2026 Seattle High School Graduations

From the West Seattle Blog (and discussion at last night's Board meeting), a story about the wait for specific dates and locations for the 2026 high school graduation season. There are a couple of big issues.

1) As has been discussed for years now, Memorial Stadium is being rebuilt. It has been the staging location for many of the SPS high school graduations. So where to have those graduations? I note that that the district has several locations that could be piggy-backed for extra graduation ceremonies.

2) As the West Seattle Blog story explains:

The district has announced only that graduation ceremonies will be held June 10-12 and June 15-17. That means graduation travelers – grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. coming here from afar – are competing with FIFA World Cup travelers, since the first of the six Seattle matches is June 15. 

In case you might not be aware, World Cup matches are a HUGE event that will bring in thousands and thousands of people. That means competition for hotels, flights, transportation, etc. As one parent at the WS Blog said:

Every week that passes without confirmed dates makes it significantly harder — and in many cases financially impossible — for families to plan to attend their students’ graduation ceremonies.

This issue goes beyond inconvenience. It raises real equity and inclusivity concerns. Families with limited financial flexibility are disproportionately affected by the district’s lack of timely communication. 

Graduation is meant to be a unifying, inclusive celebration for all students and their loved ones — not an event that only those who can afford last-minute travel arrangements are able to experience. Hotels are now requiring a minimum of 3 nights stay at inflated rates.

Another parent notes that the UW graduation ceremonies are scheduled for ...June 13th. Seattle U's is either June 14th or 15th. 

One parent suggested just moving them up to the beginning of June (with the acknowledgement that coursework MUST be finished after that). 

At the Board meeting, HR head Sarah Pritchett Goodman demured on when the district might set those locations. Director Vivian Song asked for at least a timeline with a date for the announcement. Pritchett Goodman said it is different this year because of Memorial Stadium and Song mentioned that the district has known this would be happening for years. 

The district did a survey last year on where graduations could take place. Mrs. Pritchett Goodman didn't not mention any of the results from that survey.