North Thurston Public Schools

North Thurston Public Schools
Address
305 College Street NE Lacey , Thurston County, Washington, 98516-5390 United States
District information
Grades	PK - 12
Established	1953 (1953)
Superintendent	Troy Oliver
Budget	$263,000,000
NCES District ID	5305850
Students and staff
Students	15,000 (2025-26)
Teachers	910
Student–teacher ratio	16.5:1
Athletic conference	3A
Other information
Website	www.ntps.org

North Thurston Public Schools, District No. 3 (NTPS) provides educational services for Lacey and parts of unincorporated Thurston County, Washington, including the Nisqually Tribe Reservation.

Location

NTPS covers 74 square miles (191.7 km²) of land in northeastern Thurston county.

History

North Thurston Public Schools, District No. 3, was established on December 1, 1953, following the voter-approved consolidation of Lacey School District No. 317 and South Bay School District No. 304 at a special election held earlier in the year on November 11. Previous consolidations that resulted in the two component districts were as follows;

• On April 14, 1917, voters approved the consolidation of South Bay School District No. 11, Puget School District No. 48, and Pleasant Glade School District No. 50 at a special election, forming South Bay School District No. 304.
• Around 1920, Chamber's Prairie School District No. 8 and Lacey School District No. 10 consolidated, becoming Lacey School District No. 308, following a voter-approved special election.
• On June 1, 1925, voters approved the consolidation of McAllister Springs School District No. 75 and Lacey School District No. 308 at a special election, forming Lacey School District No. 317.

On September 25, 1962, the Washington State Department of Education approved the request of the Board of Directors of Nisqually School District No. 35 to have their school district annexed into North Thurston Public Schools, precluding the need to a special election. Pupils of School District No. 35 had already been receiving their education in North Thurston Public Schools since 1960, following the closure of the Nisqually schoolhouse.

Schools

High Schools (Grades 9–12)

High School		Type	Established	Enrollment	Mascot	WIAA Classification
	North Thurston	comprehensive	1955	1,419	Rams	3A
	River Ridge	comprehensive	1993	1,533	Hawks	3A
	Timberline High School	comprehensive	1970	1,433	Blazers	3A

Middle Schools

Name		Type	Established	Enrollment	Mascot
	Chinook	6-8	1961	710	Orcas
	Komachin	6-8	1992	643	Wolves
	Nisqually	6-8	1967	817	Totems
	Salish	6-8	2016	790	Ravens

Elementary Schools

Name		Grade Levels	Established	Enrollment	Mascot	Remarks
	Chambers Prairie	K-5, Future-Ready Kindergarten	2009	494	Wolf
	Evergreen Forest	K-5	1978	479	Bobcats
	Horizons	K-5, Future-Ready Kindergarten	1992	561	Eagles
	Lacey	K-5, Future-Ready Kindergarten	1968	373	Husky pups
	Lakes	K-5, Future-Ready Kindergarten	1964	501	Leopards
	Lydia Hawk	K-5, dual language program, Future-Ready Kindergarten	1959	500	Hawks
	Meadows	P,K-5	1986	739	Mustangs
	Mountain View	P,K-5, dual language program, Future-Ready Kindergarten	1957	731	Bobcats
	Olympic View	K-5, Future-Ready Kindergarten	1970	611	Eagles
	Pleasant Glade	P,K-5, dual language program	1987	509	Panthers
	Seven Oaks	P,K-5, Future-Ready Kindergarten	1990	431	Bulldogs
	South Bay	K-5	1953	588	Bruins
	Woodland	K-5	1981	461	Wildcats

Choice Schools

Name		Type	Established	Enrollment	Mascot
	Aspire Performing Arts Academy	6-8 arts	2009	306	Firebirds
	Envision Career Academy	9-12 cte	2020	158	Fyre Gryphons
	Ignite Family Academy	K-8 family partnership program	2021	97	N/A
	Summit Virtual Academy	K-12 virtual	2021	366	Mountaineers

Closed Schools

• South Sound High School - An alternative school of choice
• New Century High School - An experimental school that ran on an evening/nighttime schedule.
• Puget Sound High School - An alternative school that combined with New Century to form South Sound High School.

Student Demographics

2024-25 Student Diversity

Ethnicity	Percent
Hispanic / Latino of any race(s)	25.0%
American Indian / Alaskan Native	1%
Asian	7.8%
Black / African American	5.7%
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander	3.8%
White	40.9%
Two or More Races	15.7%