Company Profile

Company Overview

Northwest Education Access (NWEdA), previously Seattle Education Access, works throughout the greater Puget Sound region on Coast Salish land. We provide comprehensive and individualized support to help low-income young people, ages 16-29, build their own path to higher education and beyond. NWEdA focuses specifically on supporting alternative routes to high school completion and the transition into postsecondary pathways in King, Pierce, and South Snohomish County.

NWEdA is guided by the belief that all young people, regardless of income or background, should have the opportunity to access postsecondary. Our evidence-based model - the only one like it in Washington State - specializes in re-engaging low-income young people who have left high school prior to completion or did not transfer straight to postsecondary. The young people we serve navigate complex education barriers that are compounded by inequitable access to basic needs like housing, mental health services, and childcare. They do this while experiencing institutional racism and surviving generational and historical trauma. Many of the young people we serve are considered ‘Opportunity Youth,’ meaning they are typically disconnected from school and/or work. Our students all share a strong motivation to complete their education and demonstrate resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity.