Choosing the right schools for your children can be difficult enough even if you grew up in the area where they will attend school.  But when you come to a new state and you do not know a soul, it is even harder.

Different children have different learning styles and interests, so a little bit of research can go a long way in finding a school that is a good fit for your children.  Does your child have learning or developmental disabilities?  Are you looking for gifted and talented programs?  Are there specific clubs or athletics in which your child would like to participate?

Below is a list of the largest local school districts in the area and facts and information about each.

Bethel School District 403
Bethel School District is the 13th largest district in the state with an enrollment of more than 17,000 students.  Bethel has 17 elementary schools (K-6), five junior high schools (7-9), three comprehensive senior high schools (10-12), an alternative junior high/high school (8-12), and a secondary and elementary online academy.  This fall the district will open a new junior high school and skills center in Frederickson.  A fully modernized Spanaway Lake High School will reopen to students as well.

Through this district students can participate in alternative Web-based learning, special education classes, expanded advanced placement classes in calculus, statistics, studio art, history, and English, in addition to a JROTC program as well as a wide selection of career technical education courses.

Bethel also offers music, drama, band, orchestra, choir, and fine arts.  Sports including basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, wrestling, football, volleyball, track, cross-country, swimming, bowling, golf, and tennis are offered to students.  Elementary school age children can participate in sports through Bethel Recreation including: T-ball, baseball, and basketball.

Clover Park School District 400
Clover Park School District is the 26th largest public school district in Washington state and the fourth largest of 15 in Pierce County with more than 11,000 students enrolled.  The district comprises the western end of the county and serves Lakewood and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The district includes 17 elementary schools, four middle schools, two senior high schools, one alternative school, and four other schools and services.  About 30 percent of the students in this district live on JBLM.

Clover Park includes two elementary-level gifted and talented programs: the Pullout program and two self-contained programs.  Middle school students are pulled out of traditional classes once a week for one hour to work with a teacher. At the high school level students may take AP courses or participate in the Running Start program.

Franklin Pierce School District 402
This district includes 15 schools with a total enrollment of almost 8,000 students from preschool to grade 12. It has eight elementary, two middle, and two traditional high schools and three alternative high school and middle schools.

This district offers high school sports programs in football, girls' volleyball, cross country, soccer, tennis, golf, boys' basketball, wrestling, girls' dance, track, and baseball.

Puyallup School District 3
The Puyallup School District is the ninth largest district in the state of Washington.  It comprises 21 elementary schools, seven junior high schools, three comprehensive senior high schools, and an alternative school. The schools' combined enrollment is nearly 22,000 students.

This district offers a number of special programs, including:

• Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program - an elective class for students who are "in the middle." The goal of AVID is to provide students with high expectations, encouragement, day-to-day help, and a vision of college as an attainable goal.

• The Highly Capable Program - is a program for highly capable or gifted elementary students in the Puyallup School District that provides challenges for students with high ability, academic aptitude, or unique creative thinking ability.  

• The Puyallup Family Co-op - located at Firgrove Elementary School, this educational program for students in kindergarten through grade 6 emphasizes regular parental involvement in a multi-age classroom environment.  

Tacoma School District 10
This district is the third largest in the state and the largest in Pierce County.  The district contains 37 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, five high schools, and six alternative learning sites that serve more than 29,000 students in grades K through 12.

This district pilots many of the new public school programs in Washington state. This district includes the Tacoma School of the Arts, a small high school that was developed collaboratively with community arts organizations.

University Place School District
This 115-year-old public school district includes four elementary schools, two intermediate schools, one junior high school, and one high school that serve more than 5,000 students.

The district opened the doors to a new state of the art Curtis Junior High School and athletic park at the start of the 2009 school year.  The district also offers all interscholastic sports and many academic programs including honors and advanced placement classes as well as gifted and talented programs for young children.