Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Fife High School

Q: Is Fife High School a good school?

Fife High School ranks 231 st of 438 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 10-12

231^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Washington High Schools

Better than 47% of Washington high schools

Summary

Fife High School is a public high school serving about 885 students in grades 10-12 within the Fife School District in Tacoma, WA, known for its strong graduation rates but recent academic performance challenges.

The school has a clear strength in English Language Arts, where student proficiency significantly outpaces the state average, but it faces significant struggles in Mathematics, where scores lag behind. This pattern is unique compared to many nearby schools. While its graduation rate of 85.3% remains consistently above state and district averages, there is a concerning recent increase in the dropout rate. The school's overall state ranking has declined over the past decade, hitting its lowest point in the 2024-2025 school year, with performance drops noted across several student groups.

Interesting comparisons to other local schools include Puyallup High School, which is a higher-performing comprehensive school, and alternative schools like Fife Open Doors and Tacoma Open Doors, which have much lower graduation rates. The analysis shows that higher spending per student, as seen at Summit Public School: Olympus, does not automatically lead to better academic outcomes, suggesting Fife High School utilizes its resources efficiently. The key focus areas for the school moving forward are addressing the math achievement gap and understanding the reasons behind the rising dropout rate.

885

Students ?

22.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,373

Per pupil spending ?

49.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5616 20th St E
Tacoma, WA 98424-2026

(253) 517-1100

District: Fife School District

Feeder schools for Fife High School:

Elementary:	Discovery Primary School
	Hedden Elementary School
Middle:	Surprise Lake Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.6%

Hispanic:

24.3%

Two or more races:

10.8%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Fife High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2015 → 47th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 29 percentile points since 2015

!Math scores 13 pts below the Washington average

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg42%

Washington avg48%

231^st of 438

Washington public high schools ?

Bottom 47%▼ down 28 pts since 2015

From top 24% (2015) to bottom 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

147^th of 247Fife 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	45.5	231 of 438	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.9	158 of 437	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.9	181 of 442	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.7	154 of 434	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.5	215 of 455	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.4	162 of 417	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.0	162 of 315	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	55.1	154 of 301	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	58.6	139 of 306	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	68.5	83 of 341	75.7%	★★★★☆
2013	59.5	191 of 454	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.8	194 of 450	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.6	189 of 440	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.3	192 of 423	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.8	199 of 402	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	48.1	248 of 396	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	53.3	214 of 399	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	69.0	120 of 395	69.6%	★★★★☆
2005	65.7	140 of 394	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2004	63.3	149 of 390	61.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	45.3	44 of 80	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	86.1	5 of 70	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	62.3	26 of 78	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.0	70 of 111	36.9%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	43.6	64 of 119	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.8	43 of 113	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.1	54 of 118	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.1	62 of 124	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.5	79 of 136	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.7	98 of 121	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.2	79 of 87	9.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	43.6	36 of 85	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.9	43 of 68	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.7	29 of 70	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.4	43 of 102	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	46.1	183 of 350	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.2	144 of 347	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.1	163 of 357	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.7	163 of 368	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.4	150 of 390	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.8	182 of 358	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.0	123 of 243	49.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	35.7	156 of 249	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	66.2	63 of 248	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	65.9	68 of 249	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	56.2	97 of 261	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.5	150 of 278	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.0	60 of 241	75.1%	★★★★☆
2018	63.6	47 of 156	69.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	39.8	211 of 355	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.2	156 of 356	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.2	187 of 362	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.4	153 of 370	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	39.2	244 of 392	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.3	113 of 344	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.9	115 of 227	49.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	40.8	211 of 359	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.6	146 of 362	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.5	159 of 358	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.9	126 of 363	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.0	232 of 395	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.2	122 of 355	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.2	143 of 254	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	44.7	92 of 170	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.8	96 of 161	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.3	121 of 166	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.4	101 of 179	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.2	81 of 195	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.6	75 of 163	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.9	54 of 91	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2022	63.4	6 of 17	64.7%	★★★★☆
2021	38.6	22 of 33	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.0	12 of 18	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.5	4 of 6	33.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	29.8	86 of 127	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.8	73 of 212	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.3	51 of 128	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	79.3	16 of 139	88.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2025	46.9	194 of 373	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.4	140 of 374	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.3	168 of 379	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.9	135 of 390	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.9	152 of 413	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.9	130 of 382	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.6	114 of 222	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Pacific Islander (2022)65th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)58th percentile+10 vs school

White (2025)48th percentile~ school

Female (2025)48th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)46th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)46th percentile~ school

African American (2025)45th percentile~ school

Male (2025)41st percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)41st percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)37th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2025)32nd percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts64%+11 vs state

Science42%-7 vs state

Math29%-13 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Fife High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a student
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

I passed every section of the WASL, and I owe it to my teachers from Fife. Close Quote

Schools Near Fife 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
Fife High School	Public	10-12	5616 20th St E	Tacoma	98424	Pierce County	Fife School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 517-1100	885	39	22.7	49.9%	342 (38.6%)	65 (7.3%)	215 (24.3%)	91 (10.3%)	9 (1.0%)	49 (5.5%)	96 (10.8%)	45.5	231^st of 438 public high schools	47.3%		58.9	158^th of 437 public high schools	63.8%	73		42.5	42.5				64.3	64.3				29.4	29.4	$18,373	$485	$17,888
Fife Open Doors	Public	10-12	5802 20th Street East	Tacoma	98424	Pierce County	Fife School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 517-1000	25	0		76.0%	5 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (28.0%)	1 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (20.0%)	7 (28.0%)								(n/a)														$14,189	$123	$14,066
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
Summit Public School: Olympus	Public, Charter	9-12	409 Puyallup Ave	Tacoma	98421	Pierce County	Summit Public School: Olympus	Yes	No	No	Yes	(253) 444-9781	110	11	10.0	58.2%	14 (12.7%)	21 (19.1%)	42 (38.2%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.7%)	28 (25.5%)	14.2	388^th of 438 public high schools	11.4%		29.4	318^th of 437 public high schools	27.2%	70		31.8	31.8				43.3	43.3				10.0	10.0	$22,729	$766	$21,962
Maritime 253 Skills Center	Public	11-12	1208 East D Street	Tacoma	98421	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(253) 571-1126	0																		(n/a)
E B Walker High School	Public	8-12	5715 Milwaukee Ave E	Puyallup	98372	Pierce County	Puyallup School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 841-8781	120	10	11.7	63.3%	73 (60.8%)	1 (0.8%)	26 (21.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.7%)	2 (1.7%)	13 (10.8%)								(n/a)														$22,014	$170	$21,844
Puyallup High School	Public	10-12	105 Seventh St SW	Puyallup	98371	Pierce County	Puyallup School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 841-8711	1,815	74	24.4	40.4%	919 (50.6%)	93 (5.1%)	352 (19.4%)	150 (8.3%)	17 (0.9%)	42 (2.3%)	221 (12.2%)	70.7	104^th of 438 public high schools	76.3%		71.3	103^rd of 437 public high schools	76.4%	1		63.6	63.6				74.8	74.8				34.5	34.5	$15,162	$469	$14,693
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
Lincoln High School	Public	9-12	701 S 37th St	Tacoma	98418	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-6670	1,556	76	20.5	72.7%	217 (13.9%)	275 (17.7%)	522 (33.5%)	192 (12.3%)	23 (1.5%)	87 (5.6%)	240 (15.4%)	16	379^th of 438 public high schools	13.5%		12	410^th of 437 public high schools	6.2%	31		33.7	33.7				41.2	41.2				14.7	14.7	$18,558	$1,377	$17,181
Tacoma Open Doors	Public	9-12	1818 Tacoma Ave S	Tacoma	98402	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-3270	392	5	75.8	63.3%	120 (30.6%)	82 (20.9%)	99 (25.3%)	19 (4.8%)	5 (1.3%)	12 (3.1%)	55 (14.0%)								(n/a)														$9,835	$1,083	$8,752

Frequently Asked Questions about Fife High School

How many students attend Fife High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 885 students attended Fife High School.

What district is Fife High School in?

Fife School District

What is the racial makeup of Fife High School?

Students at Fife High School are 39% White, 24% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 10% Asian, 7% African American, 6% Pacific Islander, 2% Not Specified, 1% American Indian.

What schools feed into Fife High School?

Fife High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Discovery Primary School
Elementary : Hedden Elementary School
Middle : Surprise Lake Middle School

Is Fife High School a good school?

Fife High School ranks 231^st of 438 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Fife High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

WAWashington High School Rankings

WAWashington District Rankings

Schools in Tacoma, WA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Fife High School!

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.