Federal Way Public Academy

Federal Way Public Academy is a co-educational college preparatory school for students in grades 6–10 in Federal Way, Washington. It is part of the Federal Way School District.Charles "Ray" Griffin conceived of Federal Way Public Academy when he was a doctoral candidate at the University of Washington. After he became an administrator at the Annie Wright School, he approached the Federal Way School District to consider his idea to start a public academy for gifted education. In 1998, the school was approved by the board to open in a 3–2 vote. The main arguments against the school were that it was snobbish and that the school district should improve its current honors curriculum in its existing six junior high schools.The school opened on September 1, 1999, with 120 seventh and eighth graders. The school was located in the Illahee Middle School parking lot in three double portables (six classrooms) from its founding until October 2003 when it moved to a warehouse building formerly owned by Deluxe Check Printing Co. The school admits students through a lottery. About 60% of applicants are turned away owing to the demand.In 2013, the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington State Board of Education gave Federal Way Public Academy an award that honored them for having an "overall two-year test score average puts them in the top 5 percent of schools statewide". After graduation from FWPA, roughly 50% of the students enroll in Thomas Jefferson High School's International Baccalaureate program and 30% participate in Running Start.