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STUDENTS & STAFF
AT RENTON INNOVATION ZONE PARTNERSHIP WE LOVE TO
About Our Students
Students in this geography come from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. 41% of the RIZ students live in households where English is not the primary language. Although Spanish is most prevalent in total, the four schools each have different demographics.
These children are also living in families who face daily economic challenges. Over 7% of adults over age 25 have less than a ninth-grade education, which is more than double the rate in Renton as a whole (3.1%) and King County (3.6%).
The percentage of families living below 100% of the federal poverty level ($30,750 in 2017 for a family of four) in these neighborhoods is 17%, which is greater than Renton School District’s overall rate of 12% and nearly twice as much as King County as a whole (9%).
Housing instability in the Renton Innovation Zone (RIZ) is increasing. The current housing crisis in the region has been driving housing costs up in this area significantly, as displacement has risen to a high level of concern for families and community partners.
Homelessness and housing instability create significant challenges to students’ ability to learn and thrive.
There are at least 105 homeless students in the four RIZ schools (8.3% of its total population), as determined by McKinney Vento Status. This is a federal classification for children and youth experiencing homelessness and the designation provides additional support for students.
Due to a severe lack of quality early learning opportunities, many of the children who begin kindergarten have not had access to quality early learning activities, which creates challenges as they transition to kindergarten.
While there is variation among our schools, overall, only 40% of children are assessed to meet six of six WaKIDS (Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills) domains (social-emotional, physical, cognitive, language, literacy, and mathematics).
Challenges persist for students as indicated by their 3rd-grade English Language Arts (ELA) and 4th-grade math assessments, which vary significantly by the school and by ethnic group. In total, only 38% of third-grade students met reading proficiency on the English Language Arts standards in 2016-17, and only 44% met proficiency on the 4th-grade math assessment. Importantly, there are significant disparities among racial and language groups.
MEET OUR CHANGE MAKERS
RIZP STAFF MEMBERS
We’re a team of makers, thinkers, explorers and go-getters. We approach work and play with curiosity and strategy, using what we learn to connect communities and schools within the Renton Innovation Zone to improve the well-being of children and their academic performance.
FISCAL SPONSORSHIP
Renton Innovation Zone Partnership is fiscally sponsored by RVC Seattle. If you'd like to donate to our work, your contribution is tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor, RVC whose EIN is 47-4257834.
