Lake Washington Institute of Technology was founded in 1949 by Lake Washington School District as an adult vocational training program. At first only offering a sewing program, it expanded to other vocations over the years, including automotive, culinary arts, and engineering. In 1978, local taxpayers passed a bond issue to construct a new facility for the school. A site then north of Kirkland near Totem Lake (since annexed) was chosen and the school opened by 1983. In 1991 LWTech became independent of the school district and on September 1, 1991 the institute became a degree-granting technical college with all the rights and responsibilities of a technical college as prescribed by state law. The school dental program was initiated in the fall of 1996, the state's first new program in 22 years.