Just after the New Year began, the Mercer Island School District mailed its annual report to Islanders. In it the school district summarized the accomplishments of its schools, at the same time acknowledging challenges that remain.

The district maintains a nearly perfect high school graduation rate, and consistently high scores on standardized tests. In each school, 90 percent of students tested met or exceeded standards. Statewide, between two-thirds and three-quarters of students met or exceeded standards in all categories.

As accomplishments, the report listed recognition of the district by others including a designation as an ‘outperforming district’ by the Council of Chief State Schools Officers and by the financial services giant, Standard & Poors.

Both Mercer Island High School and Islander Middle School have been named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The high school was also named as one of the best for college preparation in the Seattle Times School Guide.

The report also lists other factors including the district’s ‘green schools’ program, and describes the ethnicity of its students.  Just over one percent of the student population is Black/African American, just over three percent are Hispanic/Latino, 3.4 percent multi-racial, 19 percent Asian and 72 percent white. Ten percent of all students qualify for some level of special education services. .

The report also outlines the steps that the district is taking to alleviate overcrowding at Island schools. The section describes public outreach efforts, studies on traffic and best practices for schools to define needs, explore options and gain community input.

For more, go to www.mercerislandschools.org.