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Decatur High School

Public Grades 9-12

382^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Washington High Schools

Better than 13% of Washington high schools

Summary

Decatur High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 to about 1,350 students in the Federal Way School District, a district that faces significant challenges statewide.

The school presents a complex picture for parents, with one clear strength and one major concern. Its most notable achievement is a consistently high graduation rate of over 90%, which is the best among the district's comprehensive high schools like Federal Way High School and Todd Beamer High School, and well above the state average. However, this success in getting students to graduate stands in stark contrast to very low scores on state academic tests, particularly in mathematics where only about 14% of students are proficient. This "graduation-achievement gap" suggests students are staying in school but may not be mastering key academic skills.

When compared to schools just a few miles away, the challenges become clearer. For example, Stadium High School in the neighboring Tacoma School District has significantly higher test scores in all subjects. It's important to note that the severe struggle with math is a district-wide issue affecting all Federal Way high schools. The school's performance also varies considerably for different groups of students, with some subgroups performing much better than others, indicating that the effectiveness of support is inconsistent.

1,352

Students ?

20.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,035

Per pupil spending ?

64.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2800 SW 320th St
Federal Way, WA 98023-2207

(253) 945-5200

District: Federal Way School District

Feeder schools for Decatur High School:

Elementary:	Adelaide Elementary School
	Brigadoon Elementary School
	Green Gables Elementary School
	Olympic View Elementary School
	More...
	Silver Lake Elementary School
	Twin Lakes Elementary School
Middle:	Lakota Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

33.1%

White:

21.5%

Two or more races:

13.2%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Decatur High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 32nd percentile in 2017 → 13th in 2025

Strengths

✓90% graduate in 4 years — above the Washington average (83%)

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped from its 32nd-percentile peak (2017) to 13th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg31%

Washington avg48%

382^nd of 438

Washington public high schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5High Schools in the Federal Way School District

206^th of 247Federal Way 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	15.5	382 of 438	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.4	399 of 437	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.9	349 of 442	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	342 of 434	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.4	382 of 455	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.5	324 of 417	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.0	270 of 315	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	40.3	204 of 301	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.2	237 of 306	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	11.0	325 of 341	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	48.2	270 of 454	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.7	293 of 450	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	39.7	276 of 440	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	47.6	247 of 423	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	69.9	121 of 402	69.9%	★★★★☆
2008	61.5	164 of 396	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.7	172 of 399	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	69.4	118 of 395	70.1%	★★★★☆
2005	68.6	125 of 394	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	56.9	188 of 390	51.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2023	23.7	64 of 78	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	84 of 89	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.7	99 of 111	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	44 of 54	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	116 of 119	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.4	110 of 113	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.9	87 of 118	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	94 of 124	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.2	117 of 136	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.7	95 of 121	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	36.4	37 of 68	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.1	83 of 102	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	330 of 350	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	317 of 347	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	302 of 357	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	304 of 368	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.8	337 of 390	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	303 of 358	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.2	221 of 243	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	8.2	242 of 249	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	236 of 248	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	205 of 249	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	227 of 261	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.4	240 of 278	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.5	168 of 241	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	21.7	137 of 156	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2023	56.7	5 of 19	73.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	11.8	334 of 355	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	342 of 356	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	326 of 362	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.4	348 of 370	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.1	375 of 392	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.7	302 of 344	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.6	223 of 227	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	323 of 359	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.3	346 of 362	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	299 of 358	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.6	305 of 363	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.1	331 of 395	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	270 of 355	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.7	219 of 254	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	18.5	148 of 170	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	150 of 161	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	119 of 166	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.0	139 of 179	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.5	166 of 195	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.6	91 of 163	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	9.7	86 of 91	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	43.7	19 of 33	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	15.0	205 of 212	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	29.8	275 of 373	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	327 of 374	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.0	283 of 379	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.3	242 of 390	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.2	311 of 413	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.1	304 of 382	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	200 of 222	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2023)74th percentile+53 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)46th percentile+37 vs school

Pacific Islander (2021)42nd percentile+26 vs school

White (2025)26th percentile+13 vs school

African American (2023)18th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)13th percentile~ school

Male (2025)10th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2025)6th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2021)3rd percentile-13 vs school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2025)3rd percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%-6 vs state

Science25%-25 vs state

Math14%-28 vs state

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Schools Near Decatur 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
Decatur High School	Public	9-12	2800 SW 320th St	Federal Way	98023	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-5200	1,352	65	20.9	64.8%	291 (21.5%)	166 (12.3%)	448 (33.1%)	151 (11.2%)	5 (0.4%)	102 (7.5%)	179 (13.2%)	15.5	382^nd of 438 public high schools	12.8%		14.4	399^th of 437 public high schools	8.7%	17		24.6	24.6				47.4	47.4				14.5	14.5	$18,035	$1,210	$16,825
Employment Transition Program	Public	9-12	33250 21st Ave SW	Federal Way	98023	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-4170	62	3	20.6	74.2%	14 (22.6%)	10 (16.1%)	15 (24.2%)	17 (27.4%)	1 (1.6%)	1 (1.6%)	4 (6.5%)								(n/a)														$32,399	$8,591	$23,808
Technology Access Foundation Academy at Saghalie	Public, Magnet	6-12	33914 19th Ave SW	Federal Way	98023	King County	Federal Way School District	No	Yes	No	No	(253) 945-5000	532	35	15.0	74.1%	100 (18.8%)	79 (14.8%)	179 (33.6%)	50 (9.4%)	3 (0.6%)	50 (9.4%)	69 (13.0%)	28.7	322^nd of 438 public high schools	26.5%		55.7	177^th of 437 public high schools	59.5%	145	21.9	59.1	26.6	25.0	18.3	24.0	25.9	22.7	15.8	13.5	11.9	14.3	13.7	$21,520	$3,018	$18,502
Federal Way Running Start Home School	Public	11-12	33330 8th Ave S	Federal Way	98003	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-2000	17	0		35.3%	13 (76.5%)	1 (5.9%)	1 (5.9%)	1 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.9%)								(n/a)														$6,267	$469	$5,798
Gateway to College	Public	9-12	33330 8th Ave S	Federal Way	98003	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-2000	23	0		65.2%	1 (4.3%)	4 (17.4%)	12 (52.2%)	2 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.3%)	2 (8.7%)								(n/a)														$16,227	$469	$15,757
Federal Way High School	Public	9-12	30611 16th Av S	Federal Way	98003	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-5400	1,665	81	20.6	73.8%	234 (14.1%)	284 (17.1%)	672 (40.4%)	204 (12.3%)	5 (0.3%)	87 (5.2%)	173 (10.4%)	17.5	368^th of 438 public high schools	16.0%		18	371^st of 437 public high schools	15.1%	3		17.6	17.6				52.4	52.4				14.9	14.9	$18,278	$1,345	$16,933
Career Academy at Truman High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	31455 28th Ave S	Federal Way	98003	King County	Federal Way School District	No	Yes	No	No	(253) 945-5800	83	5	15.5	81.9%	18 (21.7%)	19 (22.9%)	23 (27.7%)	1 (1.2%)	1 (1.2%)	5 (6.0%)	14 (16.9%)								(n/a)		24.0	24.0											$28,970	$2,845	$26,125
Open Doors Youth Reengagement (1418)	Public	9-12	31455 28th Ave S	Federal Way	98003	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-4590	154	4	35.5	82.5%	19 (12.3%)	36 (23.4%)	63 (40.9%)	4 (2.6%)	1 (0.6%)	13 (8.4%)	15 (9.7%)								(n/a)														$18,886	$694	$18,192
Todd Beamer High School	Public	9-12	35999 16th Av S	Federal Way	98003	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-2570	1,412	66	21.5	72.8%	267 (18.9%)	246 (17.4%)	429 (30.4%)	214 (15.2%)	7 (0.5%)	83 (5.9%)	159 (11.3%)	15.8	380^th of 438 public high schools	13.2%		21.7	357^th of 437 public high schools	18.3%	23		36.2	36.2				39.9	39.9				12.5	12.5	$19,204	$2,018	$17,186
Thomas Jefferson High School	Public	9-12	4248 S 288th St	Auburn	98001	King County	Federal Way School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 945-5600	1,810	80	22.6	71.9%	335 (18.5%)	237 (13.1%)	676 (37.3%)	313 (17.3%)	6 (0.3%)	76 (4.2%)	162 (9.0%)	16.2	377^th of 438 public high schools	13.9%		17	377^th of 437 public high schools	13.7%			27.3	27.3				45.8	45.8				16.1	16.1	$17,474	$1,357	$16,117

Frequently Asked Questions about Decatur High School

What is the racial makeup of Decatur High School?

Students at Decatur High School are 33% Hispanic, 22% White, 13% Two or more races, 12% African American, 11% Asian, 8% Pacific Islander.

Is Decatur High School a good school?

Decatur High School ranks in the bottom 12.8% of Washington high schools.

What district is Decatur High School in?

Federal Way School District

How many students attend Decatur High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,352 students attended Decatur High School.

What schools feed into Decatur High School?

Decatur High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Adelaide Elementary School
Elementary : Brigadoon Elementary School
Elementary : Green Gables Elementary School
Elementary : Olympic View Elementary School
Elementary : Silver Lake Elementary School
Elementary : Twin Lakes Elementary School
Middle : Lakota Middle School

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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.