mountain View Academy into a middle school and for the district to examine educational programming equity, alignment, and continuum of services throughout the district during the 2021-22 school year.

Next Steps

The school district continue to believe the other proposed boundary recommendations including moving sixth-graders to middle school (including the reopening of the former Kent Phoenix Academy/Kent Mountain View site as a new middle school), aligning school feeder patterns, and adjusting school boundaries to help balance enrollment districtwide are important changes needed to help students achieve success.

• The learning gathered from after action reviews, listening sessions with school district administrators, and information from the 2021 Fall Community Conversations helped inform the planning process for this year.
• Using the recommendations as a starting point, further analysis will take place before boundary recommendations are finalized. Engaging the communities most impacted by proposed changes will be a part of this process.
• Additional meaningful, two-way community engagement needs to happen as the district designs a middle school model that best meets the academic and social emotional needs of our sixth through eighth grade students.
• As work continues on the plan, regular updates will be given to the school board with the goal of implementing all changes for the 2023-2024 school year.

Moving Forward

We will be convening subcommittees comprised of community members, parents, staff, and administrators to conduct additional analysis and help create effective implementation plans. An application process will be identified for those interested in becoming a subcommittee member and a timeline established to move this work forward. The subcommittees will provide regular updates to the school board throughout this school year on the progress of its objectives. If you have questions, please email boundary@kent.k12.wa.us.