Welcome to North Thurston Public Schools!

"All Students Empowered and Future-Ready" is our vision for North Thurston Public Schools, informing our decisions and day-to-day actions from early learning to 12th grade. Located one hour south of Seattle, NTPS has a proud tradition of excellence in education and community support. With 2,000 high-quality, dedicated staff and teachers, we strive to prepare all 14,500 students for rewarding careers, fulfilling lives, and compassionate global citizenship. Together with our community, we support our student's physical, social/emotional, and academic needs to help them become college- and career-ready upon graduation.

As you visit our website, you will learn that we have a lot to offer in terms of quality education. Our thirteen elementary schools, five middle schools (including a performing arts choice school), three comprehensive high schools, and two high schools of choice work hard to hold both compassion and high expectations for their students. Choices for families also include Summit Virtual Academy and Ignite Family Academy. NTPS is the largest and most diverse district in Thurston County, serving African American, Pacific Islander, Asian, Native American, Hispanic, and other populations. We celebrate this diversity, along with our military families, who make up 19% of our student population. 

We hold a deeply-rooted belief that all students can learn and grow; therefore, we embrace the responsibility to ensure the success of each and every student. Our youngest learners begin with us in an integrated preschool program (Pleasant Glade, Meadows, Mountain View, and Seven Oaks) and continue on to our full-day kindergarten program, now available in all of our elementary schools. We also have a Future Ready Kindergarten Program located at some of our elementary schools that provides transitional kindergarten for students who have not previously had the opportunity to participate in early learning. In addition, our Family Partnership Center houses the Capitol Forest Cooperative Preschool Program, which provides quality preschool programming for children 2-5 years of age. Our partnership with the co-op preschool provides the opportunity for some of our preschool special education students to receive services in that fully inclusive setting. Our strong partnership with families begins at an early age.

We are proud of our student's success. Our recent state assessment results show that in virtually all grade levels (grades 3-11) and subject areas (math, English language arts, and science), our students meet or exceed state averages. Thanks to community support, we are able to offer a wide range of academic, enrichment, intervention, and support programs for all our students. We provide highly-capable programming in each of our middle schools in sixth grade and continue to expand our Advanced Placement program and College in the High School Program to more than 31 courses at the high schools. We also partner with South Sound Community College and the New Market Vocational Skills Center on CTE programs for our junior and senior students.

Of course, we could not do all we do for kids without the support of our community. In 2020, our community overwhelmingly approved a record $275 million bond package to modernize several schools, providing for the renovation of existing facilities including the renovation and modernization of River Ridge High School and Komachin Middle School, safety and technology upgrades, and reinvestment in community-shared playgrounds and athletic fields! Our levy dollars currently make up about 15 percent of our operating budget, providing for wonderful access to activities and athletics, teachers in the areas of Art, Music, and P.E., and additional staff to provide counseling services and professional development for our staff. We also enjoy strong relationships with more than 50 local businesses through our Partners in Education (P.I.E.) program. Further, our students benefit from local youth services, ranging from the Boys & Girls Club of Lacey to the YMCA for before and after-school care.

Thanks for your interest in North Thurston Public Schools. Enjoy visiting our website and give us a call if you’d like to schedule a visit to one of our schools! 

Deb

Debra J. Clemens, Ph.D., Superintendent 
North Thurston Public Schools 
superintendent@nthurston.k12.wa.us