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Bill

SB 5210

Establishing the ninth grade success grant program.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Chris Gildon and 8 co-sponsors

Creates the Ninth Grade Success Grant Program to fund school-based ninth-grade success teams, boosting on-track rates and graduation for at-risk students.

Referred to Ways & Means.
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Bill Summary · SB 5210

Summary of SB 5210: Establishing the Ninth Grade Success Grant Program

Purpose and context

  • The bill establishes a permanent Ninth Grade Success Grant Program to improve ninth-grade on-track rates and, by extension, on-time high school graduation.
  • It builds on prior research and Washington’s ninth-grade-focused efforts, citing that ninth grade is highly predictive of graduation and that targeted “success teams” can raise on-track scores.
  • The program aims to expand access statewide by creating grant-funded ninth grade success teams in eligible public schools, with an emphasis on districts and schools with lower ninth-grade on-track performance and below-statewide graduation rates. The bill notes existing pilot outcomes showing improved on-track rates and gains when scaled.

Key provisions

Establishment and administration

  • Creates a new section to RCW 28A.175 establishing the Ninth Grade Success Grant Program.
  • Administered by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
  • OSPI may adopt rules for the program and may contract with a qualified nonprofit experienced in coaching school success teams to provide individualized coaching to grant recipients.

Eligible recipients and funding

  • Grants awarded beginning with the 2025-26 school year to eligible public schools (as defined in RCW 28A.150.010).
  • Grants prioritized for:
    • Schools with low ninth-grade on-track scores (per the Washington School Improvement Framework).
    • Schools with graduation rates below the statewide average.
    • Geographic diversity across different regions of the state.
  • Eligible uses of grant funds include:
    • Additional compensation or stipends for success team members.
    • Professional development and training for success team members.
    • Substitute teacher costs while team members perform program duties or training.
    • Student supports to help ninth-grade students thrive.

Program scope and reporting

  • OSPI must report to the Governor and the education committees annually (and initially by June 30, 2026) on:
    • Number of grants awarded and recipient schools by geographic location.
    • Student demographics served by ninth-grade success teams, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, and groups such as students with free/reduced-price lunch, special education, transitional bilingual instruction, foster care, and homelessness.
    • Changes in recipient schools’ ninth-grade on-track scores before and after program implementation.
    • Available longitudinal data on graduation rates for recipient schools.
    • Recommendations for statutory improvements, resource needs, or scalability opportunities.

Who is affected

  • OSPI, which would administer and report on the program.
  • Eligible public high schools (and the districts they belong to) that receive grants.
  • Ninth-grade students in participating schools, particularly those at risk of not graduating.
  • District staff and school-based “ninth grade success teams” and potential partnering nonprofit coaches.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Status: Referred to Ways & Means; introduced January 9, 2025.
  • Legislative actions include: public hearing January 15, 2025; committee action in Early Learning & K-12 Education in February 2025 with “do pass” by the committee; referral to Ways & Means on February 4–5, 2025.
  • Funding contingent on appropriations for the program.
  • Program begins with the 2025-26 school year and runs with annual reporting through at least 2030.

Potential impact

  • Aims to standardize and scale effective ninth-grade supports to improve on-track performance and graduation rates.
  • Encourages data-driven, collaborative approaches (success teams) across districts, with accountability through regular reporting and potential program refinements based on outcomes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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