Is Federal Way High School a good school?

Federal Way High School ranks in the bottom 15.1% of Washington high schools.

How many students attend Federal Way High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,645 students attended Federal Way High School.

What is the racial makeup of Federal Way High School?

Students at Federal Way High School are 41% Hispanic, 18% African American, 14% White, 11% Asian, 9% Two or more races, 6% Pacific Islander.

What schools feed into Federal Way High School?

Federal Way High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Lake Grove Elementary School Elementary : Nautilus K-8 School Elementary : Wildwood Elementary School Elementary : Woodmont K-8 School Middle : Sacajawea Middle School

Federal Way High School

Summary:

Federal Way High School is a public high school serving 1,640 students in grades 9-12 in Federal Way, Washington, which is part of the Federal Way School District. The school stands out for its highly diverse student population, with over 75% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, but its academic performance lags behind nearby schools and the state average.

Federal Way High School's student body is 41.4% Hispanic, 18.6% African American, 10.37% Asian, and 6.16% Pacific Islander, making it significantly more diverse than neighboring schools like Decatur High School and Todd Beamer High School. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by standardized test scores, lags behind the state and district averages, with only 54.55% of 10th-grade students proficient in English Language Arts and just 14.38% proficient in math.

Federal Way High School has also seen a decline in its four-year graduation rates, from 92.4% in 2019-2020 to 89.5% in 2022-2023, which is still higher than nearby Career Academy at Truman High School (79.4%) but lower than the state average. The school's dropout rate has also increased, from 5.1% in 2019-2020 to 8.4% in 2022-2023, highlighting the need for targeted interventions and support programs to address the unique challenges faced by the diverse student population.

Detail:

Public 9-12

30611 16th Av S
Federal Way, WA 98003-4126

(253) 945-5400

District: Federal Way School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
371^st of 437 Washington High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,973

Feeder schools for Federal Way High School:

Elementary:	Lake Grove Elementary School
	Nautilus K-8 School
	Wildwood Elementary School
	Woodmont K-8 School
Middle:	Sacajawea Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 20.5

Number of students: 1,645

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

41.3%

African American:

18.3%

White:

13.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 73.3%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Federal Way High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Federal Way High School ranks worse than 84.9% of high schools in Washington. It also ranks 3^rd among 6 ranked high schools in the Federal Way School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.02. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Federal Way 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 Federal Way High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (41.3%), African American (18.3%), White (13.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 73.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Federal Way High School is 20.5, which is the 4^th best among 6 high schools in the Federal Way School District. (See more...)

Compare Federal Way High School employs 80.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Federal Way High School is $18,973. 6 high schools in the Federal Way School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Federal Way High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Federal Way High School 371^st of 437 Washington public high schools. (See Federal Way 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:

African American 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.)

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Rank History for Federal Way High School

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Rank History for all students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	55.76	191^st	390	51.0%
2005	57.44	189^th	394	52.0%
2006	46.12	252^nd	395	36.2%
2007	54.96	204^th	399	48.9%
2008	68.87	117^th	396	70.5%
2009	59.37	191^st	402	52.5%
2010	42.62	270^th	423	36.2%
2011	32.54	309^th	440	29.8%
2012	31.15	332^nd	450	26.2%
2013	36.05	330^th	454	27.3%
2015	19.03	300^th	341	12.0%
2016	32.84	233^rd	306	23.9%
2017	29.44	230^th	301	23.6%
2018	23.21	264^th	315	16.2%
2019	20.54	350^th	417	16.1%
2021	16.61	397^th	455	12.7%
2022	22.62	344^th	434	20.7%
2023	19.11	377^th	442	14.7%
2024	18.02	371^st	437	15.1%

See the entire list of Washington High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	19.04	76^th	91	16.5%
2019	26.76	131^st	163	19.6%
2021	18.52	174^th	195	10.8%
2022	13.25	167^th	179	6.7%
2023	15.79	151^st	166	9.0%
2024	9.50	154^th	161	4.3%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	28.85	52^nd	65	20.0%
2021	31.24	73^rd	102	28.4%
2024	46.28	30^th	68	55.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	21.01	187^th	212	11.8%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	15.87	213^th	227	6.2%
2019	18.10	311^th	344	9.6%
2021	16.50	365^th	392	6.9%
2022	23.17	309^th	370	16.5%
2023	21.15	309^th	362	14.6%
2024	21.09	301^st	356	15.4%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	14.96	42^nd	45	6.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	18.78	216^th	243	11.1%
2019	21.20	299^th	358	16.5%
2021	12.99	358^th	390	8.2%
2022	23.03	301^st	368	18.2%
2023	26.48	272^nd	357	23.8%
2024	16.44	306^th	347	11.8%

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

Rank History for Male students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	21.15	217^th	254	14.6%
2019	17.39	311^th	355	12.4%
2021	19.12	336^th	395	14.9%
2022	17.87	310^th	363	14.6%
2023	11.10	336^th	358	6.1%
2024	16.02	322^nd	362	11.0%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	16.53	77^th	87	11.5%
2019	6.11	117^th	121	3.3%
2021	21.49	111^th	136	18.4%
2022	17.36	113^th	124	8.9%
2023	15.24	104^th	118	11.9%
2024	24.58	88^th	113	22.1%

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

Rank History for African American students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	24.57	45^th	54	16.7%
2019	24.86	72^nd	86	16.3%
2021	19.77	98^th	111	11.7%
2022	23.27	72^nd	89	19.1%
2023	27.15	61^st	78	21.8%
2024	17.63	60^th	70	14.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	19.65	141^st	156	9.6%
2019	20.15	209^th	241	13.3%
2021	25.84	221^st	278	20.5%
2022	32.90	180^th	261	31.0%
2023	22.01	207^th	249	16.9%
2024	23.45	208^th	248	16.1%

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

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	25.08	27^th	33	18.2%
2022	55.62	7^th	17	58.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Federal Way High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	48.69	127^th	222	42.8%
2019	40.29	245^th	382	35.9%
2021	34.20	278^th	413	32.7%
2022	28.58	304^th	390	22.1%
2023	31.63	278^th	379	26.6%
2024	24.10	306^th	374	18.2%

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

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Enrollment information for Federal Way High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	1023	48	139	23	6	n/a	n/a	0	1239
1989	964	47	146	21	7	n/a	n/a	0	1185
1990	928	42	157	27	3	n/a	n/a	0	1157
1991	915	58	153	34	8	n/a	n/a	0	1168
1992	952	70	156	38	12	n/a	n/a	0	1228
1993	971	83	168	41	11	n/a	n/a	0	1274
1994	921	87	199	38	16	n/a	n/a	0	1261
1995	894	126	221	46	17	n/a	n/a	0	1304
1996	894	126	221	46	17	n/a	n/a	0	1304
1997	919	121	221	44	14	n/a	n/a	0	1319
1998	943	95	252	49	12	n/a	n/a	0	1351
1999	960	109	244	47	17	n/a	n/a	0	1377
2000	986	120	238	65	11	n/a	n/a	0	1420
2001	1023	130	270	78	13	n/a	n/a	0	1514
2002	983	189	298	93	15	n/a	n/a	0	1578
2003	983	189	298	93	15	n/a	n/a	0	1578
2004	944	253	311	157	21	n/a	n/a	0	1686
2005	841	248	304	207	18	n/a	n/a	2	1620
2006	744	271	306	253	13	n/a	n/a	19	1606
2007	692	303	280	302	17	n/a	n/a	40	1634
2008	639	263	278	266	18	n/a	n/a	40	1504
2009	588	277	284	313	17	n/a	n/a	49	1528
2010	542	263	278	349	11	n/a	n/a	54	1497
2011	482	247	199	387	7	89	114	0	1525
2012	467	229	182	405	5	120	130	0	1538
2013	445	254	188	425	8	123	144	0	1587
2014	438	244	173	426	17	113	147	0	1558
2015	444	240	167	472	19	134	158	0	1634
2016	405	255	161	473	14	127	177	0	1612
2017	348	223	171	520	7	123	176	0	1568
2018	304	250	173	524	5	151	173	0	1580
2019	298	257	161	574	7	136	158	0	1591
2020	271	266	180	632	6	129	176	1	1661
2021	264	291	156	655	10	109	144	3	1632
2022	248	297	156	624	6	100	155	2	1588
2023	237	305	170	679	4	101	139	5	1640
2024	225	301	182	679	3	106	146	3	1645

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 Federal Way High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1239	58.0	21.3	0
1989	1185	56.0	21.1	n/a
1990	1157	55.9	20.6	0
1991	1168	54.5	21.4	n/a
1992	1228	54.5	22.5	n/a
1993	1274	56.3	22.6	n/a
1994	1261	56.2	22.4	n/a
1995	1304	54.4	24.0	n/a
1996	1304	54.4	24.0	n/a
1997	1319	58.1	22.7	n/a
1998	1351	59.1	22.9	n/a
1999	1377	62.3	22.1	n/a
2000	1420	67.5	21.0	n/a
2001	1514	64.4	23.5	n/a
2002	1578	69.2	22.8	23.5
2003	1578	69.2	22.8	23.5
2004	1686	72.0	23.4	34.3
2005	1620	72.2	22.4	37.5
2006	1606	76.8	20.9	44.1
2007	1634	77.9	21.0	54.6
2008	1504	80.3	18.7	51.7
2009	1528	81.1	18.8	50.6
2010	1497	78.7	19.0	58.3
2011	1525	78.3	19.4	36.3
2012	1538	73.8	20.8	60.9
2013	1587	72.8	21.7	61.8
2014	1558	n/a	n/a	61.4
2015	1634	77.0	21.2	66.2
2016	1612	79.0	20.4	64.9
2017	1568	73.6	21.2	63.8
2018	1580	76.5	20.6	62.8
2019	1591	79.8	19.9	61.3
2020	1661	77.4	21.4	64.5
2021	1632	79.8	20.4	65.9
2022	1588	77.7	20.4	70.3
2023	1640	78.1	20.9	75.4
2024	1645	80.1	20.5	73.3

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 Federal Way High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1239	58.0	21.3	0
1989	1185	56.0	21.1	n/a
1990	1157	55.9	20.6	0
1991	1168	54.5	21.4	n/a
1992	1228	54.5	22.5	n/a
1993	1274	56.3	22.6	n/a
1994	1261	56.2	22.4	n/a
1995	1304	54.4	24.0	n/a
1996	1304	54.4	24.0	n/a
1997	1319	58.1	22.7	n/a
1998	1351	59.1	22.9	n/a
1999	1377	62.3	22.1	n/a
2000	1420	67.5	21.0	n/a
2001	1514	64.4	23.5	n/a
2002	1578	69.2	22.8	23.5
2003	1578	69.2	22.8	23.5
2004	1686	72.0	23.4	34.3
2005	1620	72.2	22.4	37.5
2006	1606	76.8	20.9	44.1
2007	1634	77.9	21.0	54.6
2008	1504	80.3	18.7	51.7
2009	1528	81.1	18.8	50.6
2010	1497	78.7	19.0	58.3
2011	1525	78.3	19.4	36.3
2012	1538	73.8	20.8	60.9
2013	1587	72.8	21.7	61.8
2014	1558	n/a	n/a	61.4
2015	1634	77.0	21.2	66.2
2016	1612	79.0	20.4	64.9
2017	1568	73.6	21.2	63.8
2018	1580	76.5	20.6	62.8
2019	1591	79.8	19.9	61.3
2020	1661	77.4	21.4	64.5
2021	1632	79.8	20.4	65.9
2022	1588	77.7	20.4	70.3
2023	1640	78.1	20.9	75.4
2024	1645	80.1	20.5	73.3

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.

Immunization Rates