Lakeside School Programs
The student-teacher ratio is 9 to 1 and the average class size in 16. The values that are the foundation of Lakeside's programs are educational excellence, diversity, and global citizenship. Lakeside School fosters the development of citizens capable of and committed to interacting compassionately, ethically, and successfully with diverse peoples and cultures to create a more humane, sustainable global society.
Lakeside's Global Service Learning (GSL) program started in 2003. The program added a new site in Ecuador in 2013, Broetje Orchards in 2011, and Senegal in 2009. In summer 2012, students participated in GSL at one of nine sites in Peru, India, China, Dominican Republic, Morocco, Senegal, Costa Rica, the Makah Indian reservation, and the Broetje Orchards in eastern Washington.
Launched in 2009, Lakeside's Summer School Programs offer camps and coursework for Lakeside students and those from throughout the Seattle area. Students can earn credits on campus during the summer months. More than fifty percent of the students who attended in 2009 and 2010 were non-Lakeside students. A significant amount of financial aid was offered to students to enable them to attend.
The Lakeside Educational Enrichment Program (LEEP) was established in 1965 and has since served more than 3,000 students, primarily rising 9th grade students from the Seattle Public Schools. Students apply to enter the program and are often recommended by their middle school counselors. The program runs for six weeks during the summer and is designed to stimulate the intellectual curiosity of the participants, show them how enjoyable learning can be, and help them understand they can achieve more than they ever thought possible. The program's aim is to boost students to higher achievement during the summer and later in their school life. The student body is intentionally diverse academically, ethnically and culturally, and as gender balanced as possible. During the school year, LEEP administrators check in with LEEP graduates to make sure they are on track. In their junior year, LEEP graduates are also invited on a college tour of Washington and Oregon and given assistance in the college application process.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Lakeside is proud to offer $4.9 million in need-based tuition aid for 29 percent of our student population in 2012-2013. In addition to tuition aid, students receive aid to assist them with purchasing books, transportation, meals, and participation in extracurricular sports.
Lakeside School relies upon annual donations from friends to provide a rigorous, relevant education. General operating support is vital to the school to cover the difference between tuition revenue, endowment earnings, and the cost of providing a Lakeside education.