Seattle’s Jewish Day School Community Is Gaining National Recognition

The Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) will bring its annual Innovators Retreat conference to Seattle for the first time on May 12-13.

By: Maria Erlitz, Samis Trustee

May 7, 2025

The Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) will bring its annual Innovators Retreat conference to Seattle for the first time on May 12-13. JEIC, an initiative of the Mayberg Foundation, organizes a free, invitation-only event each year for Jewish day school educators across North America, focused on professional development, collaboration, and innovation. The JEIC is dedicated to transforming Jewish day school education by empowering educators to explore and implement new approaches that deepen Jewish learning. This collaborative ecosystem fosters meaningful change and elevates the impact of Jewish day schools in our community and across North America.

Manette Mayberg, philanthropist and trustee of the Mayberg Foundation, explains why JEIC plays a critical role by providing unique support and inspiration for important improvements to the Jewish education field: “It is crucial to our future that Jewish educators be given innovative tools and opportunities to grow and become leaders in their field,” she says. “They are the bridges to building strong Jewish identity and self-esteem in our students. There is tremendous power in providing the future Jewish generation with positive and consistent day school experiences that reflect the Jewish wisdom and values that sustained us through millennia of adversity and dispersion.”

Seattle’s selection — despite being far from the country’s largest Jewish population centers — makes the recognition even more significant for the local Jewish community and highlights a model that can be applied more broadly across the field of Jewish education.

Demographic Challenges for Jewish Institutions in Seattle

Seattle’s Jewish day school growth comes despite notable demographic hurdles, including what researchers describe as low affiliation rates. Compared to other cities, a smaller percentage of Seattle-area Jews belong to synagogues, JCCs, or other Jewish organizations.

Families are spread across low-density neighborhoods and often identify with a Pacific Northwest culture that leans progressive and secular, which can present challenges to fostering and sustaining strong Jewish life.

Why Jewish Day Schools Are Essential

Samis has always invested deeply in Jewish day schools as the best way to ensure a strong Jewish future. Research over the past 20 years consistently show that Jewish day school education plays a critical role in building strong Jewish identity, fluency and ensuring Jewish continuity with 86% of those who attended day school for 7 to 12 years saying that being Jewish is very important to them compared with 30% for Sunday Hebrew school attendees, and just 16% for those with no formal Jewish education. Research from Prizmah Center for Jewish Day Schools in 2024 confirms this trend. Jewish day school alumni score higher on every metric of Jewish continuity including significantly more likely to feel connected to Israel, raise Jewish children, join Jewish communities, and lead Jewish lives.

Investing in day schools doesn’t just deepen a student’s Jewish pride, literacy, and engagement—it strengthens Jewish life across entire families. Research from PEJE, Rosov Consulting, and Samis’ own affordability study shows that when children attend Jewish day schools, parents become more engaged in Jewish learning, ritual observance, and community connection. This ripple effect makes day school education a powerful driver of vibrant, resilient Jewish communities for generations to come.

Strategic Investment in Seattle’s Jewish Day Schools

Recognizing that cost was a major barrier for many families, Samis prioritized improving affordability as a cornerstone of our strategy to strengthen and grow day school enrollment. Alongside making tuition more accessible, Samis also invests in raising academic quality to ensure schools remain competitive with other education options in the region.

Affordability and Academic Excellence

The Samis Foundation responded to Seattle’s demographic and cultural challenges with a strategy focused on making Jewish day school education more affordable and academically competitive. Tuition at the five Samis-supported Jewish day schools in the region is capped at under $17,000 for families earning up to $350,000, with many paying less based on financial need. This makes tuition significantly lower than that of many of Seattle’s private schools, expanding access to a wider range of families.

Affordability expands access, but school quality is essential—and that begins with great teachers. JEIC and Samis share a deep commitment to educator development as the foundation of strong, vibrant day schools. JEIC’s mission drives bold innovation in Jewish education, challenging schools to radically improve how students internalize Jewish wisdom, build identity, and make values-driven decisions.

Enrollment Growth and National Attention

Enrollment across Seattle-area Jewish day schools has increased by 25% over the past three years—a notable trend in a region characterized by low Jewish affiliation rates. This growth, driven by focused investment in affordability and academic quality, has helped raise Seattle’s profile within the Jewish education sector. JEIC’s decision to bring its national conference to Seattle reflects the growing national interest in how the city’s day school community has achieved such gains in a challenging environment.

Looking Ahead

Seattle’s day school growth is a testament to the shared commitment of Samis, community partners, and families—and most importantly, to the heads of school and devoted educators whose sacred work fosters deep Jewish knowledge and fluency in the next generation. JEIC’s decision to bring its annual conference to Seattle reflects not only the city’s success in strengthening day schools through strategic investment and collaboration, but also a meaningful partnership we deeply value. With continued commitment, Seattle is poised to serve as a model for other communities navigating similar challenges.

First Published in THE CHOLENT.