Summary:
Burien, Washington, has 10 schools serving approximately 4,203 students from elementary through high school, all within the Highline School District; the area includes five elementary schools, one middle school, and four high schools, with substantial differences in academic results among campuses.
Among elementary schools, Gregory Heights Elementary is the clearest standout, ranking in the 56th percentile statewide and leading the local elementary schools in English language arts, math, and science. Its proficiency rates were 55.15% in ELA, 46.11% in math, and 46.97% in science. Sylvester Middle School also performs above district averages in every tested subject and has shown steady ranking improvement, with especially strong science results. Shorewood Elementary has comparatively strong math and science results but experienced a notable ranking decline. Hazel Valley Elementary has the strongest recent improvement trend, while Seahurst Elementary School and Cedarhurst Elementary currently report lower proficiency levels.
At the high-school level, Highline High School has the strongest ELA result and an 81.8% graduation rate, close to district and state benchmarks, but math, science, and dropout results need attention. Big Picture School has the highest recent high-school ranking and solid historical graduation results, although its current ranking and math proficiency are weaker. Innovation Heights Academy reports a lower graduation rate, while Highline Open Doors 1418 has especially challenging reported graduation and dropout figures; specialized programs should not be compared directly with comprehensive schools. Overall, math is the most consistent academic weakness, and suppressed results—such as Innovation Heights’ math score—should be treated as unknown rather than zero.
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