Summary:
ZIP code 98023, in Federal Way, includes three high-school-level schools serving grades 6–12: Decatur High School, Technology Access Foundation Academy at Saghalie, and Employment Transition Program, all part of the Federal Way School District. Together, they enroll about 1,946 students, although they serve different populations and have different missions.
Decatur High School is the largest and most traditional option, with 1,352 students in grades 9–12. It has the strongest available graduation outcomes: a 90.4% graduation rate and a 3.5% dropout rate, both better than district and state comparisons. Decatur also has the best overall English Language Arts result, with 46.71% of students proficient. However, math and science performance is much weaker, at 16.33% and 20.15%. Technology Access Foundation Academy at Saghalie serves grades 6–12 and has a smaller enrollment of 532 students. Its latest ranking is better than Decatur’s, and it has a lower student-teacher ratio of 15.0 compared with Decatur’s 20.9. Saghalie’s standout result is 11th-grade science proficiency at 40%, well above the district figure, while its overall math and ELA results remain low.
Employment Transition Program is a specialized grades 9–12 program with only 62 students. Its $32,399 per-student spending is the highest, but it should not be compared directly with comprehensive high schools because its services and goals are different; test scores and graduation data were not provided. Across the area, math is the clearest shared academic challenge, and science also trails state averages. Parents comparing conventional high-school options may view Decatur as stronger for graduation and ELA, while Saghalie offers a smaller setting, lower student-teacher ratio, and technology-focused program. All three schools serve substantial numbers of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, an important context when reviewing results.
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