As Downtown Seattle’s population continues to rise, so does the number of apartment and condo dwellers that have kids. In collaboration, the Seattle Public Schools, the City of Seattle and the Downtown Seattle Association conducted a feasibility study on the need to put a public school in downtown Seattle.

Here are some of the interesting stats they uncovered: School

  • Since 2008 the Downtown enrollment in K-5  schools has increased by 35%
  • Downtown is the most populous Seattle neighborhood without a neighborhood school
  • 265 children were born to Downtown parents in 2011
  • Downtown is one of the very few areas in Seattle that is more than a mile from a public elementary school
  • Projections indicate that by 2016 the Downtown K-8 population will be between 515-615 students
  • Downtown children enrolled in Seattle Public Schools at a much faster rate than was estimated

This study points to an increased need for a public elementary school in our Downtown core. I hope that this report’s findings will lead to a new Downtown school as the families choosing to raise their kids Downtown would certainly benefit from this addition and it would bring more jobs to downtown as well for teaching staff and faculty.

On a personal note, we have many families with children living in our building in South Lake Union and the presence of children is a nice addition to our community. We enjoy their energy and even have trick-or-treating in the building on Halloween. Downtown Seattle would highly benefit from the addition of an elementary school but whether or not it will happen is still yet to be seen.

By Marco Kronen with Seattle Condo Review: A guide to Seattle downtown condos.