Best Public Schools in SeaTac, WA

Summary:

SeaTac, Washington is served by seven public schools—four elementary, two middle, and one high school—enrolling over 4,000 students across the Highline School District and Kent School District, all facing significant economic challenges with high rates of student need.

Among elementary schools, McMicken Heights Elementary stands out with the strongest test scores, while Madrona Elementary has shown impressive recent improvement; in contrast, River Ridge Elementary and Bow Lake Elementary have struggled academically. The middle schools face considerable difficulties, with Glacier Middle School ranking lowest in the area and Chinook Middle School also performing below state averages, indicating a widespread challenge at this level.

The sole high school, Tyee High School, presents a mixed picture with relatively stronger English scores but very low math proficiency and a lower graduation rate than the state average. Overall, academic performance in SeaTac schools lags behind Washington state averages, though the success at McMicken Heights and improvement at Madrona suggest effective strategies can make a difference even in a high-needs community.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				WCAS Science (2025)				SBAC English Language Arts (2025)								SBAC Math (2025)								% Completely Immunized (2024)	% Polio (2024)	% Measles (2024)	% Mumps (2024)	% Rubella (2024)	% Diphtheria (2024)	% Hepatitis B (2024)	% Varicella (2024)	% Pertussis (2024)	% Tetanus (2024)	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 5th Grade	WCAS Science 8th Grade	WCAS Science 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	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 3rd Grade	SBAC Math 4th Grade	SBAC Math 5th Grade	SBAC Math 6th Grade	SBAC Math 7th Grade	SBAC Math 8th Grade	SBAC Math 10th Grade	SBAC Math All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Measles KG	% Mumps KG	% Rubella KG	% Diphtheria KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% Pertussis KG	% Tetanus KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Bow Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18237 42nd Ave S	SeaTac	98188	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-3500	524	33	15.7	75.6%	54 (10.3%)	169 (32.3%)	140 (26.7%)	82 (15.6%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (6.5%)	44 (8.4%)	7.1	1124^th of 1160 public elementary schools	3.1%		5	1143^rd of 1168 public elementary schools	2.1%	19	15.5			15.5	16.9	25.6	20.7					21.0	25.8	25.9	16.7					22.9	78.4	86.5	86.5	86.5	86.5	82.4	87.8	82.4	82.4	82.4	$21,751	$1,698	$20,053
Chinook Middle School	Public	6-8	18650 42nd Ave S	SeaTac	98188	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-5700	620	36	17.3	72.9%	70 (11.3%)	120 (19.4%)	248 (40.0%)	97 (15.6%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (7.6%)	38 (6.1%)	15.6	464^th of 534 public middle schools	13.1%		13.1	483^rd of 535 public middle schools	9.7%	19		29.9		29.9				26.6	37.2	37.2		33.9				14.8	23.2	13.4		17.3											$21,795	$1,517	$20,278
Madrona Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20301 32nd Ave South	SeaTac	98198	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4100	317	20	15.7	77.0%	20 (6.3%)	65 (20.5%)	162 (51.1%)	14 (4.4%)	1 (0.3%)	34 (10.7%)	21 (6.6%)	17.4	994^th of 1160 public elementary schools	14.3%		7	1124^th of 1168 public elementary schools	3.8%	130	30.8			30.8	25.0	22.0	33.3					26.3	34.9		38.5					24.8	80.4	83.9	89.3	89.3	89.3	82.1	92.9	83.9	82.1	82.1	$23,482	$2,361	$21,121
McMicken Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3708 S 168th St	SeaTac	98188	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-4300	484	32	15.0	76.0%	44 (9.1%)	141 (29.1%)	135 (27.9%)	100 (20.7%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.2%)	33 (6.8%)	22.7	937^th of 1160 public elementary schools	19.2%		22.8	928^th of 1168 public elementary schools	20.5%	9	39.7			39.7	38.4	27.3	41.8					35.7	43.7	26.0	26.5					32.8	81.8	92.1	85.2	85.2	85.2	88.6	90.9	84.1	88.6	88.6	$22,723	$1,840	$20,883
Tyee High School	Public	9-12	4424 S 188th St	SeaTac	98188	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 433-2341	644	35	18.5	75.8%	53 (8.2%)	109 (16.9%)	295 (45.8%)	74 (11.5%)	4 (0.6%)	74 (11.5%)	30 (4.7%)	8.6	418^th of 438 public high schools	4.6%		3.6	435^th of 437 public high schools	0.5%	17			14.5	14.5							38.9	38.9							12.0	12.0											$24,801	$1,895	$22,907
Glacier Middle School	Public	6-8	2450 South 142nd Street	SeaTac	98168	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-5300	803	35	22.7	75.5%	50 (6.2%)	61 (7.6%)	477 (59.4%)	126 (15.7%)	8 (1.0%)	27 (3.4%)	49 (6.1%)	4.4	528^th of 534 public middle schools	1.1%		7.9	516^th of 535 public middle schools	3.6%	12		16.1		16.1				15.9	15.4	15.7		15.7				9.4	11.5	11.3		10.7											$20,164	$1,544	$18,620
River Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	22420 Military Rd S	SeaTac	98198	King County	Kent School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 373-7320	697	42	16.6	72.7%	95 (13.6%)	150 (21.5%)	175 (25.1%)	176 (25.3%)	2 (0.3%)	53 (7.6%)	46 (6.6%)	4.3	1144^th of 1160 public elementary schools	1.4%		3.8	1157^th of 1168 public elementary schools	0.9%	13	19.8			19.8	17.1	10.2	20.5					15.5	19.1	14.3	15.9					16.3	68.9	78.3	79.3	79.3	79.3	75.5	87.7	76.4	75.5	75.5	$19,556	$1,556	$18,001

Cities Near SeaTac

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Des Moines	0.23 mi	10	225^th
Normandy Park	0.42 mi	1	81^st
Burien	0.85 mi	13	235^th
Seattle	0.94 mi	138	89^th
Tukwila	3.79 mi	6	180^th

See the top WA Washington cities

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.