School-to-Zoo Funding
Offered to King County Schools (Grades K-12)
Available September through April
Thanks to the passage of the King County Parks Levy in 2007, free admission and reimbursed bus transportation are available to all King County (including Seattle School District) schools with a minimum of 30% of their students receiving free or reduced-rate lunches or a comparable level of scholarship. School-to-Zoo participants can register for a School-to-Zoo program, a Zoo Experiences for Students and Teachers (ZEST) program or can visit the zoo on their own as a self-guided group.
School-to-Zoo Programs (includes Forest Explorers)
Offered to All King County schools (Grades K-5)
Available at late September through April, Tuesday through Friday
These staff-guided programs are free of charge (with zoo admission) to King County schools. School-to-Zoo programs are aligned with the NSRC/STC science kits and other science curriculum adopted by Seattle Schools and are designed to enhance your science lessons. See School-to-Zoo Funding above to see if you qualify for free admission and bus reimbursement.
Zoo Experiences for Students and Teachers (ZEST)
Offered to all schools (Grades K-12)
Available October through April, Tuesday through Thursday
ZEST docent-guided programs are free of charge (with zoo admission) to all schools. These programs involve students in explorations of different areas of the zoo and conservation issues through on-grounds zoo explorations and, in some cases, a classroom component. These interactive experiences are closely tied with Washington’s Science Standards. See School-to-Zoo Funding above to see if you qualify for free admission and bus reimbursement.
Homeschool groups are welcome to participate
in ZEST programs. We request a minimum of ten students spanning no more than
three grade levels for homeschool participation in these programs.