In the News

Northshore School District leaders welcomed U.S. Congresswoman Susan DelBene to the newly constructed Ruby Bridges Elementary School on Tuesday, June 1. 

The brand-new K-5 school, located on Maltby Road, was approved by Northshore voters in 2018 as a step toward easing the overcrowding in schools on the district’s north end. Serving approximately 500 students, the attendance area for Ruby Bridges includes addresses previously assigned to Canyon Creek, Fernwood and Kokanee elementary schools. 

The school opened in the fall of 2020 for remote learning. Its namesake, Ruby Bridges — the first African American child to integrate an all-white public elementary school in the south — personally greeted students and staff virtually in September. Principal Cathi Davis said the new building saw an 80% return rate for in-person learning in April. 

“We look forward to an official grand opening for our district community when it is safe to do so,” said Lisa Youngblood Hall, communications director for NSD. 

DelBene, who represents Washington’s 1st Congressional District, stopped by to discuss the $130 billion American Rescue Plan and how it has been instrumental in getting kids back to school safely. Her staff said Washington state K-12 schools are estimated to receive $1.9 billion, with about $5.2 million going to NSD. 

Youngblood Hall said the funds will be used to support the work in Northshore’s Academic and Student Well-Being Recovery Plan. She noted that some of the funding has already been spent on PPE, HVAC upgrades, cleaning supplies and other required COVID-19 safety protocols.