The district is experiencing sustained enrollment declines and ongoing financial challenges. Consolidating elementary schools would better align available building capacity with enrollment while reducing recurring operating costs.
The Hathway school was built in 1934. As it approaches 100 years old, key building infrastructure is nearing the end of life, and continued school operations at the site will require significant capital facilities investments to keep the school in usable condition. The building was remodeled and expanded in 2002, nearly 25 years ago.
The school serves the smallest geographic footprint compared to all elementary schools in Washougal. The school serves just over 280 students in grades K-5, along with 20 Transition to Kindergarten students.
Hathaway Elementary School has a robust Dual Language program; nearly 70 students enrolled in this program do not live within the Hathaway attendance boundary.
The school is geographically very close to Gause Elementary. Additionally, the facility’s central services, like the kitchen, are very small and do not have expansion capability. The school has insufficient parking for staff and visiting families, which impacts the street parking near the school. Hathaway does not have dedicated bus circulation, which impacts student safety during morning and afternoon pickup and drop-off times.
Hathaway Elementary School is the district’s primary candidate for consolidation due to the age of the school, cost to maintain aging infrastructure, geographic location, and underutilization of building capacity.
Last winter, the district contracted with Johnson Economics to do an Enrollment study for the district. This contains a projected enrollment through 2035. The enrollment study is linked here.
Under the current proposal, consolidation would begin with the 2027-28 school year or 2028-29 school year.
Hathaway students would attend one of the district’s three remaining elementary schools, with most expected to attend Gause. Final assignments will depend on a comprehensive boundary review.
Washougal School District policy allows families to request attendance at a school outside their assigned attendance boundary. Policy 3131 allows students who live outside a school’s attendance boundary to enroll on a space-available basis, with boundary transfer requests considered according to district procedures.
Following any changes to elementary attendance boundaries, this policy would remain in place. Families would continue to have the choice to request attendance at a school outside their updated boundary, based on space availability, with enrollment priority given to students who live within that school’s updated attendance boundary.
Yes, Washougal School District policy allows families to request attendance at a school outside their assigned attendance boundary. Policy 3131 allows students who live outside a school’s attendance boundary to enroll on a space-available basis, with boundary transfer requests considered according to district procedures.
Following any changes to elementary attendance boundaries, this policy would remain in place. Families would continue to have the choice to request attendance at a school outside their updated boundary, based on space availability, with enrollment priority given to students who live within that school’s updated attendance boundary.
No, each of the schools has capacity for more students. Remember that the plan includes new sections of classes at different schools, and that the teachers will go with students, so overall class sizes should be more consistent and in line with existing class size targets for our elementary schools.
The goal is to reduce class sizes, have fewer classes in overload, and to have fewer combination classrooms.
Programs such as Title I, LAP, Highly Capable, bilingual services, and special education would need to be accommodated at receiving schools.
Some students who currently walk to Hathaway may need bus transportation, and existing routes would be adjusted. Most buses currently serving Hathaway already travel within one mile of Gause. Final transportation impacts will depend on new boundaries and program locations.
Approximately 18 teachers are expected to move to other worksites or assignments. The district does not currently anticipate reducing classroom teaching positions directly because of consolidation. Some classified and non-classroom positions are projected to be reduced.
The district has been studying enrollment for several years. In 2023, we identified that a number of factors were contributing to the decline locally. Last winter, the district contracted with Johnson Economics to conduct an enrollment study, which projects that enrollment will decline for several more years, and is not expected to rebound through 2035.
Here are some of the factors contributing to the enrollment decline:
- Families are having fewer children, which is a national trend
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- There is a trend toward smaller families, and parents waiting longer to have children. Overall, the birthrate has been declining for a while, and there are fewer younger students.
- Is there something specific happening in Washougal?
- In Washougal, we experienced a significant enrollment increase in the early 2000s when the Sunset Ridge neighborhood opened. As the last of that large wave of students graduates, our enrollment is projected to continue to go down for the next three years. (by about 2-3% per year)
- There is no large scale development like Sunset Ridge replacing those students as they graduate.
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- How do you know this is the trend:
- Each cohort of Kindergarten students is about 100 students smaller than the graduating class each year. This is the primary factor lowering our enrollment. The district enrollment forecast confirms that enrollment is likely to continue to gradually decline over the next few years, and is not expected to rebound through 2035.
- How does housing play into this?
- While there are almost 300 units in the Ninebark Apartment complex, there are only 7 current K-5 students who live in that complex. Given this, the new apartments next door to Ninebark, Hyas Point, are not expected to generate significant numbers of new students. A portion of Hyas Point’s new housing is dedicated to senior housing, which is another factor making these large developments unlikely to contribute to growth in the number of students.
Students in the new apartments at the Port of Camas-Washougal attend Gause Elementary School under the current school boundary map.
While there are almost 300 units in the Ninebark Apartment complex, there are only 7 current K-5 students who live in that complex. Given this, the new apartments next door to Ninebark, Hyas Point, are not expected to generate significant numbers of new students. A portion of Hyas Point’s new housing is dedicated to senior housing, which is another factor making these large developments unlikely to contribute to growth in the number of students.
The district currently estimates approximately $1.14 million savings in 2027-28 staffing costs, after accounting for additional staffing at the remaining elementary schools. Some consolidation, moving, and ongoing building costs are still being determined.
The district projects that expenditures would continue to exceed revenues and reserves would decline without additional reductions. This could result in more combination classrooms, larger class sizes, and fewer student support staff.
Hathaway could potentially be used as a school again in the future. One long-term concept is to construct a larger, modernized elementary school on the Hathaway site, subject to future planning, funding, and voter approval.
Washougal Schools is not currently collecting Impact Fees from new housing or apartment units.
Impact fees, which are assessed to newly developed property, have a complex formula that determines when a district can assess them. Our school district has a larger group of students who are graduating over the next few years than the groups coming in as Kindergarten students, and thus we are not experiencing growth. This means we are not legally able to collect impact fees. The district stopped collecting several years ago.
Also, please note impact fees can only fund items that are attributable to growth included in the capital facility plan, like building new classrooms, purchasing land for a new school, or adding portables. They can’t be used to fund staffing small schools.
Can the district sell property, like the old bus garage, and use those funds to avoid consolidation?
No, any proceeds from the sale of property are required to be deposited into the district’s Capital Project Fund, and the use of those funds is restricted under RCW 28a.320.330. These funds can then only be used for renovation or replacement of facilities or other capital improvements. They cannot be used for ongoing staff costs.
The district plans a 90-day public process that includes two public hearings before the Board makes a final decision.
- October 29, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at Hathaway Elementary Gym
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November 12, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at Gause Elementary Gym