Original Research by School Decision on Pass Program
Pass Program is an alternative school in Everett, Washington, serving grades six through twelve. It operates under the Northwest Educational Service District 189, which is a regional Educational Service District supporting dozens of school districts across five counties rather than a traditional residential school district. That structure matters: Pass Program likely serves as a specialized placement option drawing students from a wide geographic area, not a neighborhood school.
The publicly available data for this school is almost entirely absent. Enrollment figures are listed at zero across every grade level, and all demographic counts are reported as zero as well. No information is available on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education services, or English learner status. State assessment results are missing, and there is no graduation rate reported. The comparison against other districts in Snohomish County could not be run because the required metrics were not available. This sparse profile is not unusual for a very small alternative program where data suppression rules apply to protect student privacy or where the program operates outside standard reporting. A family considering this school will need to contact the program directly to learn anything about its size, student body, or outcomes.
Everett, where the program is located, is the county seat of Snohomish County and serves as both a major industrial and employment center and a bedroom community for Seattle. The city's economy is anchored by Boeing's aircraft assembly plant at Paine Field, the U.S. Navy's Naval Station Everett, and the Port of Everett, which together provide a substantial job base. Downtown Everett features high-rise buildings clustered around Everett Station, the transit hub connecting commuter trains, Amtrak, and regional buses, and venues such as Angel of the Winds Arena and Funko Field contribute to downtown activity. The city has seen steady growth over time, with new residential neighborhoods annexed to the south and west. Home values in the area run somewhat below the statewide median, while rents have been rising, reflecting broader regional housing pressure.
For a family evaluating Pass Program, the central question is what kind of alternative setting this school provides. Alternative schools in Washington are generally designed for students who have not found success in traditional classrooms, often offering smaller class sizes, flexible scheduling, or specialized behavioral and academic support. But the public record offers no detail on which of those approaches Pass Program takes, what its curriculum looks like, or what student population it serves. The program is housed on 10th Street in a commercial area of Everett, not in a residential neighborhood. Its parent organization, the Northwest Educational Service District, provides support services to many districts but does not operate a traditional school system, so the usual district-level data on budgeting, staffing, and strategic direction does not apply here. The district brief turned up no parent-relevant changes for the same reason.
This is a school where public information will take a family only a few sentences. Without test results, enrollment figures, or demographic data, there is no way to assess academic performance or compare it to other options from public records. The decision to pursue Pass Program will rest entirely on a direct conversation with the program about its mission, the students it serves, the supports it offers, and the referral process through a home district. For a student who needs a different educational environment, it may be exactly the right fit. The data simply does not say.
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