Seattle's nine comprehensive high schools serve thousands of low-income and multilingual freshmen each fall. A state evaluation completed in August found that a statewide program targeting exactly those students works, but its funding is not guaranteed.

The Washington Ninth Grade Success program produced a 6.01 percentage point increase in the share of freshmen passing all their courses at participating schools, according to the evaluation.

In a school with about 250 freshmen, that meant roughly 15 more students stayed on track to graduate.

The gains were largest for multilingual learners, who saw on-track rates jump by nearly 11 percentage points.

Low-income students gained 6.75 points. The evaluation found no significant improvement for students with disabilities.

That gap matters across Seattle, where families of students with Individualized Education Programs already face uneven support depending on which school they attend.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is requesting $1.5 million a year over four years to continue and expand the program, according to Seattle's Child. Without that money, the program's future is uncertain.

What the program does

Ninth Grade Success pairs teachers and support staff with freshmen struggling with grades, attendance or behavior. Schools form "Success Teams" that use data dashboards to flag at-risk students and connect them with help.

"We do empathy talks, we talk to their parents, we talk to their teachers," said Kimberly Tennant, assistant principal at River Ridge High School in the North Thurston Public Schools district.

"We kind of get a whole picture of the kid and then we think about what the student needs."

The program launched as a pilot in five Washington high schools during the 2019-20 school year.

It has since expanded to 78 schools statewide, according to the evaluation. Fifty schools received OSPI grants in 2025-26. Several others continued as "alumni schools" without state funding.

What the evaluation found

The evaluation, prepared by Seattle-based Education Analytics Consulting, compared outcomes in participating schools against similar schools in the same counties that did not use the program.

The evaluation also found suggestive evidence that the program raised four-year graduation rates by 2.26 percentage points, with slightly larger effects in higher-poverty schools. It did not significantly change attendance rates or disciplinary outcomes.

Survey data showed schools built functioning data teams but struggled to change classroom instruction. The evaluation said the full benefits of the program appear after three to four years of implementation.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said the evaluation "confirms what educators across Washington have seen firsthand." He said strengthening educators' routines and data practices helps students receive the right support during their first year of high school.

Funding is year-to-year

The program costs relatively little per school. North Thurston Public Schools received $6,000 in the 2025-26 school year to start it. But state budget pressures have left the program without guaranteed multi-year funding.

Those involved with the program are "gravely concerned" about funding, according to Seattle's Child.

Henterson Carlisle, Northwest regional director for the Center for High School Success, called ninth grade "a make-or-break year."

"Every year, until we have multi-year funding or funding that is guaranteed, there's always a worry," Carlisle said. "I'm not comfortable saying, oh yeah, we're going to be here next year."

A Seattle Times op-ed published Oct. 28 by a Stand for Children advocate stated that neither Ninth Grade Success nor a related program is funded for the coming school year. That claim has not been independently confirmed through OSPI budget documents.

What it means for Seattle families

None of the available program records identify whether any Seattle Public Schools high school currently participates in Ninth Grade Success.

The district serves large populations of low-income and multilingual students at schools including Rainier Beach High School, Cleveland High School STEM and Franklin High School.

The evaluation recommended that OSPI prioritize future expansion toward schools serving higher percentages of multilingual learners and low-income students. Whether that expansion reaches Seattle depends on the Legislature approving the $1.5 million annual request.