Eight miles from Everett and 38 miles from Seattle, once-rural Lake Stevens has become a bedroom community. The school district's enrollment has doubled since 1988.

Cavelero Mid High School for 8th and 9th grade students opened in 2007, the three oldest elementary schools were modernized and the cafeteria, stadium and field at Lake Stevens High were remodeled.

Overcrowding eased as the grades 6-8 middle schools were reconfigured to grades 7 and 8.

Two-week teacher strikes delayed the start of school in 1998 and 2003, but the Lake Stevens Education Association ratified a new three-year contract in June 2006.

Superintendent: Dave Burgess, who had spent eight years in the Lake Stevens district as a principal and deputy superintendent, returned from Oregon in 2004 to replace Joe Ghaffari, who retired after 13 years.

Alternative/home school programs: Prove High School, HomeLink.

The numbers: 1.8% African-American, 4.1% Asian-American, 5.3% Hispanic, 1.2% Native American, 87.6% White; 23.1% low-income, 12.4% special-education, 1.8% ESL.

Funding: Voters approved a four-year, $45 million operations levy and a one-year, $1.2 million transportation levy in 2006.