Everett district planning for likely IB program launch in 2027
Published 2:14 pm Thursday, October 29, 2026
EVERETT — A plan to bring to bring a new set of rigorous course options to Everett Public Schools is moving forward, officials at the school district said at a board meeting Tuesday.
The program, an International Baccalaureate diploma program, is a series of high school classes that allow students to simultaneously earn college credit. If the Everett district gets a final stamp of approval for the program, it would be based in Cascade High School and available to students district-wide.
The district announced that it had began work on securing an International Baccalaureate program, known as IB, in 2025, as school staff and teachers began training programs and developed curriculum for the classes. Bringing a program to a school district requires years of training and back-and-forth discussions with the IB organization, based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Now, the school district is nearing the end of its application process, district officials said Tuesday, and Everett Public Schools is expected to get the official go-ahead from IB to move forward with its program as soon as January 2027. The program will likely launch in the fall of 2027.
Currently, teachers and staff at Cascade High School are going through training to prepare for the program’s expected launch next year, regional superintendent Pete Misner told the school board Tuesday. A total of 11 teachers and counselors have been officially trained for the program, he said, and the district plans to bring more staff on board to prepare for expanding the program over time.
As part of IB program, students will be able to take individual advanced classes — similar to AP classes — but it also offers what’s known as an IB diploma, which requires students to take six courses over 11th and 12th grade focused on a variety of disciplines, as well as taking on volunteer service and writing an extended essay.
Some students have gotten a head start, as around 30 have already signed up for a seminar class that helps with preparation for the IB program. Just over 50 students in total have committed to taking part in the program when it launches, Misner said.
“We’re super excited to have that ingredient to support those students, and again, prepare that community because through the rigor of the program, we know they need a cohort and they benefit from that community experience,” Misner said.
IB representatives also visited the high school earlier this month to connect with students and administrators.
Cascade High School Principal Michael Takayoshi said Tuesday that the south Everett high school was chosen because it is near the geographic center for the district, the school’s buildings have enough physical space to grow the program over time, the school is already the site of a dual language program, and because it will bring IB to a new part of Snohomish County — the nearest schools that offer it are in Edmonds and Kenmore. He said the district will offer transportation to students in its boundaries that want to attend Cascade High to take part in the program.
“We want to reiterate that this is a program that is open to all interested Everett Public School students, as well as out of district students who are interested,” Takayoshi said. “It’s a free program. Particularly when we talk about transportation and providing transportation, we really want to make sure that anyone who wants this program has access.”
Takayoshi also added that while the program offers college credit and is centered around college preparation, it can also offer benefits to students who don’t want to attend a traditional four-year university.
“Yes, it’s a pre-university program, but it’s also about really developing good people,” he said.
The school district will host six additional information sessions about the IB program at various schools across the district. The events — each beginning at 6 p.m. — will take place Nov. 12 at Eisenhower Middle School, Nov. 17 at Gateway Middle School, Dec. 3 at Heatherwood Middle School, Jan. 19 at North Middle School, Jan. 21 at Evergreen Middle School and Feb. 25 at Cascade High School.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
