Downtown Seattle is undergoing a demographic transformation. Downtown’s
residential population continues to climb, and this rise includes a growing number of
children. Since 2012, DSA, in partnership with Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the
City of Seattle, has worked to understanding these demographic changes and how
the partnership can support Downtown Seattle’s growing number of families.
Downtown’s population is growing, more children are being born to Downtown
families each year and a greater percentage of Downtown families are choosing to
enroll their children in SPS.
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Downtown students enrolled in Seattle Public Schools (SPS) has increased by
73 percent between 2007 and 2016, growing from 461 students to nearly
800.
Downtown has experienced some of the fastest growth in student enrollment
across the entire district. Since 2012, while school district K-12 enrollment
increased by 6.5 percent, Downtown enrollment grew by 33 percent.
Downtown children enrolled in SPS at a much faster rate than previously
estimated. Downtown K-5 student enrollment has grown from 237 students in
2007 to 421 in the 2016-2017 school year, a nearly 80 percent increase.
A major factor in the Downtown school population growth has been the rise in
births to Downtown families. In 2005, 151 children were born to Downtown
parents. In 2015, this figure climbed to 306, a 103 percent increase in the
number of Downtown births.
Since 2007, South Lake Union and Uptown have seem some of the largest
increase in students by both percentage and real terms (see Table 1).

Table 1. Downtown SPS Student Population (2007-2016)
Downtown
Neighborhoods
Belltown
Chinatown - International
District
Denny Triangle
Pioneer Square
Retail Core
SoDo

2007

48
147
46
11
46
1

South Lake Union

63

Uptown
Waterfront
West Edge

70
3
26

Grand Total

461

20
08

20
09

20
10

20
11

20
12

20
13

20
14

20
15

20
16

56
14
5
22
13
37
1
10
6

76
14
6
20
11
39
2

85
16
1
24
13
31
2
72

85
17
9
38
19
32
2
11
6

72
3
27
48
2

74
4
31
49
0

73
6
35
50
2

75
3
44
55
8

84
3
40
59
8

84
18
4
56
20
35
4
10
8
11
0
2
34
63
7

95
18
8
74
33
31
3
11
5
11
5
3
25
68
2

87
19
2
72
28
24
2
16
8
14
5
4
31
75
3

98
20
0
75
29
27

87

77
18
7
24
14
28
2
10
4

17
9
15
5
5
30
79
8