This K-6th elementary school honors the first teacher selected by NASA to travel as an astronaut in space. In a nod to Christa McAuliffe's achievements, the school also selected the Challenger space shuttle as its mascot.
With 511 students in October 2009, McAuliffe opened nearly two decades earlier in 1990. The faculty of 35 teachers uses a team approach to help students succeed. The school has an active PTSA organization, which supports after-class programs.
The student breakdown in 2009 was 53 percent boys and 47 percent girls. On average, each teacher brings 13 years of experience to the classroom. Administrators reported that 21 of those teachers had their master's degrees during the 2009-10 academic year.
The school serves families in the northern part of Sammamish, primarily those living north of Northeast 19th Drive and east and northeast of Sahalee Way Northeast. The school feeds into Inglewood Jr. High School and Eastlake High School.