Where we stand
Share of working-age adults holding a postsecondary credential.
Pierce County residents who earn credentials beyond a high school diploma earn more, cover their costs, and build financial stability.
Share of working-age adults holding a postsecondary credential.
That's the vision. Today, we're at 45%. Closing that gap requires every sector — education, business, community, families — working together.
Pierce County's cost of living for a single adult is $52,644 a year. Median earnings 15 years after high school, by highest credential earned in Washington State.
Closing the credential gap isn't just a workforce goal. It's what determines whether families here can afford to stay.
We bring together schools, colleges, financial aid programs, and community partners to address the full cost of getting a credential. Only 53% of Pierce County students complete a financial aid application today. Changing that takes coordination across every part of the system.
The path from high school graduation to a credential is full of gaps. We convene the schools, colleges, and community organizations that serve students at each transition point so that the system guides students forward instead of leaving them to figure it out alone.
We bring educators, employers, and workforce organizations to the same table so that credentials lead to careers. Pierce County has jobs. The work is making sure the pathways connect students to them.
Over the coming months, the EdCollaborative will organize leadership tables and action networks around affordability, navigation, and workforce readiness.
The path forward isn’t more programs. It’s better coordination, small, intentional, sustained, and built on the relationships and assets this community already has.
What we have is a shared picture of where things stand, a community ready to act, and a belief that what Pierce County builds next will be shaped by the people who show up to build it.
OUR NEXT CHAPTER
For fifteen years, as the Foundation for Tacoma Students, we helped the community nearly double high school graduation rates through the Graduate Tacoma movement. That work built the relationships and trust that everything since has grown from.
As the conversation shifted from graduation to credential completion and career connection, the work had to follow. The EdCollaborative reflects a wider geography, a longer horizon, and a deeper commitment to making sure what happens across Pierce County connects.