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Foss High School

Public Grades 9-12

376^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 396 Washington High Schools

Better than 5% of Washington high schools

Summary

Foss High School is a public grades 9–12 school in Tacoma, Washington, serving about 599 students in an urban area and operating within the Tacoma School District. About 69.45% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25, indicating that the school serves many families who may benefit from additional academic and financial supports. Foss ranked in the 5th percentile statewide in 2025–26—an improvement from the 2nd percentile the previous year—but it remains among the lowest-ranked high schools in Washington.

Academic performance is the school’s biggest challenge, especially in math. In 2025–26, 35.16% of students were proficient in English language arts, 9.76% in math, and 23.21% in science. Each result was below both district and state averages, with math showing the widest gap. Results did improve from the prior year, particularly in science, but math proficiency has remained near or below 11% for four consecutive reported years. Graduation outcomes provide a more encouraging picture: Foss’s 2024–25 four-year graduation rate was 88.6%, above Washington’s 82.6% state rate and only modestly below the district’s 91.4%. Its 6.6% dropout rate was also below the state rate of 9.8%.

The closest useful comparison is Dr. Dolores Silas High School, another traditional Tacoma high school located about 1.56 miles away. Silas had stronger test results, a higher graduation rate of 98.0%, and a better statewide ranking, although Foss had a lower student-teacher ratio and higher spending per student. Tacoma Online High School had a lower graduation rate and a considerably higher dropout rate, but its online model makes direct academic comparisons difficult. Overall, Foss appears more successful at helping students complete high school than its test scores suggest, while sustained improvement in math, science, and classroom achievement remains its most urgent priority.

599

Students ?

19.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,147

Per pupil spending ?

69.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2112 S Tyler St
Tacoma, WA 98405

(253) 571-7300

District: Tacoma School District

Feeder schools for Foss High School:

Elementary:	Delong Elementary School
	Edison Elementary School
	Franklin Elementary School
	Geiger Montessori School
	More...
	Reed Elementary School
	Stanley Elementary School
	Whittier Elementary School
Middle:	Wainwright Intermediate School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

24.7%

White:

24.4%

African American:

21.0%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Foss High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2013 → 5th in 2026

Strengths

✓89% graduate in 4 years — above the Washington average (83%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Washington average (23% vs 48% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg38%

Washington avg48%

376^th of 396

Washington public high schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 9 pts since 2017

From bottom 14% (2017) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Washington High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 8High Schools in the Tacoma School District

151^st of 238Tacoma 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
2026	9.9	376 of 396	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.0	431 of 438	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	409 of 437	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	411 of 442	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.1	408 of 434	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	427 of 455	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	360 of 417	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.0	282 of 315	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.1	259 of 301	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	29.2	350 of 454	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	29.5	339 of 450	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.0	331 of 440	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.5	314 of 423	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	26.7	319 of 402	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	39.3	279 of 396	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	42.3	271 of 399	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	24.7	319 of 395	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	40.6	258 of 394	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	40.9	257 of 390	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	6.7	75 of 77	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	63 of 70	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.5	86 of 89	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.1	109 of 111	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.2	82 of 86	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.0	54 of 54	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2023	25.3	88 of 118	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.2	72 of 136	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	4.7	119 of 121	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.6	78 of 87	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2018	55.5	22 of 65	66.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	8.0	301 of 309	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	337 of 347	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.2	349 of 357	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.9	330 of 368	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.0	318 of 390	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.3	307 of 358	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.8	226 of 243	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	18.3	205 of 236	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.2	221 of 249	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	212 of 248	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	236 of 249	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	26.7	206 of 261	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.1	257 of 278	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.7	186 of 241	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.5	124 of 156	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	37.7	27 of 45	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	9.6	316 of 325	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.9	346 of 355	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	317 of 356	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.0	345 of 362	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.1	349 of 370	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	376 of 392	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.1	312 of 344	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.6	221 of 227	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	311 of 326	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.2	356 of 359	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.1	347 of 362	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	338 of 358	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	354 of 363	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.1	385 of 395	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.7	321 of 355	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.0	238 of 254	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	107 of 121	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	4.4	168 of 170	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.2	160 of 161	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.8	166 of 166	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.1	159 of 195	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	150 of 163	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2021	30.1	149 of 212	29.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Washington percentile	Rating
2026	11.1	299 of 319	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.5	365 of 373	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.6	343 of 374	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	322 of 379	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	331 of 390	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	5.2	405 of 413	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.9	322 of 382	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.3	199 of 222	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2018)66th percentile+56 vs school

Homeless (2021)40th percentile+34 vs school

Special Education (2021)30th percentile+24 vs school

Asian (2023)25th percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2026)13th percentile+8 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)12th percentile+7 vs school

White (2026)6th percentile~ school

Male (2026)5th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)3rd percentile~ school

African American (2026)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Washington (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts35%-18 vs state

Science23%-28 vs state

Math10%-33 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, March 13, 2020

My daughter had a good experience at Foss. The teachers and staff were amazing in the ways that they cared for her and helped her learn. Close Quote

Schools Near Foss High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				WCAS Science (2026)		SBAC English Language Arts (2026)		SBAC Math (2026)		% 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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	WCAS Science 11th Grade	WCAS Science All Grades	SBAC English Language Arts 10th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts All Grades	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
Foss High School	Public	9-12	2112 S Tyler St	Tacoma	98405	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-7300	599	31	19.1	69.4%	146 (24.4%)	126 (21.0%)	148 (24.7%)	45 (7.5%)	9 (1.5%)	26 (4.3%)	96 (16.0%)	9.9	376^th of 396 public high schools	5.1%		5	431^st of 438 public high schools	1.6%	55	23.2	23.2	35.2	35.2	9.8	9.8											$24,147	$1,308	$22,839
Oakland Secondary School	Public	6-12	3319 S Adams St	Tacoma	98409	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(253) 571-5102	112	5	22.4	82.1%	37 (33.0%)	26 (23.2%)	21 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	9 (8.0%)	17 (15.2%)								(n/a)	27.3	27.3															$34,851	$2,223	$32,628
Insight School of WA Open Doors Program	Public, Virtual	9-12	2601 S 35th St Ste 100	Tacoma	98409	Pierce County	Quillayute Valley School District	No	No	Yes	No	(253) 292-5817	8	0			5 (62.5%)	1 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (25.0%)								(n/a)							69.1	70.6	73.5	73.5	73.5	76.5	79.4	73.5	76.5	76.5	$10,849	$237	$10,613
Remann Hall Juvenile Detention Center	Public	6-12	5501 6th Ave	Tacoma	98406	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-2670	21	1	21.0	19.0%	2 (9.5%)	10 (47.6%)	4 (19.0%)	1 (4.8%)	1 (4.8%)	1 (4.8%)	2 (9.5%)								(n/a)																	$37,782	$10,418	$27,365
Dr. Dolores Silas High School	Public	9-12	1202 N Orchard St	Tacoma	98406	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-6000	1,160	50	23.0	41.9%	576 (49.7%)	119 (10.3%)	152 (13.1%)	80 (6.9%)	7 (0.6%)	16 (1.4%)	200 (17.2%)	27.9	292^nd of 396 public high schools	26.3%		40	263^rd of 438 public high schools	40.0%	29	37.9	37.9	49.3	49.3	15.5	15.5											$17,981	$816	$17,164
Bates Technical High School	Public	9-12	1101 South Yakima Avenue	Tacoma	98405	Pierce County	Bates Technical College	No	No	No	No	(253) 680-7584	343	0			231 (67.3%)	43 (12.5%)	24 (7.0%)	7 (2.0%)	5 (1.5%)	5 (1.5%)	25 (7.3%)								(n/a)
Tacoma Online High School	Public, Virtual	9-12	3319 S. Adams Street	Tacoma	98409	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(253) 571-1545	497	31	15.7	67.4%	172 (34.6%)	62 (12.5%)	110 (22.1%)	25 (5.0%)	4 (0.8%)	19 (3.8%)	100 (20.1%)								(n/a)																	$14,892	$496	$14,396
Tacoma Open Doors	Public	10-12	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
Tacoma Pierce County Education Center	Public	9-12	930 Tacoma Ave S	Tacoma	98405	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-1032	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Alternative Spcl Needs Div Occ	Public	10-12	601 S 8th St	Tacoma	98405	Pierce County	Tacoma School District	No	No	No	No	(253) 571-1040	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)																	$5,411	$440	$4,971

Frequently Asked Questions about Foss High School

What is the racial makeup of Foss High School?

Students at Foss High School are 25% Hispanic, 24% White, 21% African American, 16% Two or more races, 8% Asian, 4% Pacific Islander, 2% American Indian.

What schools feed into Foss High School?

Foss High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Delong Elementary School
Elementary : Edison Elementary School
Elementary : Franklin Elementary School
Elementary : Geiger Montessori School
Elementary : Reed Elementary School
Elementary : Stanley Elementary School
Elementary : Whittier Elementary School
Middle : Wainwright Intermediate School

What district is Foss High School in?

Tacoma School District

How many students attend Foss High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 599 students attended Foss High School.

Is Foss High School a good school?

Foss High School ranks in the bottom 5.1% of Washington high schools.

Rate Foss High School!

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Latest Washington data All new data »

2025–26 SBAC & WCAS test scoresSep 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 8, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

2024–25 SBAC & WCAS test scoresSep 10, 2025

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.