SNOHOMISH — The Snohomish School District is taking steps to shift sixth grade from elementary school to middle school beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
By the end of February the school board will be given a recommendation asking to formally approve making Snohomish’s middle schools grades six through eight and elementary schools grades kindergarten through five.
Snohomish would join neighboring districts Everett, Monroe, and Mukilteo in setting their middle schools for grades 6 through 8. Middle schools nationwide have been increasingly adding sixth grade over the past 20 years.
The school board meetings on Jan.10, Jan. 24, and Feb. 14 will offer opportunity for public comment and discussion on the plan before its anticipated Feb. 28 approval.
“We’re starting to reach out and get input,” Superintendent Kent Kultgen said. In coming weeks “we’ll be in every school talking to staff.”
The district also seeks citizen volunteers for a pair of committees to help guide the process.
Making the change for the 2025-26 school year “will give us 21 months to plan, seek input, listen, and work through the challenges and concerns of this reconfiguration,” Kultgen wrote in a public message to parents.
The stated purpose for the change is to “enhance the middle school experience.”
Exactly how that will happen remains unclear.
Answers will emerge in coming weeks as board members process public input and garner new information, Kultgen said.
Three-year middle schools generally give students a broader range of elective classes and encourage participation in extra-curricular activities, the superintendent’s message notes.
The school board is in the process of forming a steering committee for the transition composed of administrators, staff, and community members.
It also welcomes applicants for a separate committee to redefine the district’s highly capable program in light of reconfiguration.
Apply to be a member of one or both committees at www.sno.wednet.edu/interestform
“We believe it's important to involve our parents/guardians in this all-important reconfiguration,” Kultgen wrote. “We are just beginning this exploration, and your input is crucial in overcoming the challenges of this change.”
Public comments are welcome by emailing or calling the district office, 360-563-7300.
