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Best High Schools in Zip Code 98148

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

Schools

1,835

Students

Top rankedBig Picture School167^th of 438 Washington high schools

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Biggest riser

Highline High School up 21 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Big Picture School 13.9 students per teacher

See the top-ranked Washington schools →

Summary:

Zip code 98148 in the Burien/Seattle area is served by three public high schools within the Highline School District, offering a traditional comprehensive high school and two smaller alternative programs for grades 9-12.

Among these schools, CHOICE Academy stands out as the top performer, consistently ranking among the best in the state with exceptionally high proficiency rates in English and math, well above district and state averages. Big Picture School shows strong improvement and excels in science, while Highline High School, the largest school, faces significant academic challenges and has a much higher dropout rate than the others.

The data reveals that the smaller school models are achieving stronger academic results, with CHOICE Academy performing best despite having the lowest spending per student. All schools in the area are part of a district that faces systemic challenges, but the success of the alternative programs indicates effective approaches for their student populations. Parents should note the dramatic differences in performance and environment between the large comprehensive high school and the two smaller, focused academies.

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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 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
Highline High School	Public	9-12	225 S 152nd St	Burien	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-6700	1,423	66	21.5	67.0%	138 (9.7%)	127 (8.9%)	790 (55.5%)	235 (16.5%)	11 (0.8%)	35 (2.5%)	78 (5.5%)	17.2	371^st of 438 public high schools	15.3%		15.3	392^nd of 437 public high schools	10.3%	21		26.2	26.2				44.9	44.9				19.6	19.6	$19,762	$1,344	$18,418
Puget Sound Skills Center	Public	10-12	18010 8th Ave S	Seattle	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	No	(206) 631-7300	3	25	.1		2 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$23,300	$1,117	$22,183
CHOICE Academy	Public	6-12	18367 8th Ave S	Seattle	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-7630	176	9	20.4	49.4%	55 (31.3%)	41 (23.3%)	34 (19.3%)	26 (14.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (9.7%)								(n/a)	39.3		38.2	74.1	85.2	78.6		82.4	51.9	70.4	60.7	50.0	58.8	$18,734	$1,897	$16,837
Big Picture School	Public	6-12	440 S 186th St	Burien	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-7700	233	17	13.9	50.2%	67 (28.8%)	16 (6.9%)	84 (36.1%)	20 (8.6%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (15.9%)	58.1	167^th of 438 public high schools	61.9%		57.4	171^st of 437 public high schools	60.9%	4	37.1	46.4	41.3	23.3	24.0	51.4	75.0	44.1	20.7		14.3	33.3	18.6	$23,490	$1,592	$21,897
Puget Sound High School	Public	9-12	18010 8th Ave South	Burien	98148	King County	Highline School District	No	No	No	Yes	(206) 631-7300	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Cities Near Zip Code 98148

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Des Moines	0.23 mi	10	225^th
Normandy Park	0.42 mi	1	81^st
Burien	0.85 mi	13	235^th
Seattle	0.94 mi	138	89^th
SeaTac	1.86 mi	8	273^rd

See the top WA Washington cities

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.