THE PLATFORM
Powerschool, our district enrollment data system, has a platform that allows school districts to run a lottery. Using this platform allows us to keep all student data centralized and allows us to more easily align and vet the data being presented for the lottery. Due to its automation, it leaves less room for error and supports our front office with the clerical work to ensure we get students properly enrolled in a timely manner.
HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK?
Families will express interest in Pioneer using a modified enrollment form through PowerSchool
Interest will be open for 10 days
After closing, each student submission will be assigned a unique identifier code. The system will automatically link students in the same family together, using these codes. For example, a family has a 2nd grader and a 4th grader. The 2nd grader’s code is selected through the lottery process. The system will automatically attach the 4th grade sibling. If space allows at those grades, both children will be accepted into enrollment. If there is no space at either grade, both siblings will be waitlisted. If there is space at one grade, but not the other, the family will have to choose if they wish to accept or decline enrollment for one child.
The lottery will run automatically. There will be no “live” viewing.
After the lottery, families will receive communication of acceptance or waitlist status and directions for acceptance, via email.
Families will then have 48 hours to accept or decline enrollment into Pioneer, via electronic acceptance.
Learn more about Pioneer at one of our community events! Please join us:
Wednesday, 2/5/2025: 3rd annual STEAM Night 5:30-7:30
Wednesday, 2/26/2025: Take a tour during our Open House 6:00-6:30
Monday, 3/3/2025: Informational Session via Zoom 10:00-11:00. This event will be recorded and posted on tihs site for future viewing if you are unable to attend.
HOW WILL PIONEER ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES BE COMMUNICATED?
Pioneer and PSD will communicate updates regarding Pioneer Enrollment process through multiple avenues, to include Social Media, Pioneer’s Website, and ParentSquare messages to currently enrolled elementary families. Do you know families interested in attending Pioneer that are not yet connected to PSD? Please encourage them to follow our social media accounts and our website for most update-to-date information on enrollment.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS REGARDING THE PIONEER ENROLLMENT PROCESS:
We will accept enrollment based on proportional rates from each of Peninsula School District’s residential schools. For example, a PSD neighborhood elementary school with 220 students would have a cap for Pioneer enrollment that would be half the cap number of a school with 440 students. The purpose of this is to avoid impacting some neighborhood schools disproportionately by students moving to Pioneer.
We will be monitoring student program placement following Board Policy 3130: In-District Student Transfers. For example, we will be monitoring capacity in our special education and related services during the enrollment lottery, ensuring adequate space, staffing, and support for students in those special programs.
HOW TO APPLY FOR ENROLLMENT LOTTERY AT PIONEER BETWEEN2/28/25 AND 3/9/25:
Should you have any questions about Pioneer or the enrollment process, please call 253-530-3500 or email Pioneer@psd401.net.
We look forward to further growing our Pioneer STEAM community!
2025-2026 ENROLLMENT
Pioneer Elementary School is Peninsula School District’s first STEAM magnet school. Our STEAM theme promotes project-based learning experiences around science, technology, engineering, art, and math concepts, skills, and philosophies. Our designation as a magnet school means that we do not have an official boundary, but instead, are open to all PSD boundary students. This type of school provides a unique opportunity for families to consider the best educational environment for their child. Families who wish to have their student(s) attend Pioneer Elementary School must complete the Enrollment Interest Form to be included in the enrollment lottery. A lottery will only take place if there are more interested students than there are spots available.
Pioneer enrollment in the fall of 2025 will include up to include up to 500 Kindergarten through 5th grade students in a multi-age model. Pioneer will also be home to the district TRAC program. TRAC stands for Teaching Responsibility, Academics, and Communication and is designed to support students with emotional regulation and positive behavior strategies.
Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year:
Special Programs
Pioneer, as a public school in Peninsula School District, has many programs to support individual student needs. Below is an outline of services provided:
Counseling and 504 Plans: Pioneer prioritizes social-emotional learning for students and provides a full-time counselor to support you and your child. These services are in partnership with the classroom teacher. Our counselor also helps to establish 504 Plans to assist accommodations for students that need them.
LAP: The LAP (Learning Assistance Program) at Pioneer primarily focuses on early intervention in reading support. We use standardized data to look at student growth and needs. Our LAP interventionist, Mrs. Manning, works in partnership with classroom teachers and our administrative team to designate supports for academic progress in reading.
Highly Capable: Peninsula School District offers a variety of services to support our students with Highly Capable designations. Pioneer does not house the Pace Program, but we do offer support and extensions for all students, including those who qualify as Highly Capable in reading, writing, and/or math.
Multi-Language Learning Support: Students and families whose first language is not English are supported and provided services through the District’s Multi-Language (ML) Program. All qualified students are served at their school through a combination model of instruction and consultation. Students participating in the ML program are expected and supported to achieve the Washington State performance standards. The initial screening process for determining ML eligibility includes an evaluation using the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) screener. The WIDA screener assesses the proficiency of the four domains of language; Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing.
Special Education: Resource, TRAC, OT/PT, and Speech Pioneer provides many programs and personnel to support students with individualized academic, social-emotional, and/or behavioral plans. Due to staffing and program needs, we do have a capacity as to the number of students who can be accepted with this qualification.
Pioneer does not house a PACE or Options program and students who are placed in these programs should contact Principal Strader or the Executive Director of Student Services for further information on enrollment.
Additional Lottery Information
Enrollment from Waitlist Process
All students will be pulled and placed on the grade level list. Once capacity has been reached, students will be placed on a waitlist. Annually, at the end of the first semester, we will enroll students from the waitlist for any available vacancies. After the semester, the waitlist is thrown out and we will restart with the new enrollment lottery for the following year.
District transportation to Pioneer is provided. Hub stops and routes have been established and can be found on the PSD transportation website. Transportation to Pioneer may look different than your neighboorhood school.
Families wishing to transport their child to and from school are welcome to do so as well.
We have scheduled multiple community events to allow interested families opportunities to ask questions and receive additional information before they make their decision. Please consider joining us:
Wednesday, 2/5/2025: 3rd Annual STEAM Night 5:30-7:30
Wednesday, 2/26/2025: Take a tour during our Open House 6:00-6:30
Monday, 3/3/2025: Informational Session via Zoom 10:00-11:00 This event will be recorded and posted on this site for future viewing if you are unable to attend.
If you choose to join us for one of our zoom informational sessions, please use this zoom link.
Meeting ID: 825 616 4031
Passcode: 963329