Located just north of the Seattle city limits, the Shoreline School District is solidly middle class. With Shoreline's demographics, it's no surprise students score above average on standardized tests and there is strong community support for the public schools.

Although the district experienced a few years of budget problems and accounting errors, through the terms of five superintendents in seven years, it has turned the corner under schools chief Susanne Walker and appears to be back on track toward restoring a reputation that for long meant Shoreline was synonymous with good schools.

Superintendent: Susanne Walker was named superintendent in June, 2006.

Home school program: The Home Education Exchange.

The numbers: 7% African-American, 18.1% Asian-American, 5.7% Hispanic, 1.4% Native American , 64.9% White, 20.5% low-income, 12.7% special-education, 5.7% ESL.

Funding: Voters approved a four-year, $78.8 million operations levy and a 20-year, $149.5 million technology, safety and renovation bond measure in 2006.