Most residents of Kirkland live in the Lake Washington School District, the fourth largest school district in Washington State. The district also serves the cities of Sammamish and Redmond, and together, all three cities make up the wealthiest community in the greater Puget Sound region. Popular school ranking site, niche.com, gives LWSD an A grade, taking into account things like academics, diversity, health and safety, clubs and activities, administration, facilities, and more. 

Lake Washington also offers a few “choice schools” with curriculums centered around special interest programs like environment studies, international studies, STEM or art. The schools have smaller classrooms and are typically housed on an existing school campus.

Private schools include Holy Family School, Our Redeeemer Christian School, Northlake Academy, Puget Sound Adventist Academy, Eastside Preparatory School, LEADPrep, as well as several options for early learning centers and Montessori schools.

As for higher learning, Kirkland offers a couple institutes outside of your typical, more well-known 4-year schools such as University of Washington and Seattle University. Lake Washington Institute of Technology offers eight bachelor’s degrees, 57 associate degrees, and 90 professional certificates in 48 areas of study on its Kirkland campus. Northwest University is a top-ranked Christian college in Kirkland offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.