Seattle Public Schools schedules finalized for next year; here’s how they’re changing

One day after that 15-minute meeting in which Seattle City Councilmembers approved giving Seattle Public Schools $2.3 million to help with transportation costs, the district has finalized next year’s schedules. They’ll be in two “tiers,” down from three previously, which means dramatically earlier starts for some schools that had been in the third tier, including two in our area.

The school days also will be 20 minutes longer for all students, the district says, and every Wednesday (except the first day of the school year) will be an early-release day (explained here).

Now published on the district website, the 2017-2018 elementary schedules are here; the K-8 schedules are here; the middle-school schedules are here; the high-school schedules are here.

We compared them to this year’s bell times, and here are the schools whose start times are changing:

Chief Sealth International High School starts 8:55 am, ten minutes later
Concord International (Elementary) starts 8:55 am, forty minutes earlier
Louisa Boren STEM K-8 starts 8:55 am, forty minutes earlier
Madison Middle School starts 8:55 am, ten minutes later
Pathfinder K-8 starts 8:55 am, ten minutes later

The district says anyone with questions can ask at their child(ren)’s school(s), or e-mail arrivaltimes@seattleschools.org.

cil June 15, 2017 (3:50 pm)

The district website has Concord’s start time at 8:55 am. We were waiting for this announcement so thank you!

WSB June 15, 2017 (4:06 pm)

thanks, fixing that one to “just” forty minutes earlier.

Jack June 15, 2017 (3:54 pm)

I think there is a typo on their site for Louisa Boren?

They have early release Wed. starting at 9:30. I assume start will be the same every day.

MrsL June 15, 2017 (9:19 pm)

They just updated the website to 8:55 start time for early release days.

Eileen June 15, 2017 (5:18 pm)

West seattle high school day is 1 hour shorter? Weird

Bonnie June 15, 2017 (6:06 pm)

You might be looking at the Wednesday schedule. Wednesdays will be 75 minutes early release. Every Wednesday.

ImmaMom June 15, 2017 (5:26 pm)

Thank goodness. The threat of moving elementary school times up 10 m earlier (as previously planned) was going to mean gettting my elementary kid fed and to the bus stop by 7:10 a. We’ve already had too many “tardies” this year and we’re pretty on-top-of it kind of parents.

Paul Binder June 15, 2017 (5:38 pm)

I do not understand the constant change of times for school start. Granted I have no kids, I am not in the loop with this, but I have to say for the 13 years I went to public school (not in WA state), we never once had a start time change.

Bonnie June 15, 2017 (6:08 pm)

Same here, when I was a kid we never had a time change. Since I have had kids in SPS (since 2006) the start times have changed almost every single year.

wsmom June 15, 2017 (6:04 pm)

Half day Wednesday’s=another blow to working families.

Robin June 15, 2017 (9:19 pm)

Boren time was a mistake on SPS site, they have fixed it now! :)

Ferry Walker June 15, 2017 (9:57 pm)

Why did they add 80 minutes to the week only to take away 75 of it on Wednesdays?

Wsmom June 16, 2017 (10:28 pm)

Because in Seattle, they just like to move things around that to make it seem like we’re solving problems.

Ms. A June 15, 2017 (9:58 pm)

Not happy.

The middle tier makes NO sense for working parents with elementary school kids. The change from 9:25 to 8:55 for K-8 STEM means my kid will now need BOTH before and after care.

Both husband and work 8am-4:30pm. Child care is already expensive. Factoring in the cost of after-school care, it will cost our family an extra $1800 next year for just 1 kid ($5,300 for both before- and after-school care, compared to $3,500 for before-school only). This is an expense that will really hurt.