State Superintendent Chris Reykdal

Superintendent Chris Reykdal outside with trees behind him.

State Superintendent Chris Reykdal is a visionary leader with a career in public education and an unwavering commitment to creating opportunities for students. First elected in 2017, Chris is currently serving in his third term as Washington’s 16th State Superintendent.

As a key voice in education at the national level, Chris serves as the President of the Council of Chief State School Officers, a national organization that supports state departments of education.

Chris’ leadership and vision have been highlighted in Education Week, the New York Times, the Washington Post, ABC News, and the Wall Street Journal, and he has been a guest on NPR and on MSNBC on multiple programs.

Initiating some of the most transformational changes Washington’s K–12 public education system has seen in decades, Chris has:

  • Expanded pathways to graduation to align with students’ individual interests and goals,
  • Successfully advocated for historic investments in support and services for students with disabilities,
  • Championed the protection of all students’ civil rights,
  • Made significant progress in eliminating out-of-pocket costs for students in dual credit programs,
  • Increased access to free meals at school to an additional 465,000 students,
  • Expanded dual, tribal, and heritage language learning programs for our youngest learners,
  • Started a first-of-its-kind residency program to support teacher recruitment,
  • Successfully advocated for the first increase to the school construction funding model in 50 years;
  • Added civics education as a graduation requirement for all students,
  • Increased the number of CTE course equivalencies to allow more students to earn core academic credit through CTE courses,
  • Implemented a universal statewide high school and beyond planning tool,
  • Embraced and published guidance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage in the classroom with a “Human-AI-Human” approach,
  • Drove state-level oversight to return financially distressed school districts to fiscal stability,
  • Facilitated the statewide expansion of the Imagination Library early literacy program,
  • Successfully advocated for market-rate salaries for Washington’s teachers,
  • Returned timber revenue to the rural communities where it’s generated, and
  • Diversified the OSPI staff to more closely reflect the diversity of Washington’s students.

Chris graduated summa cum laude from Washington State University (Go Cougs!) with a bachelor’s degree and a teaching certificate, and he earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill.

As a former teacher, soccer coach, school board director, state legislator, executive for our state’s community and technical college system, and public school student himself, Chris has a unique perspective of the K–12 system and how our state supports learners from preschool through postsecondary learning.

Honors and Awards:

  • Regional Apprenticeship Pathways (RAP) 2025–26 Champion Award, 2026
  • Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellow, Hunt Institute, 2025–26
  • Champion for CTE Award, Washington ACTE, 2024
  • Leadership Award, National Association for Bilingual Education, 2023 
  • State Auditor’s Stewardship Award, Washington State Auditor’s Office, 2022
  • Henry Toll Fellow, Council of State Governments, 2022
  • Golden Gavel Award, Washington Association of School Administrators, 2021
  • Envision Award, Washington DECA, 2019
  • President’s Award, Association of Washington School Principals, 2018
  • MESA Champion Award, MESA USA (Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement), 2018