Saved Schools

Rainier Valley Leadership Academy

Rainier Valley Leadership Academy, nominated by an anonymous organization, is a elementary/middle/high school in Seattle, Washington that describes itself as a public charter school serving learners from a primarily urban area.

Location Seattle, Washington

Governance Public charter school

Grades Elementary, Middle, High

Students 130

Locale Urban

CEO Baionne Coleman

Demographics

Percentage of students*

21%

English Learners

76%

Free/Reduced Lunch

30%

Students with Disabilities

African American or Black 72%

American Indian/Alaska Native

Asian 1%

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Hispanic or Latino 15%

White 3%

2+ Races 9%

Why Rainier Valley Leadership Academy was nominated

RVLA aims to recognize Black and Indigenous humanity by being an explicitly anti-racist school. Students engage in culturally responsive SEL as well as project based learning. The school has countless community partners, hosts local entrepreneurs on their campus, and offer mentoring by elders and community members. They currently operate a middle and high school and will be expanding to elementary.

Student experience design

The learning environment is designed to support scholars with being critical thinkers. Critically analyzing situations from diverse perspectives and making their realizations for themselves. Supporting scholars in understanding how to reflect on where others are, and how that may affect them. We want scholars to be comfortable addressing and discussing racism and oppression. Scholars should be affirmed and have suave to see their own brilliance and ancestral brilliance, recognizing truths vs myths in those histories. We focus on outdoor education, travel, leadership, and the performing arts.

Core Practices

Core Practices Length of Use

Anti-racist Practices

5+ years

Competency/mastery-based Education

3-4 years

Culturally Responsive Practices

5+ years

1:1 Mentoring

5+ years

High Quality Instructional Materials

3-4 years

All Practices

Advancement On Mastery

Student Advisories

AI For Teacher Productivity

Bilingual Assessments

Assessments For Social-emotional Skills

Blended Learning

Co-leadership

Family And Community Support Services

Disaggregated Data On Student Participation

Early College High School

Grading Policies Focus On Mastery

Hiring For Equity And Inclusion Values

All Courses Designed For Inclusion

Interdisciplinary

Interoperable Data From Multiple Technologies

Mental Health Services

Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics

No Tracked Classes

Multiple Opportunities To Demonstrate Mastery

Peer To Peer Support

Physical Well Being Services

Reallocation Of Resources For Those Most In Need

Restorative Practices

SEL Curriculum

SEL Integration School-wide

Social Justice Focus

Student-led Conferences

Students Access Their Own Data

Student-led Goal Setting

Trauma-informed Practices

Tutoring

Universal Design For Learning

key reasons for innovating

Improve student mental health

Date Updated: 4/1/2025

*Canopy profile data is self-reported or sourced from NCES data, then verified by school leaders.