Education in Spokane, Washington

The Spokane Public Library and Spokane County Library District system provide the Spokane area with access to information and study space. Secondary education is provided by Spokane Public Schools with its six high schools, six middle schools, and thirty-four elementary schools. Private charter and parochial schools offer more choices of study. Higher education in Spokane is served by the Community Colleges of Spokane system (Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College) and two private universities, Gonzaga University and Whitworth University as well as various trade and technical schools. The University District in Downtown Spokane is also host to branch locations of regional universities such as Washington State University Spokane and its medical school, the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

Main article: Spokane, Washington

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the total school enrollment in Spokane was 54,830 in 2011. Nursery school and kindergarten enrollment was 5,484 and elementary or high school enrollment was 30,548 children. College or graduate school enrollment was 18,798. As of 2011, 91.6 percent of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 29.2 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher.[1]

Libraries

The downtown branch of the Spokane Public Library

Serving the general educational needs of the local population are two public library districts, the Spokane Public Library (within city limits) and the Spokane County Library District. Founded in 1904 with funding from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the Spokane Public Library system comprises a downtown library overlooking the Spokane Falls and five branch libraries.[2] Special collections focus on Inland Pacific Northwest history and include reference books, periodicals, maps, photographs, and other archival materials and government documents.[3] The first downtown library building, The Carnegie Building, still stands 5 blocks from the current Downtown library and bears his namesake.

Elementary and secondary education

Shadle Park High School

Spokane Public Schools (District 81) was organized in 1889, and is the largest public school system in Spokane, and the second-largest in the state, as of 2014, serving roughly 30,000 students in six high schools, six middle schools, and thirty-four elementary schools.[4][5]

Other public school districts in the Spokane area include the Mead School District covering north Spokane, and the Central Valley School District, West Valley School District and East Valley School District in the valley. Smaller districts in the surrounding area include the Cheney School District, Deer Park School District, Freeman School District, Medical Lake School District, Nine Mile Falls School District, Orchard Prairie School District, and Riverside School District.

Private education

A variety of state-approved, independent charter schools and private and parochial elementary and secondary schools augment the public school system. Among the parochial schools, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane manages ten such schools in and around the area, among them being Gonzaga Preparatory School.[6] The Saint George's School in north Spokane is one of the only independent secular private preparatory schools in Spokane and offers an International Baccalaureate program of study.[7]

There are schools that exist to meet special needs and those that offer specialist education, such as Montessori schools, or an emphasis on a particular part of the curriculum. Private schools are subject to a state approval process. Examples include the Lilac Blind Foundation, Spokane Guild's School and Neuromuscular Center, the Spokane Art School, St. Thomas More Catholic School [8], and St. Matthew Lutheran School.[9]

Colleges and universities

Gonzaga University

Higher education institutions in Spokane include the private universities Gonzaga and Whitworth, and the public Community Colleges of Spokane system (Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College) as well as a variety of local branch campuses and technical institutes.

The Community Colleges of Spokane operate Spokane Community College (SCC), Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC), and the Institute for Extended Learning, which coordinates rural outreach, business and community training, adult literacy services, and Spokane County Head Start/ECEAP/Early Head Start. Spokane Community College began operations on September 16, 1963 on the site of the Spokane Technical and Vocational School (established in 1953) at Mission and Greene.[10] During a period of growth, Spokane Community College built a second campus on Fort George Wright Drive (now Spokane Falls Community College), which the Board of Trustees decided to separate in 1970, creating two distinct entities. Spokane Community College upgraded its respiratory care program to a four-year degree, offering a bachelor of applied science (BAS) degree for the first time in 2017. As of 2020, the Community Colleges of Spokane serves approximately 20,000 students a year and offers over 120 degree programs.[10]

Gonzaga University and Law School were founded by the Italian-born priest Joseph Cataldo and the Jesuits in 1887.[11] Gonzaga offers 43 undergraduate degree programs, 26 master's degree programs, a doctoral program in educational leadership, and a Juris Doctor (law degree).[12] Gonzaga is one of three schools that offer a law degree in the state of Washington. The school has a total enrollment of about 7,700.[13]

Harriet Cheney Cowles Memorial Library at Whitworth University

Whitworth was founded in Tacoma, Washington in 1890 and moved to its present location in 1914 following a generous land donation by railroad magnate Jay P. Graves and $100,000 in support from the community.[14] The move alleviated persistent financial difficulties owing to competition with the College of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran Academy which were also located in Tacoma. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and had 2,500 students studying in 53 different undergraduate and degree programs as of 2011.[15]

A variety of regional universities located elsewhere in the Inland Northwest have operations in Spokane's University District. The University District is the site of Washington State University Spokane (formerly the Riverpoint Campus); WSU Spokane is WSU's health sciences campus and houses the school's College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, and Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.[16][17] Washington State University is Washington's land grant university with its flagship campus located 65 miles (105 km) south in Pullman. WSU Spokane shares the University District on the east end of downtown Spokane with some programs of Eastern Washington University (EWU), a regional comprehensive university with its main campus located 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Spokane in nearby Cheney.

The WSU Health Sciences Spokane campus, located in the University District

The University District serves as WSU Spokane's center for advanced graduate and professional studies and research in the health sciences and health professions. WSU Spokane programs focus on the health sciences, educational administration, and criminal justice. Among its research centers is the WSU Sleep and Performance Research Center, the only center in the world that can do controlled laboratory studies of sleep, wake, and work and the consequences of fatigue. A consortium of organizations and WSU operate the Spokane Teaching Health Center, a clinic where the medical residents and WSU students work in collaborative teams to serve low-income community members in need. The campus also has a Veterinary Specialty Teaching Clinic.

The University of Washington's Schools of Medicine and Dentistry had first-year and second-year medical students and first-year dental students at the Riverpoint Campus in partnership with both WSU and EWU as part of their WWAMI (medical) and RIDE (dental) programs,[18] however the WWAMI relationship with WSU ended after WSU College of Medicine was created following the repeal of a law that disallowed a second public medical school in the state. The University of Washington has continued its medical education in Spokane by developing a relationship with Gonzaga.[19] The University District is also home to Innovate Washington (formerly Sirti), a Washington state economic development agency that accelerates the development and growth of innovative technology companies. Other schools in Spokane include the Spokane Art School.[20]

Defunct institutions

Defunct institutions that were located in or near Spokane include Spokane University, Spokane College, Spokane Junior College, and a campus of the University of Phoenix and ITT Tech as well as the People to People Student Ambassador Program.

See also

References

1. "City of Spokane, WA, 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
2. "Branch Locations and Hours". Spokane Public Library. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
3. "Ned M. Barnes Northwest Room Resources". Spokane Public Library. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
4. Emerson, Stephen B. (August 8, 2008). "Spokane: Early Education". Essay 8723. HistoryLink. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
5. "District Profile". Spokane Public Schools. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
6. "Catholic Schools, Diocese of Spokane". Catholic Diocese of Spokane. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
7. "Upper School". Saint George's School. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
8. "Spokane: Education and Research", City-Data.com, accessed 6 April 2009.
9. "Welcome to St. Matthew Elementary School and Preschool". Retrieved 31 January 2020.
10. "History". Community Colleges of Spokane. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
11. Kershner, Jim (February 21, 2007). "Gonzaga University". Essay 8097. HistoryLink. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
12. "Academics". Gonzaga University. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
13. "At a Glance". Gonzaga University. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
14. Arksey, Laura (April 21, 2007). "Whitworth College". Essay 8125. HistoryLink. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
15. 2011 College Access and Opportunity Guide. Bethesda, Maryland: Center for Student Opportunity. July 1, 2010. pp. 458–478. ISBN 978-1-4022-4405-6.
16. "WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine". Washington State University. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
17. "Academic Programs". Washington State University. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
18. "Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE)". University of Washington School of Dentistry. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
19. "UW Spokane Medical School". University of Washington. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
20. "Spokane Art School: Teaching Spokane to make and enjoy art". Spokane Art School. Retrieved July 14, 2020.