04.10.2025

Decades of progress for students in foster care are under threat

By Dawn Rains, CEO

Something remarkable is happening.

Despite the academic challenges faced by Washington’s young people, graduation rates among students in foster care are on the rise, climbing from 36.1% to 51.2% since 2013—twice the rate of their general education peers.

This progress wasn’t accidental and didn’t happen overnight. It was the result of 20 years of concerted efforts by lawmakers, advocates, and organizations across Washington state. But now, proposed state budget cuts threaten to undermine these hard-earned gains.

Without continued investment, we risk undoing decades of work and leaving thousands of our most marginalized and vulnerable students without the stability they need to succeed in school and beyond.

While the statewide graduation rate for youth in foster care has risen in recent years, it still remains significantly lower than that of their peers. Compared to 82.8% of their classmates, only 51.2% of youth in foster care finish high school in four years. It is not a matter of potential but of support. Students in foster care experience placement changes and education disruptions that impact their stability and ability to progress academically. That, coupled with limited access to resources, makes it even harder for them to stay the course.

It is true that all of Washington’s kids are struggling. At Treehouse, we believe that providing the opportunity for students in foster care to achieve educational parity with their peers is a moral imperative. By lifting those facing the greatest barriers, we level the field and give all young people a real chance to complete high school and build a life they’re proud of. Achieving this involves change and investment in both child welfare and K-12 education.

It may sound idealistic, but it’s also practical. We’ve seen what happens when students get the right supports—they stay in school, earn their diplomas or equivalent certificates, and chart their own futures. This isn’t just about fairness; it’s about what works.

Every year, Treehouse serves more than 6,000 children, youth, and young people in foster care across all 39 counties. Our integrated approach to academic support and educational advocacy allows us to provide timely, tailored interventions that align with students’ academic and developmental needs. Our work, done in deep partnership with caregivers, social workers, and public schools, makes us both proactive and responsive during each student’s journey. Last year, we applauded when more than 170 students in foster care, through their own determination and with Treehouse’s support, completed high school with a post-secondary plan.

This is what’s on the line. If funding is cut for critical programs like ours, it would mean fewer resources, fewer interventions, and fewer pathways for young people in foster care to succeed academically—students who already navigate an education system that isn’t built with their experiences in mind.  It would mean fewer young people impacted by foster care would graduate, leading to dire and costly outcomes for them and for us as a community.

When young people are set up to succeed, the benefits ripple outward. Not just for them, but for the entire state. A high school diploma is more than a milestone; it’s a turning point that reduces reliance on public assistance, lowers the risk of entering the carceral system, and decreases the likelihood of homelessness. It positions young people to be self-sufficient, break cycles of poverty, and achieve greater economic stability.

The financial impact is just as striking. In 2018, the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) estimated that the per-student monetary benefit associated with graduating from high school was $581,156. Today, factoring in inflation and rising costs of social services, incarceration, and lost economic potential, that amount is undoubtedly significantly higher.

Sustaining the investment in our young people means a stronger, more resilient Washington in the years to come. Budgets reflect our values and priorities. And in our state, we have long chosen to prioritize young people. Thanks to that commitment, youth in foster care are defying expectations despite disrupted education and systemic barriers.

Lawmakers face a choice: continue investing in programs that provide stability and opportunity for youth in foster care or turn away, knowing the consequences. The choice they make now will determine whether Washington remains a state that pushes young people forward or one that lets them fall behind.

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