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Front of Challenger Elementary School
Welcome to Challenger Elementary!

Located in Issaquah, WA, Challenger Elementary serves approximately 415 students in Kindergarten through 5th Grade. Read more about Our School.

Kindergarten student holds Kindergarten sign
Students line up for Kindergarten
Student raises arm up as other students smile
Kindergarten Registration for 2025-2026 School Year!

It’s Kindergarten Registration season! Do you live in the Issaquah School District and have a student who will be 5 years old by Aug. 31, 2025? It’s time to register your student for kindergarten for the fall of 2025!

Kindergarten Registration

Students stand with snack donations
Snack Drive

This fall, second graders at Challenger School focused on Community Citizenship and Government in Social Studies. They learned about civic roles and organized a Snack Drive to support the PTA Angel Program, helping community members facing food insecurities. Students created a promotional video and posters for the drive, resulting in numerous healthy snack donations. This initiative emphasizes the importance of nutrition for better focus and learning in school.

Upcoming Events

Select your calendar...

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Virtual

We would like to invite our whole community to attend any of three upcoming Finance Information Sessions. Please save the date to attend one or more of the events, and we will share additional details about how to participate in the virtual option soon. 

At each event, Chief of Finance and Operations Martin Turney, Executive Director of Finance Moriah Banasick and other members of our team will share facts about our district budget, how local levy dollars help cover the gap between the funding we receive and the true cost of educating and supporting our students. In 2022, voters approved three levy measures. All of those will be expired by next year unless they are renewed by voters. 

Renewal Levy Measure Proposals
  • Educational Programs and Operations Levy, which represents about 16.6% of the district budget. It is currently helping to fund mental health supports, safety and security staff, athletics and activities, additional teachers to keep class sizes smaller, the 7-period day at Skyline, Issaquah and Liberty high schools, Gibson Ek High School, dual language, and more.
  • Capital Levy (Technology and Critical Repairs):
    • Technology funding: helps pay for the district-provided 1:1 device program for students and staff, cybersecurity, infrastructure and new initiatives such as AI for Education tools, data warehouse and crisis alert platform.
    • Critical repairs: this funding would help address the most urgent critical repairs projects for the next four years; it would support projects across the district to keep students and staff warm, safe and dry.
  • Transportation (School Bus) Levy: Helps maintain safe and reliable buses by purchasing new buses to replace aging vehicles.
Save the Date

The Finance Information Sessions will be:

  • Virtual Session:* 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18. This will be hosted on Zoom; we will share the link to attend soon.
  • South End Session: 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3 in the library at Liberty High School.
  • Plateau Session: 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10 in the library at Pine Lake Middle School.

We look forward to seeing you at the events; please bring your questions about district finances and the proposed levy measures!



*Please note that we will also have a recorded version of the presentation, so if you are unable to attend any of the three sessions, you will still be able to view and listen.

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Administration Building, 5150 220th Ave SE, Issaquah, WA

Members of the Issaquah School Board plan to meet with administrators from ISD schools to discuss School Improvement Plans. These meetings will take place at the Administration Center Boardroom at 5150 220th Avenue SE, Issaquah, WA 98029.

SIP meetings are open to the public, however there will be no public input and no board action will be taken.  Any action resulting from the discussions will take place at a future board meeting.  The public is always welcome to send any comments to the Board at schoolboard@issaquah.wednet.edu.

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Cascade Ridge Elementary

Challenger Elementary

Endeavour Elementary

Discovery Elementary

Creekside Elementary

Sunny Hills Elementary

Beaver Lake Middle School

Pine Lake Middle School

Skyline High School

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Liberty High School Library

We would like to invite our whole community to attend any of three upcoming Finance Information Sessions. Please save the date to attend one or more of the events, and we will share additional details about how to participate in the virtual option soon. 

At each event, Chief of Finance and Operations Martin Turney, Executive Director of Finance Moriah Banasick and other members of our team will share facts about our district budget, how local levy dollars help cover the gap between the funding we receive and the true cost of educating and supporting our students. In 2022, voters approved three levy measures. All of those will be expired by next year unless they are renewed by voters. 

Renewal Levy Measure Proposals
  • Educational Programs and Operations Levy, which represents about 16.6% of the district budget. It is currently helping to fund mental health supports, safety and security staff, athletics and activities, additional teachers to keep class sizes smaller, the 7-period day at Skyline, Issaquah and Liberty high schools, Gibson Ek High School, dual language, and more.
  • Capital Levy (Technology and Critical Repairs):
    • Technology funding: helps pay for the district-provided 1:1 device program for students and staff, cybersecurity, infrastructure and new initiatives such as AI for Education tools, data warehouse and crisis alert platform.
    • Critical repairs: this funding would help address the most urgent critical repairs projects for the next four years; it would support projects across the district to keep students and staff warm, safe and dry.
  • Transportation (School Bus) Levy: Helps maintain safe and reliable buses by purchasing new buses to replace aging vehicles.
Save the Date

The Finance Information Sessions will be:

  • Virtual Session:* 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18. This will be hosted on Zoom; we will share the link to attend soon.
  • South End Session: 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3 in the library at Liberty High School.
  • Plateau Session: 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10 in the library at Pine Lake Middle School.

We look forward to seeing you at the events; please bring your questions about district finances and the proposed levy measures!



*Please note that we will also have a recorded version of the presentation, so if you are unable to attend any of the three sessions, you will still be able to view and listen.

-
Administration Building, 5150 220th Ave SE, Issaquah, WA

Members of the Issaquah School Board plan to meet with administrators from ISD schools to discuss School Improvement Plans. These meetings will take place at the Administration Center Boardroom at 5150 220th Avenue SE, Issaquah, WA 98029.

SIP meetings are open to the public, however there will be no public input and no board action will be taken.  Any action resulting from the discussions will take place at a future board meeting.  The public is always welcome to send any comments to the Board at schoolboard@issaquah.wednet.edu.

Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Cedar Trails Elementary

Clark Elementary

Cougar Ridge Elementary

Issaquah Valley Elementary

Grand Ridge Elementary

Sunset Elementary

Issaquah Middle School

Pacific Cascade Middle School

Issaquah High School

Gibson Ek High School

-
Pine Lake Middle School Library

We would like to invite our whole community to attend any of three upcoming Finance Information Sessions. Please save the date to attend one or more of the events, and we will share additional details about how to participate in the virtual option soon. 

At each event, Chief of Finance and Operations Martin Turney, Executive Director of Finance Moriah Banasick and other members of our team will share facts about our district budget, how local levy dollars help cover the gap between the funding we receive and the true cost of educating and supporting our students. In 2022, voters approved three levy measures. All of those will be expired by next year unless they are renewed by voters. 

Renewal Levy Measure Proposals
  • Educational Programs and Operations Levy, which represents about 16.6% of the district budget. It is currently helping to fund mental health supports, safety and security staff, athletics and activities, additional teachers to keep class sizes smaller, the 7-period day at Skyline, Issaquah and Liberty high schools, Gibson Ek High School, dual language, and more.
  • Capital Levy (Technology and Critical Repairs):
    • Technology funding: helps pay for the district-provided 1:1 device program for students and staff, cybersecurity, infrastructure and new initiatives such as AI for Education tools, data warehouse and crisis alert platform.
    • Critical repairs: this funding would help address the most urgent critical repairs projects for the next four years; it would support projects across the district to keep students and staff warm, safe and dry.
  • Transportation (School Bus) Levy: Helps maintain safe and reliable buses by purchasing new buses to replace aging vehicles.
Save the Date

The Finance Information Sessions will be:

  • Virtual Session:* 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 18. This will be hosted on Zoom; we will share the link to attend soon.
  • South End Session: 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3 in the library at Liberty High School.
  • Plateau Session: 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10 in the library at Pine Lake Middle School.

We look forward to seeing you at the events; please bring your questions about district finances and the proposed levy measures!



*Please note that we will also have a recorded version of the presentation, so if you are unable to attend any of the three sessions, you will still be able to view and listen.

Happening Now at Challenger Elementary

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By the Numbers

350

Students enrolled for the 2024-25 school year.

The Challenger community will create a positive, friendly, and respectful learning environment where staff and students feel safe, are willing and encouraged to take risks, and individual learning styles are recognized and nurtured.

33

Classroom teachers in the 2023-2024 school year.

In the 2023-24 school year, our teachers had an average of 11.4 years of experience.

84.4%

Of our teachers have a master's degree or higher.

To find the contact information for one of our teachers or staff, visit the directory (use the menu option at the top right to access the directory).

86.3%

Of our students regularly attend.

This data is from the 2023-2024 school year, the most recent year available from OSPI.

Front of Challenger Elementary School - black and white

School Highlights & Programs

Our students will be prepared for and eager to accept the academic, occupational, personal and practical challenges of life in a dynamic global environment.

Challenger Principal Valerie Li

Meet Principal Valerie Li

Challenger families, I can't wait to meet you! I am truly delighted to become a part of the dedicated team, remarkable students, and supportive families that define Challenger Elementary. Everyone I have met so far has been so warm and welcoming, and I can already tell what a special community Challenger is. I am genuinely excited to embark on this journey together and look forward to sharing wonderful times ahead!

Elementary Science Classroom

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

MTSS is shaping the student experience at our school and throughout our district. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, or MTSS, is a nationally recognized, evidence-based framework guiding our approach to academics, social emotional learning, behavior and attendance.

Read More

 
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