Internal Boundary Review Q&A
As the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District continues to grow and new schools and expansions come online, the district will review internal attendance boundaries to best serve students now and into the future. This page answers common questions and will be updated throughout the boundary review process.
Boundary Review
What is an attendance boundary?
An attendance boundary determines which school a student is assigned to attend based on where they live.
Why is the district reviewing attendance boundaries?
We will have a new middle school and other schools will be expanding over the next few years. Updating attendance boundaries will help us:
- Balance enrollment across schools
- Make the best use of new and expanded schools
- Create stable attendance areas for years to come
- Align elementary, middle and high school feeder patterns
- Improve transportation efficiency
- Provide equitable access to educational programs
The boundary review is part of a long-term planning process designed to support students and families as our community continues to grow.
Why wait until 2029 for the revised boundaries to take effect?
While some projects will be completed before others, the new middle school is the most significant factor in redesigning attendance boundaries across the district. Waiting until it opens in fall 2029 allows the district to implement one coordinated boundary change that reflects all of the new capacity rather than making multiple adjustments as individual projects are completed.
Why can't the district keep the current boundaries?
The opening of a new middle school gives the district an opportunity to redraw attendance areas in a way that better balances enrollment across all schools, reduces overcrowding, and creates clearer feeder patterns for students and families. Without updating attendance boundaries, the new middle school and school expansion projects would not serve the students they were designed to accommodate, while other schools would remain more crowded than necessary.
Timeline
When will new attendance boundaries take effect?
The district anticipates implementing new attendance boundaries beginning in Fall 2029, when the new middle school in Tehaleh opens.
What is the timeline for the boundary review?
Fall 2027
- Share information about why boundary changes are needed
- Launch community engagement
- Select a boundary planning committee
Winter 2027–28
- Gather feedback from families, staff and the community
- Study enrollment, transportation and feeder patterns
Spring 2028
- Develop a recommended boundary plan
- Present the recommendation to the School Board
- School Board adopts final attendance boundaries
2028–29 School Year
- Prepare schools, students and families for the transition
- Finalize transportation, staffing and school programming
- Provide communication and transition supports
Fall 2029
- New attendance boundaries take effect
- New middle school in Tehaleh opens
- Updated K-12 feeder patterns begin
Family Engagement
Will families have an opportunity to provide input?
Yes. Our goal is to work in partnership with families to develop attendance boundaries. The district plans to:
- Gather feedback from families and staff
- Share information throughout the planning process
- Consider community input alongside enrollment, transportation, school capacity and feeder patterns before developing a recommendation
How will the district keep families informed?
The district will provide updates throughout the planning process, including:
- District website updates
- Email communications
- School newsletters
- School Board presentations
- Community presentations
- Parent group meetings
Families are encouraged to participate in engagement opportunities and share feedback.
Boundary Decisions
Has the district decided what the new boundaries will be?
No. No new attendance boundaries have been finalized. The district is currently planning the process and timeline.
What factors will be considered when drawing attendance boundaries?
The district will consider many factors, including:
- School enrollment and capacity
- Transportation
- Elementary-to-middle-to-high school feeder patterns
- Long-term enrollment growth
- Equitable access to programs
- Family feedback
If a school assignment changes, when will families be notified?
Families will receive advance notice after the School Board adopts new attendance boundaries, allowing time to prepare before implementation.
Facilities
What school construction projects impact the boundary review?
Several projects will be completed before the new attendance boundaries are implemented:
- A new middle school in Tehaleh will open in Fall 2029 and serve as the foundation for the updated attendance boundaries
- Tehaleh Heights Elementary will gain eight permanent classrooms, replacing portable classrooms
- Bonney Lake High School will add permanent classrooms, allowing students to move out of hallways and flexible learning spaces
What will happen to portables?
As permanent classroom space becomes available, the district will evaluate the future use of portable classrooms. Options under consideration include removing some portables, relocating them to other schools where needed, or retaining them to accommodate future enrollment growth. No decisions have been made.
Student Transitions
Will students have to change schools?
Some students may be assigned to a different school when the new attendance boundaries are implemented. Specific boundary changes have not yet been determined. Families will receive information well in advance of implementation.
Can students remain at their current school?
Questions about grandfathering, transition options and students in their final years at a school, and sibling considerations have not yet been decided and will be considered during the planning process.
What will happen to special programs?
The district will evaluate how special programs may be affected as part of the boundary review. More information will be shared as planning progresses and decisions are made.
Transportation & Operations
How will transportation be affected?
Transportation is one of several factors that will be analyzed during the planning process. The goal is to create efficient, sustainable attendance boundaries while providing reliable transportation for students.
How will the district support students during the transition?
During the 2028–29 school year, the district plans to:
- Provide regular communication to families
- Prepare schools and staff
- Offer student orientation and transition activities
- Finalize transportation and staffing
- Coordinate implementation so families know what to expect before the changes take effect
Attendance Boundaries vs. School District Boundaries
Is the district reviewing the boundaries between Sumner-Bonney Lake School District and the Orting School District?
No. This boundary review only involves attendance boundaries within the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District. It does not include changing the district's legal boundaries with the Orting School District.
When were the boundaries between the Sumner-Bonney Lake and Orting school districts established?
The legal boundary between the Sumner-Bonney Lake and Orting school districts was established more than a century ago, in the late 1800s, long before today's neighborhoods and housing developments existed.
Can the boundary between two school districts be changed?
Yes, but it is a separate process from reviewing attendance boundaries within a school district.
Changing the legal boundary between two school districts is governed by Washington state law (RCW 28A.315 – Organization and Reorganization of School Districts). Any proposed change follows a formal state process and is not part of the district's attendance boundary review.