Is Decatur High School a good school?

Decatur High School ranks in the bottom 8.7% of Washington high schools.

How many students attend Decatur High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,327 students attended Decatur High School.

What is the racial makeup of Decatur High School?

Students at Decatur High School are 32% Hispanic, 24% White, 14% African American, 13% Two or more races, 10% Asian, 6% Pacific Islander.

What schools feed into Decatur High School?

Decatur High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Adelaide Elementary School Elementary : Brigadoon Elementary School Elementary : Green Gables Elementary School Elementary : Olympic View Elementary School Elementary : Silver Lake Elementary School Elementary : Twin Lakes Elementary School Middle : Lakota Middle School

Decatur High School

Summary:

Decatur High School is a public high school located in Federal Way, Washington, serving 1,327 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Federal Way School District, which is ranked 213 out of 247 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Decatur High School stands out for its diverse student population, with a racial makeup that is more balanced than nearby schools, which tend to have a larger percentage of White and Asian students. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by standardized test scores, is generally lower than the state and district averages. For example, only 45.97% of Decatur High School students were proficient or better in SBAC/English Language Arts, compared to 52.63% statewide and 35.31% in the Federal Way School District. The school's four-year graduation rate has also fluctuated in recent years, ranging from 86.9% to 92.3%, and its dropout rate has varied from 2.3% to 7.7%.

Decatur High School serves a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 63.68% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, significantly higher than the nearby schools, which range from 35.96% to 80.88%. This suggests that the school may face unique challenges in supporting its diverse student population. However, the availability of nearby magnet and alternative schools, such as Technology Access Foundation Academy at Saghalie and Career Academy at Truman High School, could provide opportunities for innovative approaches to education and support for Decatur High School's students.

Detail:

Public 9-12

2800 SW 320th St
Federal Way, WA 98023-2207

(253) 945-5200

District: Federal Way School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
399^th of 437 Washington High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,222

Feeder schools for Decatur High School:

Elementary:	Adelaide Elementary School
	Brigadoon Elementary School
	Green Gables Elementary School
	Olympic View Elementary School
	More...
	Silver Lake Elementary School
	Twin Lakes Elementary School
Middle:	Lakota Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 22.6

Number of students: 1,327

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

31.6%

White:

24.0%

African American:

13.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 63.7%

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Compare Decatur High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Decatur High School ranks worse than 91.3% of high schools in Washington. It also ranks 5^th among 6 ranked high schools in the Federal Way School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 14.38. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Decatur High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Decatur High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (31.6%), White (24%), African American (13.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 63.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Decatur High School is 22.6. 5 high schools in the Federal Way School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Decatur High School employs 58.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Decatur High School is $19,222. 5 high schools in the Federal Way School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Decatur High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Decatur High School 399^th of 437 Washington public high schools. (See Decatur High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Federal Way School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Federal Way School District 213^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Decatur High School

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Rank History for all students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	56.86	188^th	390	51.8%
2005	68.60	125^th	394	68.3%
2006	69.43	118^th	395	70.1%
2007	60.69	172^nd	399	56.9%
2008	61.53	164^th	396	58.6%
2009	69.94	121^st	402	69.9%
2010	47.60	247^th	423	41.6%
2011	39.72	276^th	440	37.3%
2012	41.75	293^rd	450	34.9%
2013	48.17	270^th	454	40.5%
2015	11.02	325^th	341	4.7%
2016	31.16	237^th	306	22.5%
2017	40.26	204^th	301	32.2%
2018	20.99	270^th	315	14.3%
2019	26.55	324^th	417	22.3%
2021	19.42	382^nd	455	16.0%
2022	22.80	342^nd	434	21.2%
2023	21.90	349^th	442	21.0%
2024	14.38	399^th	437	8.7%

See the entire list of Washington High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	9.65	86^th	91	5.5%
2019	43.60	91^st	163	44.2%
2021	22.55	166^th	195	14.9%
2022	28.02	139^th	179	22.3%
2023	29.44	119^th	166	28.3%
2024	12.12	150^th	161	6.8%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	26.09	83^rd	102	18.6%
2024	36.42	37^th	68	45.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	15.02	205^th	212	3.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	8.62	223^rd	227	1.8%
2019	19.74	302^nd	344	12.2%
2021	14.06	375^th	392	4.3%
2022	14.35	348^th	370	5.9%
2023	17.49	326^th	362	9.9%
2024	10.87	342^nd	356	3.9%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	56.68	5^th	19	73.7%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	14.21	221^st	243	9.1%
2019	20.15	303^rd	358	15.4%
2021	17.82	337^th	390	13.6%
2022	22.55	304^th	368	17.4%
2023	18.16	302^nd	357	15.4%
2024	14.25	317^th	347	8.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	20.75	219^th	254	13.8%
2019	28.91	270^th	355	23.9%
2021	20.08	331^st	395	16.2%
2022	18.58	305^th	363	16.0%
2023	18.65	299^th	358	16.5%
2024	10.29	346^th	362	4.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	27.70	95^th	121	21.5%
2021	18.18	117^th	136	14.0%
2022	27.15	94^th	124	24.2%
2023	25.87	87^th	118	26.3%
2024	7.44	110^th	113	2.7%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	25.21	44^th	54	18.5%
2021	19.68	99^th	111	10.8%
2022	11.02	84^th	89	5.6%
2023	23.68	64^th	78	17.9%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	21.70	137^th	156	12.2%
2019	32.55	168^th	241	30.3%
2021	22.41	240^th	278	13.7%
2022	20.81	227^th	261	13.0%
2023	22.45	205^th	249	17.7%
2024	13.75	236^th	248	4.8%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	43.67	19^th	33	42.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for Pacific Islander Students!

Rank History for White students at Decatur High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	16.69	200^th	222	9.9%
2019	29.06	304^th	382	20.4%
2021	28.19	311^th	413	24.7%
2022	40.26	242^nd	390	37.9%
2023	30.00	283^rd	379	25.3%
2024	18.32	327^th	374	12.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:
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Enrollment information for Decatur High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	1032	46	98	22	7	n/a	n/a	0	1205
1989	980	50	103	19	5	n/a	n/a	0	1157
1990	958	66	113	28	9	n/a	n/a	0	1174
1991	958	65	125	33	12	n/a	n/a	0	1193
1992	980	75	152	39	9	n/a	n/a	0	1255
1993	1004	79	158	38	15	n/a	n/a	0	1294
1994	1000	86	146	47	8	n/a	n/a	0	1287
1995	906	91	174	55	6	n/a	n/a	0	1232
1996	906	91	174	55	6	n/a	n/a	0	1232
1997	955	116	201	49	12	n/a	n/a	0	1333
1998	975	152	218	52	17	n/a	n/a	0	1414
1999	977	156	203	44	17	n/a	n/a	0	1397
2000	988	160	228	61	12	n/a	n/a	0	1449
2001	988	181	210	65	11	n/a	n/a	0	1455
2002	939	159	222	82	16	n/a	n/a	0	1418
2003	939	159	222	82	16	n/a	n/a	0	1418
2004	1094	172	291	147	22	n/a	n/a	0	1726
2005	1090	166	275	166	25	n/a	n/a	3	1725
2006	953	219	300	177	35	n/a	n/a	15	1699
2007	895	219	279	189	30	n/a	n/a	11	1623
2008	818	234	249	199	31	n/a	n/a	20	1551
2009	750	258	257	225	21	n/a	n/a	27	1538
2010	722	201	231	238	34	n/a	n/a	41	1467
2011	663	176	161	297	21	48	99	0	1465
2012	614	184	189	275	14	45	98	0	1419
2013	610	171	177	304	14	31	94	0	1401
2014	562	181	170	304	14	41	107	0	1379
2015	521	180	153	294	9	50	111	0	1318
2016	529	210	143	319	7	63	136	0	1407
2017	514	215	129	335	9	67	131	0	1400
2018	491	204	130	352	7	70	149	0	1403
2019	469	203	134	388	13	78	154	1	1440
2020	423	185	128	393	10	77	156	1	1373
2021	382	211	122	410	8	90	160	2	1385
2022	338	185	123	396	4	81	154	6	1287
2023	319	181	138	419	6	80	174	10	1327

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Decatur High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1205	53.0	22.7	0
1989	1157	50.0	23.1	n/a
1990	1174	50.4	23.2	0
1991	1193	52.0	22.9	n/a
1992	1255	51.0	24.6	n/a
1993	1294	54.1	23.9	n/a
1994	1287	54.9	23.4	n/a
1995	1232	52.6	23.4	n/a
1996	1232	52.6	23.4	n/a
1997	1333	59.5	22.4	n/a
1998	1414	62.8	22.5	n/a
1999	1397	57.6	24.3	n/a
2000	1449	62.2	23.3	n/a
2001	1455	61.9	23.5	n/a
2002	1418	63.5	22.3	21.8
2003	1418	63.5	22.3	21.8
2004	1726	72.0	24.0	24
2005	1725	71.6	24.1	24.7
2006	1699	72.0	23.6	27.7
2007	1623	73.2	22.2	35.2
2008	1551	69.2	22.4	36.8
2009	1538	69.2	22.2	34.7
2010	1467	66.5	22.0	39.6
2011	1465	66.5	22.0	28.4
2012	1419	64.3	22.0	47.4
2013	1401	62.4	22.4	47.5
2014	1379	n/a	n/a	47.9
2015	1318	62.0	21.2	50.9
2016	1407	64.0	21.9	49.2
2017	1400	68.7	20.3	48.4
2018	1403	68.6	20.4	48.8
2019	1440	64.1	22.4	51.4
2020	1373	66.8	20.5	49.9
2021	1385	63.8	21.6	53
2022	1287	61.8	20.8	56
2023	1327	58.6	22.6	63.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Decatur High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1205	53.0	22.7	0
1989	1157	50.0	23.1	n/a
1990	1174	50.4	23.2	0
1991	1193	52.0	22.9	n/a
1992	1255	51.0	24.6	n/a
1993	1294	54.1	23.9	n/a
1994	1287	54.9	23.4	n/a
1995	1232	52.6	23.4	n/a
1996	1232	52.6	23.4	n/a
1997	1333	59.5	22.4	n/a
1998	1414	62.8	22.5	n/a
1999	1397	57.6	24.3	n/a
2000	1449	62.2	23.3	n/a
2001	1455	61.9	23.5	n/a
2002	1418	63.5	22.3	21.8
2003	1418	63.5	22.3	21.8
2004	1726	72.0	24.0	24
2005	1725	71.6	24.1	24.7
2006	1699	72.0	23.6	27.7
2007	1623	73.2	22.2	35.2
2008	1551	69.2	22.4	36.8
2009	1538	69.2	22.2	34.7
2010	1467	66.5	22.0	39.6
2011	1465	66.5	22.0	28.4
2012	1419	64.3	22.0	47.4
2013	1401	62.4	22.4	47.5
2014	1379	n/a	n/a	47.9
2015	1318	62.0	21.2	50.9
2016	1407	64.0	21.9	49.2
2017	1400	68.7	20.3	48.4
2018	1403	68.6	20.4	48.8
2019	1440	64.1	22.4	51.4
2020	1373	66.8	20.5	49.9
2021	1385	63.8	21.6	53
2022	1287	61.8	20.8	56
2023	1327	58.6	22.6	63.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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