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Emerson High School

Q: Is Emerson High School a good school?

Emerson High School ranks 243 rd of 438 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

243^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 438 Washington High Schools

Better than 45% of Washington high schools

Summary

Emerson High School is a very small, alternative public high school serving grades 9-12 with just 67 students, located within the highly-regarded Lake Washington School District in Kirkland, WA.

Emerson operates very differently from the large, comprehensive high schools in the area, such as Lake Washington High School or Bellevue High School. It has an exceptionally low student-teacher ratio of 7-to-1 and spends significantly more per student, which reflects its specialized approach to serving students who may need more intensive support. While its overall test scores and graduation rates are generally closer to state averages and below the district's high benchmarks, it has earned a remarkable #1 ranking in Washington for serving Special Education students, indicating a particular strength in this area.

It's important for parents to understand that Emerson's small size means its annual performance data can vary more than a typical school's. Its recent ranking decline, for example, could be influenced by the performance of just a few students in its small cohort. Surrounded by some of the state's top-ranked schools like the International School and International Community School, Emerson serves a distinct purpose within the district, focusing on providing an alternative, highly-resourced environment for students with diverse learning needs.

Students ?

7.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$48,164

Per pupil spending ?

32.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10903 NE 53rd ST
Kirkland, WA 98033-7508

(425) 936-2300

District: Lake Washington School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

55.2%

Hispanic:

20.9%

Two or more races:

9.0%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Emerson High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 79th percentile in 2024 → 45th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 7 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Graduation rate below the Washington average (65% vs 83%)

!Dropout rate above the Washington average (17% vs 10%)

!Ranking has slipped from its 79th-percentile peak (2024) to 45th (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg80%

Washington avg51%

243^rd of 438

Washington public high schools ?

Bottom 45%▼ down 19 pts since 2022

From top 37% (2022) to bottom 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Washington High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 7High Schools in the Lake Washington School District

4^th of 247Lake Washington 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	44.0	243 of 438	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	72.3	92 of 437	78.9%	★★★★☆
2023	54.8	182 of 442	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.8	160 of 434	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	53.3	237 of 454	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	50.6	241 of 450	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	13.4	373 of 440	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	42.8	269 of 423	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	5.8	383 of 402	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	24.0	325 of 396	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.3	318 of 399	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.1	299 of 395	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	38.2	275 of 394	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	24.0	306 of 390	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	99.1	1 of 110	99.1%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2024	66.3	112 of 374	70.1%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2024)99th percentile+20 vs school

White (2024)70th percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs Washington (2024-2025) ?

Science54%+4 vs state

English Language Arts50%-3 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Teachers are fantastic. Excellent administrators. This team listens and cares about kids. Lots of individual assistance and small class sizes with very low student:teacher ratio. My teen loves it here and wishes we had founded it sooner. It’s far better than a nearby private school that we were paying $$$ for, the year prior to finding Emerson. Close Quote

Schools Near Emerson 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
Emerson High School	Public	9-12	10903 NE 53rd ST	Kirkland	98033	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 936-2300	67	9	7.2	32.8%	37 (55.2%)	2 (3.0%)	14 (20.9%)	2 (3.0%)	1 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (9.0%)	44	243^rd of 438 public high schools	44.5%		72.3	92^nd of 437 public high schools	78.9%	151		53.9	53.9				50.0	50.0						$48,164	$163	$48,000
International Community School	Public, Magnet	6-12	11133 NE 65th ST	Kirkland	98033	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	Yes	No	No	(425) 936-2380	421	23	18.6	3.3%	105 (24.9%)	2 (0.5%)	18 (4.3%)	265 (62.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.9%)	99	3^rd of 438 public high schools	99.3%					(n/a)	94.0		94.7	84.8		95.2	96.5	93.1	78.2	84.3	89.0	89.5	85.0	$18,337	$163	$18,174
Lake Washington High School	Public	9-12	12033 NE 80th	Kirkland	98033	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 936-1700	2,081	99	20.9	13.5%	1,038 (49.9%)	53 (2.5%)	255 (12.3%)	506 (24.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.2%)	200 (9.6%)	94.7	22^nd of 438 public high schools	95.0%		95.4	16^th of 437 public high schools	96.3%	6		89.9	89.9				80.9	80.9				65.0	65.0	$16,612	$166	$16,446
Bellevue Open Doors Reengagement	Public	10-12	12111 NE 1st Street	Bellevue	98005	King County	Bellevue School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 456-4175	24	0		12.5%	7 (29.2%)	1 (4.2%)	11 (45.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (20.8%)								(n/a)														$6,791	$138	$6,653
Bellevue High School	Public	9-12	10416 Wolverine Way	Bellevue	98004	King County	Bellevue School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 456-7000	1,683	78	21.5	18.6%	538 (32.0%)	66 (3.9%)	159 (9.4%)	690 (41.0%)	2 (0.1%)	10 (0.6%)	211 (12.5%)	93.9	26^th of 438 public high schools	94.1%		86.6	49^th of 437 public high schools	88.8%	23		71.7	71.7				88.1	88.1				69.8	69.8	$18,561	$186	$18,375
Lake Washington Technical Academy	Public	11-12	11605 132nd Ave NE	Kirkland	98034	King County	Lake Washington Institute of Technology	No	No	No	No	(425) 739-8100	138	0			70 (50.7%)	1 (0.7%)	50 (36.2%)	6 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	10 (7.2%)								(n/a)
Open Doors at LWIT	Public	11-12	11605 132nd Ave NE	Kirkland	98034	King County	Lake Washington Institute of Technology	No	No	No	No	(425) 739-8274	5	0			1 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (20.0%)	3 (60.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Washington Network for Innovative Careers Skill Center	Public	9-12	WaNIC	Redmond	98052	King County	Lake Washington School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 702-3283	266	6	47.8	2.3%	130 (48.9%)	9 (3.4%)	48 (18.0%)	71 (26.7%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$18,359	$275	$18,083
International School	Public	6-12	445 128th Ave SE	Bellevue	98005	King County	Bellevue School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 456-6500	600	30	19.9	8.0%	136 (22.7%)	10 (1.7%)	33 (5.5%)	361 (60.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (9.3%)	99.6	1^st of 438 public high schools	99.8%		98.9	2^nd of 437 public high schools	99.5%	1	91.2	93.6	92.3	87.2	86.2	89.1		89.5	88.3	81.9	79.4	86.8	84.0	$20,686	$138	$20,548
Interlake Senior High School	Public	9-12	16245 NE 24th Street	Bellevue	98008	King County	Bellevue School District	No	No	No	No	(425) 456-7200	1,611	84	19.2	26.6%	358 (22.2%)	64 (4.0%)	268 (16.6%)	801 (49.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.2%)	106 (6.6%)	94.3	23^rd of 438 public high schools	94.7%		94.4	21^st of 437 public high schools	95.2%	2		73.3	73.3				86.9	86.9				73.9	73.9	$21,413	$319	$21,093

Frequently Asked Questions about Emerson High School

How many students attend Emerson High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 67 students attended Emerson High School.

What district is Emerson High School in?

Lake Washington School District

What is the racial makeup of Emerson High School?

Students at Emerson High School are 55% White, 21% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 7% Not Specified, 3% African American, 3% Asian, 1% American Indian.

Is Emerson High School a good school?

Emerson High School ranks 243^rd of 438 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Emerson High 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.