Summary:
ZIP code 98001 has two high schools serving grades 9–12: Thomas Jefferson High School in the Federal Way School District and Auburn Opportunity Project in the Auburn School District, with very different enrollment sizes, program structures, and amounts of available performance data.
Thomas Jefferson High School is the area’s large comprehensive high school, enrolling about 1,810 students. Its 2024–2025 graduation rate was 84.4%, slightly below its district but above Washington’s 82.6% rate, while its dropout rate was 9.0%, below the state rate. Academically, English Language Arts proficiency was 45.05%, above the district, and science proficiency rose to 32.55%, nearly matching the district. Math is the most significant concern: only 16.32% of students were proficient, compared with 27.11% districtwide and 43.11% statewide. Families should also note the relatively high reported student-teacher ratio of 22.6 and the school’s low overall district ranking, despite its comparatively solid graduation results.
Auburn Opportunity Project is much smaller, with approximately 92 students, and appears to operate as a specialized or alternative high school program. Its district has a stronger statewide ranking than the Federal Way School District, but current school-level graduation, dropout, testing, and student-teacher data are incomplete. Historical 2023–2024 figures showed a 10.4% graduation rate and 46.2% dropout rate, though small enrollment and program structure can make these percentages highly volatile. No standardized test results are reported. Overall, Thomas Jefferson offers more complete and reassuring current evidence, especially for graduation, while Auburn requires families to seek updated school-specific information before drawing firm conclusions.
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