A Thriving Model School

The South Shore School is a public PreK to 8th school in southeast Seattle that has received support from the New School Foundation for nearly a decade. The student population is 50 percent black, 29 percent Asian/Pacific Islanders, 13 percent white and 8 percent Hispanic. More than half of all students (56 percent) receive free or reduced price lunches.

South Shore’s unique approach is centered around a focus on early learning, particularly pre-kindergarten to grade three. The school creates a loving community of purposeful learning that honors the whole child – physically, emotionally and academically.

By starting earlier, addressing each student’s learning strengths and challenges, engaging families and fostering social and emotional development along with academics, the school gets strong results for all children.

Strategies that have been tested, and proven to work, at the South Shore School include:

• Small class sizes
• Full-day PreK and kindergarten
• Active family engagement
• A leading wellness program
• Aligned curriculum across all grade levels
• Common professional development for teachers