Highline Public Schools

Highline Public Schools, a U.S. local government school district based in Burien, Washington, receives federal formula grants and sub-grants from the Department of Education and other agencies to support K–12 educational programs serving American Indian and Alaska Native students, English language learners, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged populations. The district operates as a grant recipient (26% of recent awards as prime recipient) and substantially as a sub-recipient (74% of recent awards flowing through the Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction and other pass-through entities), with no federal contracting footprint.

Highline's federal grant activity centers on the Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, which accounts for 51 awards (approximately 97% of the total award count). The Indian Education Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies program (CFDA 84.060) represents the largest direct-recipient vehicle, with annual allocations of roughly $105,000 to $117,000 per fiscal year from July 2022 through June 2027, funding culturally appropriate instruction, teacher professional development, and student support services tailored to Native American student populations. Beyond direct formula grants, Highline receives sub-grants flowing from the Superintendent of Public Instruction covering Title I academic support, Special Education IDEA Part B funding, Title II professional development for effective instruction, Title III English Language Acquisition programs, student support and academic enrichment, homeless education services, and child nutrition program reimbursement. The district also participates in the University of Washington GEAR UP Achievers Partnership and the Western Washington University Providing Equitable Access to Continuing Education (PEACE) Project, both addressing college readiness and multilingual teacher preparation. Secondary customer agencies include the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (26 awards) for child nutrition administration and the Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (10 awards) for disability-focused programming. A single Department of Agriculture Forest Service award carries $44,000 in potential value. Recent sub-grant activity shows continued growth through 2025, with 27 awards that year, followed by 11 awards recorded through September 2026.

The combined potential value across all 99 awards in the source sits at $44,000, but the combined dollars obligated total $125.7 million, indicating that the source captures recent awards while substantially underrepresenting the true annual funding flowing to the district. Only one award faces ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, suggesting stable, recurring formula-grant structure rather than recompete exposure. Highline's federal footprint is characteristic of a Title I school district with significant Native American and multilingual student populations in the Seattle metropolitan area, functioning primarily as a sub-recipient under state education agency pass-through mechanisms and formula entitlement programs rather than as a federal contractor or competitive grant pursuer.