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Highline High School

Public Grades 9-12

371^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Washington High Schools

Better than 15% of Washington high schools

Summary

Highline High School is a large public high school serving 1,423 students in grades 9-12 in Burien, Washington, within the Highline School District, an area facing significant economic challenges where most students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school has significant strengths and challenges; its English Language Arts scores are notably stronger than the district average, but math proficiency is a serious concern, falling well below both district and state averages. The school's graduation rate is close to the state average, which is a relative strength compared to some nearby schools like Innovation Heights Academy, but it has a higher dropout rate. Performance varies widely for different groups of students, and the school operates with lower per-student spending and larger class sizes than several alternatives in the area.

Interesting comparisons within the same district show that different educational models can yield different results; for example, CHOICE Academy achieves much higher academic proficiency with similar resources. Compared to Foster Senior High School in the neighboring Tukwila School District, Highline has a similar academic profile but a higher dropout rate. This suggests that the school's challenges in keeping students enrolled may be addressable, as other schools with similar demographics are managing it more successfully.

1,423

Students ?

21.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,762

Per pupil spending ?

67%

Free/discounted lunch ?

225 S 152nd St
Burien, WA 98148-1087

(206) 631-6700

District: Highline School District

Feeder schools for Highline High School:

Elementary:	Cedarhurst Elementary
	Gregory Heights Elementary
	Hazel Valley Elementary
	Hilltop Elementary
	More...
	Seahurst Elementary School
Middle:	Glacier Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.5%

Asian:

16.5%

White:

9.7%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Highline High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 20th percentile in 2013 → 15th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (30% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Dropout rate above the Washington average (13% vs 10%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg31%

Washington avg48%

371^st of 438

Washington public high schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 28% (2016) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7High Schools in the Highline School District

201^st of 247Highline School District among Washington districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	17.2	371 of 438	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	392 of 437	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.2	355 of 442	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	363 of 434	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.4	435 of 455	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.1	327 of 417	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.8	213 of 315	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	31.0	228 of 301	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	35.5	221 of 306	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	25.7	361 of 454	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.0	346 of 450	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.0	324 of 440	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.3	296 of 423	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	37.0	283 of 402	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	35.2	294 of 396	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	25.8	320 of 399	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	36.3	288 of 395	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	58.8	183 of 394	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2004	54.2	198 of 390	49.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	11.2	76 of 80	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.6	52 of 70	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.1	53 of 78	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.2	37 of 89	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	13.1	107 of 111	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	39.1	51 of 86	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	72.9	9 of 54	83.3%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	42.9	67 of 119	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.5	98 of 113	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	101 of 118	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	119 of 124	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.7	133 of 136	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.8	100 of 121	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.5	59 of 87	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	20.4	74 of 85	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	64 of 68	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	33.2	43 of 70	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.6	95 of 102	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.6	54 of 69	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.8	47 of 65	27.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	18.1	296 of 350	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	293 of 347	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.3	283 of 357	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	317 of 368	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	366 of 390	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	289 of 358	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.0	178 of 243	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	9.4	237 of 249	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	240 of 248	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	227 of 249	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.9	254 of 261	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.9	268 of 278	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.0	219 of 241	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	38.2	102 of 156	34.6%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	34 of 36	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	42.4	14 of 27	48.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	16.8	41 of 45	8.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	30 of 43	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	24.5	284 of 355	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	330 of 356	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.0	280 of 362	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.0	297 of 370	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	352 of 392	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.0	262 of 344	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	48.1	134 of 227	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	14.6	324 of 359	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.6	353 of 362	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	313 of 358	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.6	325 of 363	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	8.5	379 of 395	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.7	292 of 355	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.1	173 of 254	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	20.8	143 of 170	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	140 of 161	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.1	114 of 166	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.1	152 of 179	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	48.5	87 of 195	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	17.5	145 of 163	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2018	31.1	98 of 139	29.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	28.1	282 of 373	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	288 of 374	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	291 of 379	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.3	243 of 390	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.0	285 of 413	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.5	254 of 382	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.2	97 of 222	56.3%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Asian (2025)44th percentile+28 vs school

Special Education (2018)29th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)24th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile+5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)16th percentile~ school

Female (2025)15th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)13th percentile~ school

Male (2025)10th percentile-6 vs school

Homeless (2025)6th percentile-10 vs school

African American (2025)5th percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)5th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts45%-8 vs state

Science26%-23 vs state

Math20%-23 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highline High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)			SBAC English Language Arts (2025)					SBAC Math (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 8th Grade	WCAS Science 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 10th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math 10th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Highline High School	Public	9-12	225 S 152nd St	Burien	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-6700	1,423	66	21.5	67.0%	138 (9.7%)	127 (8.9%)	790 (55.5%)	235 (16.5%)	11 (0.8%)	35 (2.5%)	78 (5.5%)	17.2	371^st of 438 public high schools	15.3%		15.3	392^nd of 437 public high schools	10.3%	21		26.2	26.2				44.9	44.9				19.6	19.6	$19,762	$1,344	$18,418
Puget Sound Skills Center	Public	10-12	18010 8th Ave S	Seattle	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	No	(206) 631-7300	3	25	.1		2 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$23,300	$1,117	$22,183
Puget Sound High School	Public	9-12	18010 8th Ave South	Burien	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-7300	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
CHOICE Academy	Public	6-12	18367 8th Ave S	Seattle	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-7630	176	9	20.4	49.4%	55 (31.3%)	41 (23.3%)	34 (19.3%)	26 (14.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (9.7%)								(n/a)	39.3		38.2	74.1	85.2	78.6		82.4	51.9	70.4	60.7	50.0	58.8	$18,734	$1,897	$16,837
Big Picture School	Public	6-12	440 S 186th St	Burien	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-7700	233	17	13.9	50.2%	67 (28.8%)	16 (6.9%)	84 (36.1%)	20 (8.6%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (15.9%)	58.1	167^th of 438 public high schools	61.9%		57.4	171^st of 437 public high schools	60.9%	4	37.1	46.4	41.3	23.3	24.0	51.4	75.0	44.1	20.7		14.3	33.3	18.6	$23,490	$1,592	$21,897
Gateway to College	Public	10-12	614 SW 120th Street	Burien	98146	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	No	(206) 631-7774	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Highline Open Doors 1418	Public	9-12	614 SW 120th Street	Burien	98146	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	No	(206) 709-0335	240	7	34.1	48.8%	45 (18.8%)	36 (15.0%)	106 (44.2%)	25 (10.4%)	6 (2.5%)	4 (1.7%)	9 (3.8%)								(n/a)														$16,311	$906	$15,405
Foster Senior High School	Public	9-12	4242 S 144th St	Tukwila	98168	King County	Tukwila School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 901-7900	910	38	23.9	68.8%	76 (8.4%)	225 (24.7%)	337 (37.0%)	186 (20.4%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (3.5%)	51 (5.6%)	16.7	375^th of 438 public high schools	14.4%		25.1	341^st of 437 public high schools	22.0%	34		27.3	27.3				44.1	44.1				18.6	18.6	$21,394	$2,411	$18,983
Evergreen High School	Public	9-12	830 SW 116th St	Seattle	98146	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-6150	1,080	53	20.5	74.9%	65 (6.0%)	142 (13.1%)	543 (50.3%)	227 (21.0%)	12 (1.1%)	18 (1.7%)	67 (6.2%)	7	423^rd of 438 public high schools	3.4%		20.2	363^rd of 437 public high schools	16.9%	60		12.0	12.0				35.7	35.7				11.2	11.2	$20,371	$1,553	$18,818
Innovation Heights Academy	Public	9-12	11249 14th Ave S	Burien	98168	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-7750	142	9	15.4	79.6%	24 (16.9%)	15 (10.6%)	82 (57.7%)	1 (0.7%)	3 (2.1%)	2 (1.4%)	10 (7.0%)								(n/a)							26.7	26.7						$29,560	$2,513	$27,047

Frequently Asked Questions about Highline High School

What schools feed into Highline High School?

Highline High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cedarhurst Elementary
Elementary : Gregory Heights Elementary
Elementary : Hazel Valley Elementary
Elementary : Hilltop Elementary
Elementary : Seahurst Elementary School
Middle : Glacier Middle School

Is Highline High School a good school?

Highline High School ranks in the bottom 15.3% of Washington high schools.

How many students attend Highline High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,423 students attended Highline High School.

What is the racial makeup of Highline High School?

Students at Highline High School are 56% Hispanic, 17% Asian, 10% White, 9% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% Pacific Islander.

What district is Highline High School in?

Highline School District

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.