Overview
Tahoma School District serves approximately 7,400 students in grades pre-K-12 in and around Maple Valley, WA, a suburban community (20,000 population) in Southeast King County, about 30 miles southeast of Seattle.
The name Tahoma was created by students in 1926 to name the newly built junior-senior high school that served three independent school districts: Taylor, Hobart and Maple Valley. The name is derived from the first two letters of each of those names. That school is still being used, having been remodeled for use as Tahoma Middle School in 2004.
Tahoma School District is recognized as innovative in its development and use of curriculum. Test scores indicate that Tahoma students are among the state’s top 10 percent, on average.
In 2005, the district completed its construction and remodeling program that began with passage of the 1997 construction bond measure. The $45.5 million bond measure, combined with state matching funds and local construction impact fees, paid for: Tahoma High School remodeling and expansion; Tahoma Junior High construction; Shadow Lake Elementary School remodeling and expansion; Cedar River Middle School expansion; Tahoma Middle School renovation; and computer purchases.
The district provides a quality learning environment for all students, including those with special needs and those who are qualified to participate in gifted education programs. Music, athletics and other extracurricular activities are available, too.
The district has one high school for grades 10-12, Tahoma High School. There is one junior high school, two middle schools, four elementary schools and a parent-partnered school.
Tahoma High School is a Class AAAA school and is a member of the South Puget Sound League for sports and other activities.
Recent Highlights:
- The school district is moving ahead with its use of classroom technology purchased with funds from the 2006 and 2010 technology levies. The school district has purchased replacement computers for older, slow computers in school computer labs, provided laptop computers and wireless Internet service to teachers, installed document cameras and digital projectors in every classroom, provided electronic Activboards (electronic whiteboards) to selected classrooms and programs, and installed upgrades to infrastructure such as computer servers. Several pilot programs also have been operating in the district to determine the best use of classroom technology. A comprehensive plan for using the technology levy funds in the classroom was updated and approved by the Tahoma School Board in June 2008.
- Tahoma High School is one of 75 high schools in the nation participating in a five-year study aimed at identifying and testing more effective ways to provide education to students.
- Tahoma High School's student-led Green Team won the President's Environmental Youth Award, one of 10 presented by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2010-11.
- Tahoma High School is listed as being among the top 5 percent of the nation's public high schools in a Washington Post assessment of schools, based on Advanced Placement participation by students.
- State test scores are among the top 10 percent in the state, on average.
