Puget Sound Community School

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Puget Sound Community School (PSCS) is an independent middle and high school, located in the heart of the Chinatown-International District in Downtown, Seattle, WA. PSCS is committed to co-creating a brave space for community-centered education, critical curriculum, student choice, accountability, and thoughtful collaboration.

Quick Stats (2024)

  • School Type: Alternative School
  • Grades: 6-12
  • Enrollment: 34 students
  • Yearly Tuition: $26,515
  • Acceptance rate: 90%
  • Average class size: 5 students
  • Application Deadline: None / Rolling
  • Source: Verified school update

School Overview

Religious Affiliation
Grades Offered
Grades 6-12
ADD/ADHD Support
Yes
Year Founded
1994

Student Body

Total Students
34 students
Student Body Type
Co-ed
% Students of Color
35%
State avg.: 32%
Students by Grade
Puget Sound Community School Student By Grade

Academics and Faculty

Total Classroom Teachers
8 teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
4:1
National avg.: 13:1
Average Class Size
5 students
List of Courses Offered
Classroom Dress Code
Casual
No dress code

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

Admission Deadline
None / Rolling
Yearly Tuition Cost
Tuition Notes
Tuition Access: PSCS awards over $100,000 in aid each year to current and incoming families. All admissions decisions are made independently of tuition aid offers. To the extent that our funds permit, aid is available to qualifying students whose parents are able to establish financial need through the aid application process. If you have questions regarding the aid process, please call or email us.Program Access: PSCS works hard to include fees and expenses in tuition costs and not nickel and dime families as we go along in a school year. Added fees depend on individual student activities and the needs of certain courses. However, we want students to be able to do things that may have associated fees, regardless of their economic status. As such, we offer program aid to families for whom added costs might stand in the way of a student doing activities or taking courses they are interested in.
% on Financial Aid
29%
Average Financial Aid Grant
$10,978
Acceptance Rate
90%
National avg.: 85%
Admissions Director
Sieglinde Levery-Nicholas

School Notes

Vision
  • Puget Sound Community School is committed to co-creating a brave space for community-centered education, critical curriculum, student choice, accountability, and thoughtful collaboration.
Core Commitments
  • Practice Integrity. Engage the Community. Act with Courage.
Philosophy
  • Puget Sound Community School (PSCS) is an independent middle and high school, located in the heart of the Chinatown-International District in Downtown, Seattle, WA. We believe that people are intrinsically compelled by our innate curiosity and desire to learn; when provided choice, positive support, scrutable accountability, and a responsive curriculum-taught by engaged, multi-skilled teachers-we will all enthusiastically pursue meaningful goals and purpose. As far as this is true for adults, we see how these shared instincts also cultivate conscientious, community-minded, and self-motivated young people. The approaches used at PSCS foster creativity, flexibility, and compassion, while encouraging students and staff to focus deeper on those activities and classes that bring them joy and purpose. To do this, PSCS offers one-on-one Advising relationships and curricula built around student interest, growth, and need. Additional community expectations are designed to scaffold growth in understanding social and restorative justice, and personal, contextual, and responsible identity.
  • In May of 2021, in an effort to build upon the collaborative and equitable vision of the school, PSCS parents, staff, and the Board of Trustees agreed to invest in non-hierarchical administration and collaborative leadership, rather than in a traditional Head of School. This decision resulted in the formation of an Administrative Team that functions in close cooperation with the Teaching Staff. Students who fully embrace the program offered at PSCS show consistent progress in self-expression, leadership, and skill-building in almost any endeavor, and start to recognize they are part of something bigger than themselves.
Source: Verified school update

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Puget Sound Community School cost?
Puget Sound Community School's tuition is approximately $26,515 for private students.
What is the acceptance rate of Puget Sound Community School?
The acceptance rate of Puget Sound Community School is 90%, which is higher than the national average of 84%.
When is the application deadline for Puget Sound Community School?
The application deadline for Puget Sound Community School is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).
In what neighborhood is Puget Sound Community School located?
Puget Sound Community School is located in the Downtown Seattle neighborhood of Seattle, WA. There are 5 other private schools located in Downtown Seattle.

School Reviews

  5.00 out of 5  (2 reviews)
5  
We absolutely love this school. Our daughter is very happy here after years of struggling to feel comfortable in a traditional school. She has found her peer group, is invited to pursue her passions (digital art), and is learning the key components to social justice, empathy, and kindness. The staff is fully committed to wholeness-based academics. The community is very engaging and active. The advisors work with each student individually to achieve their goals. Most of their graduates over the past 25 years have gone on to further education/university. They have a relatively new head of school who has brought in strategies and improvements that needed to be made heading into this next quarter of a century. I love their social justice focus and approve of their intentionality surrounding more focused academic goals. The student body is comprised of a variety of binary and non-binary genders and sexualities. The staff is the same and is also comprised of 50% teachers of color. I highly recommend this school to students who know the importance of social justice and environmental responsibility and whose learning goals root in their own passions.
- Posted by
5  
A small community school based on being kind and learning to love school--not just hoping to get through it.
- Posted by

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Quick Stats (2024)

  • School Type: Alternative School
  • Grades: 6-12
  • Enrollment: 34 students
  • Yearly Tuition: $26,515
  • Acceptance rate: 90%
  • Average class size: 5 students
  • Application Deadline: None / Rolling
  • Source: Verified school update

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Did You Know?

The average private school tuition in Seattle, WA is $20,617 for elementary schools and $22,731 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).
The average acceptance rate in Seattle, WA is 73% (read more about average acceptance rates across the country).

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