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Challenger High School

Public Grades 7-12

369^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Washington High Schools

Better than 16% of Washington high schools

Summary

Challenger High School is a public school serving grades 7-12 with 318 students in the Bethel School District in Spanaway, WA, and it presents a complex picture of significant recent improvement in graduation rates alongside ongoing academic challenges.

The school's most notable success is its dramatic increase in graduation rates, rising from 54.8% to 83.3% in just four years, which now slightly exceeds the state average; however, academic proficiency in math, science, and English remains well below both the district and state averages. Compared to nearby schools like Bethel High School and Spanaway Lake High School, Challenger has a lower student-teacher ratio and receives higher funding per student, yet it consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Washington high schools.

This creates an interesting paradox where the school is investing more resources and successfully helping more students graduate, but those graduates may not be reaching the same levels of academic mastery as peers in other district schools. While Challenger's trajectory shows some recent stabilization, it highlights a focus on student retention and completion, with future efforts likely needed to bridge the gap in core academic proficiency.

318

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,563

Per pupil spending ?

62.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

18117 A Street South
Spanaway, WA 98387

(253) 800-6800

District: Bethel School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.4%

Hispanic:

23.9%

Two or more races:

16.4%

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Compare Challenger High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2010 → 16th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (29% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 34 percentile points since 2010

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg43%

Washington avg48%

Middle school

406^th of 534

Washington public middle schools ?

Bottom 24%▲ up 22 pts since 2023

From bottom 2% (2023) to bottom 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

369^th of 438

Washington public high schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 10 pts since 2019

From bottom 6% (2019) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4High Schools in the Bethel School District

138^th of 247Bethel 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	25.7	406 of 534	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	496 of 535	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.9	529 of 539	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	40.5	271 of 471	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	36.8	294 of 457	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	22.3	381 of 472	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	353 of 466	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	19.6	411 of 488	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	17.5	369 of 438	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.8	372 of 437	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	407 of 442	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.8	383 of 434	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.5	421 of 455	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.9	394 of 417	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	39.5	312 of 454	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.6	328 of 450	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	31.8	311 of 440	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	55.3	213 of 423	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	20.0	335 of 402	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	48.7	244 of 396	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	48.8	241 of 399	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	39.9	270 of 395	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	52.8	221 of 394	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2004	19.3	325 of 390	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	12.9	321 of 350	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	321 of 347	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	326 of 357	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.0	300 of 368	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.4	340 of 390	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.3	309 of 358	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	43.9	132 of 248	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	3.4	278 of 278	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	259 of 355	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.7	288 of 356	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	333 of 362	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.7	280 of 370	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.9	359 of 392	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.1	321 of 344	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	286 of 359	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	297 of 362	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	319 of 358	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	331 of 363	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	27.0	301 of 395	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	3.5	352 of 355	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.0	249 of 254	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	345 of 373	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.5	363 of 374	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.2	358 of 379	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.4	359 of 390	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.7	341 of 413	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	6.3	363 of 382	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Female (2025)42nd percentile+18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)36th percentile+12 vs school

Male (2025)19th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)16th percentile-8 vs school

High school

Hispanic (2024)47th percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)27th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2025)20th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)8th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)8th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts48%-5 vs state

Science22%-27 vs state

Math18%-25 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, May 5, 2021

My son had huge issues in traditional high school so we enrolled him in Challenger. I carried with me the standard bias that alternative high schools are for burn outs, trouble makers, addicts and kids bound for prison. Was I ever wrong!! My son thrived!! Graduated with honors and now works at Amazon. The teachers are great and will go out of their way to help any kids willing to try. There is a low student to teacher ratio that allows for more individual instruction and my son was still able to participate in district athletics. If your kid needs help send them here! Close Quote

Schools Near Challenger 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 7th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 8th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 10th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	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
Challenger High School	Public	7-12	18117 A Street South	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-6800	318	20	15.9	62.3%	157 (49.4%)	13 (4.1%)	76 (23.9%)	4 (1.3%)	5 (1.6%)	7 (2.2%)	52 (16.4%)	17.5	369^th of 438 public high schools	15.8%		17.8	372^nd of 437 public high schools	14.9%	3	32.3	18.8	22.4	30.4	46.9	55.4	48.3	25.0	28.1	8.6	17.5	$19,563	$861	$18,702
Transition 18-21 Program	Public	12	516 176th St E	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(253) 800-2300	58	0		50.0%	23 (39.7%)	6 (10.3%)	14 (24.1%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	13 (22.4%)								(n/a)												$5,612	$721	$4,890
Acceleration Academy	Public	9-12	16218 Pacific Ave	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 267-1045	450	8	56.2	48.4%	183 (40.7%)	31 (6.9%)	116 (25.8%)	10 (2.2%)	5 (1.1%)	33 (7.3%)	71 (15.8%)								(n/a)		27.1	27.1									$5,612	$721	$4,890
Spanaway Lake High School	Public	9-12	1305 168th Street East	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-5600	1,787	79	22.7	60.5%	500 (28.0%)	243 (13.6%)	437 (24.5%)	126 (7.1%)	20 (1.1%)	158 (8.8%)	299 (16.7%)	32.1	305^th of 438 public high schools	30.4%		32.5	304^th of 437 public high schools	30.4%	1		44.2	44.2			55.7	55.7			16.9	16.9	$16,697	$1,532	$15,165
Bethel High School	Public	9-12	22215 38th Avenue East	Spanaway	98387	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-7000	1,688	78	21.5	50.8%	716 (42.4%)	102 (6.0%)	392 (23.2%)	63 (3.7%)	15 (0.9%)	84 (5.0%)	308 (18.2%)	48.6	208^th of 438 public high schools	52.5%		44.4	244^th of 437 public high schools	44.2%	36		49.4	49.4			64.7	64.7			26.7	26.7	$17,225	$1,187	$16,038
Pierce County Skills Center	Public	8-12	16117 Canyon Rd E	Puyallup	98375	Pierce County	Bethel School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 800-5950	355	15	23.6	26.2%	204 (57.5%)	22 (6.2%)	76 (21.4%)	21 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.7%)	18 (5.1%)								(n/a)												$18,068	$846	$17,222
Washington High School	Public	9-12	12420 Ainsworth Ave S	Tacoma	98444	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 298-4705	989	56	17.6	69.1%	232 (23.5%)	122 (12.3%)	329 (33.3%)	66 (6.7%)	7 (0.7%)	88 (8.9%)	144 (14.6%)	25.4	337^th of 438 public high schools	23.1%		23.8	347^th of 437 public high schools	20.6%	10		44.2	44.2			47.3	47.3			14.7	14.7	$19,983	$1,829	$18,154
Gates Secondary School	Public	10-12	4608 128th St E	Tacoma	98446	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 298-4000	104	14	7.6	76.9%	27 (26.0%)	8 (7.7%)	37 (35.6%)	4 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (6.7%)	21 (20.2%)								(n/a)												$40,763	$1,195	$39,569
Franklin Pierce High School	Public	9-12	11002 18th Ave E	Tacoma	98445	Pierce County	Franklin Pierce School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 298-3805	977	55	17.8	64.4%	254 (26.0%)	93 (9.5%)	331 (33.9%)	98 (10.0%)	14 (1.4%)	49 (5.0%)	138 (14.1%)	27.7	329^th of 438 public high schools	24.9%		42.3	254^th of 437 public high schools	41.9%	75		43.5	43.5			49.2	49.2			18.0	18.0	$19,416	$1,910	$17,507
CPSD Open Doors Program	Public	9-12	5504 112th St SW	Lakewood	98499	Pierce County	Clover Park School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 583-5525	276	9	30.6	80.4%	65 (23.6%)	34 (12.3%)	115 (41.7%)	6 (2.2%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (5.4%)	30 (10.9%)								(n/a)		15.6	15.6									$18,283	$1,295	$16,988

Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger High School

How many students attend Challenger High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 318 students attended Challenger High School.

Is Challenger High School a good school?

Challenger High School ranks in the bottom 15.8% of Washington high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Challenger High School?

Students at Challenger High School are 49% White, 24% Hispanic, 16% Two or more races, 4% African American, 2% Pacific Islander, 2% American Indian, 1% Asian, 1% Not Specified.

What district is Challenger High School in?

Bethel 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.