Is Thomas Jefferson High School a good school?

Thomas Jefferson High School ranks in the bottom 13.7% of Washington high schools.

How many students attend Thomas Jefferson High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,797 students attended Thomas Jefferson High School.

What is the racial makeup of Thomas Jefferson High School?

Students at Thomas Jefferson High School are 37% Hispanic, 20% White, 16% Asian, 13% African American, 8% Two or more races, 5% Pacific Islander.

What schools feed into Thomas Jefferson High School?

Thomas Jefferson High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Camelot Elementary School Elementary : Meredith Hill Elementary School Elementary : Star Lake Elementary School Elementary : Sunnycrest Elementary School Elementary : Valhalla Elementary School Middle : Evergreen Middle School Middle : Kilo Middle School

Thomas Jefferson High School

Summary:

Thomas Jefferson High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Auburn, Washington, with a total enrollment of 1,797 students. 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.

Thomas Jefferson High School has a diverse student population, with a higher percentage of Hispanic (37.28%) and Pacific Islander (5.06%) students compared to the state average. However, the school consistently underperforms compared to state and district averages in standardized test scores, with only 44.62% of students proficient or better in SBAC/English Language Arts and 16.71% in SBAC/Math. The school also has a relatively high four-year graduation rate of 89.8%, but this is still slightly lower than the state average, and it has a higher dropout rate of 6.4% compared to the state.

The challenges faced by Thomas Jefferson High School appear to be systemic within the Federal Way School District, as nearby schools like Gateway to College, Career Academy at Truman High School, and Open Doors Youth Reengagement also perform poorly, with low test scores, high dropout rates, and low graduation rates. This suggests that the school and district may need to take a comprehensive, data-driven approach to address the underlying factors contributing to these challenges and improve academic outcomes for all students.

Detail:

Public 9-12

4248 S 288th St
Auburn, WA 98001-2820

(253) 945-5600

District: Federal Way School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
377^th of 437 Washington High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,496

Feeder schools for Thomas Jefferson High School:

Elementary:	Camelot Elementary School
	Meredith Hill Elementary School
	Star Lake Elementary School
	Sunnycrest Elementary School
	More...
	Valhalla Elementary School
Middle:	Evergreen Middle School
	Kilo Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 23.5

Number of students: 1,797

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

37.3%

White:

19.8%

Asian:

16.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 71.6%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Thomas Jefferson High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Thomas Jefferson High School ranks worse than 86.3% of high schools in Washington. It also ranks 4^th among 6 ranked high schools in the Federal Way School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 17.01. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Thomas Jefferson 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 Thomas Jefferson High School has the largest high school student body size in the Federal Way School District. Student population at Thomas Jefferson High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (37.3%), White (19.8%), Asian (16.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 71.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson High School is 23.5. 6 high schools in the Federal Way School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Thomas Jefferson High School employs 76.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Thomas Jefferson High School is $18,496. 7 high schools in the Federal Way School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Thomas Jefferson High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Thomas Jefferson High School 377^th of 437 Washington public high schools. (See Thomas Jefferson 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:

Homeless 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 Thomas Jefferson High School

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Rank History for all students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	61.16	164^th	390	57.9%
2005	72.03	102^nd	394	74.1%
2006	74.14	87^th	395	78.0%
2007	81.11	49^th	399	87.7%
2008	79.27	57^th	396	85.6%
2009	73.98	93^rd	402	76.9%
2010	66.81	149^th	423	64.8%
2011	52.26	210^th	440	52.3%
2012	50.39	243^rd	450	46.0%
2013	48.56	268^th	454	41.0%
2015	31.48	248^th	341	27.3%
2016	36.40	219^th	306	28.4%
2017	33.43	224^th	301	25.6%
2018	29.34	243^rd	315	22.9%
2019	34.13	297^th	417	28.8%
2021	15.16	406^th	455	10.8%
2022	22.34	346^th	434	20.3%
2023	20.90	359^th	442	18.8%
2024	17.01	377^th	437	13.7%

See the entire list of Washington High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	29.84	69^th	91	24.2%
2019	31.61	121^st	163	25.8%
2021	22.90	164^th	195	15.9%
2022	25.68	141^st	179	21.2%
2023	21.84	140^th	166	15.7%
2024	22.20	134^th	161	16.8%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	25.05	56^th	65	13.8%
2019	39.84	44^th	69	36.2%
2021	16.95	99^th	102	2.9%
2022	16.26	66^th	70	5.7%
2023	13.74	43^rd	44	2.3%
2024	17.43	63^rd	68	7.4%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	37.37	126^th	212	40.6%
2022	18.47	119^th	130	8.5%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	14.99	216^th	227	4.8%
2019	27.81	268^th	344	22.1%
2021	12.69	378^th	392	3.6%
2022	16.11	342^nd	370	7.6%
2023	17.10	327^th	362	9.7%
2024	13.80	337^th	356	5.3%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	29.25	20^th	24	16.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	25.35	202^nd	243	16.9%
2019	30.16	268^th	358	25.1%
2021	14.80	350^th	390	10.3%
2022	21.62	308^th	368	16.3%
2023	12.37	337^th	357	5.6%
2024	15.16	312^th	347	10.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	25.41	208^th	254	18.1%
2019	34.66	249^th	355	29.9%
2021	14.82	357^th	395	9.6%
2022	17.16	313^th	363	13.8%
2023	22.93	279^th	358	22.1%
2024	13.08	335^th	362	7.5%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	37.57	62^nd	87	28.7%
2019	43.89	72^nd	121	40.5%
2021	17.62	118^th	136	13.2%
2022	20.97	104^th	124	16.1%
2023	17.95	102^nd	118	13.6%
2024	12.34	106^th	113	6.2%

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

Rank History for African American students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	25.34	43^rd	54	20.4%
2019	30.32	63^rd	86	26.7%
2021	18.44	102^nd	111	8.1%
2022	30.52	64^th	89	28.1%
2023	23.93	63^rd	78	19.2%
2024	14.36	65^th	70	7.1%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	10.95	153^rd	156	1.9%
2019	29.80	179^th	241	25.7%
2021	10.90	270^th	278	2.9%
2022	12.04	252^nd	261	3.4%
2023	18.49	222^nd	249	10.8%
2024	10.66	242^nd	248	2.4%

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

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	42.21	11^th	18	38.9%
2021	17.20	31^st	33	6.1%

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

Rank History for White students at Thomas Jefferson High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	33.12	183^rd	222	17.6%
2019	42.15	232^nd	382	39.3%
2021	34.28	277^th	413	32.9%
2022	53.64	175^th	390	55.1%
2023	32.94	269^th	379	29.0%
2024	27.16	289^th	374	22.7%

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 Thomas Jefferson High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	1028	32	59	29	3	n/a	n/a	0	1151
1989	961	34	74	30	9	n/a	n/a	0	1108
1990	862	23	83	32	4	n/a	n/a	0	1004
1991	841	28	96	37	8	n/a	n/a	0	1010
1992	859	30	100	32	11	n/a	n/a	0	1032
1993	937	46	121	33	12	n/a	n/a	0	1149
1994	980	49	140	51	15	n/a	n/a	0	1235
1995	1047	60	136	60	16	n/a	n/a	0	1319
1996	1047	60	136	60	16	n/a	n/a	0	1319
1997	1007	79	130	62	18	n/a	n/a	0	1296
1998	1055	100	174	73	12	n/a	n/a	0	1414
1999	1060	111	202	68	11	n/a	n/a	0	1452
2000	1123	125	205	81	12	n/a	n/a	0	1546
2001	1093	128	199	81	17	n/a	n/a	0	1518
2002	1058	131	245	126	21	n/a	n/a	0	1581
2003	1058	131	245	126	21	n/a	n/a	0	1581
2004	1240	144	301	174	28	n/a	n/a	0	1887
2005	1189	169	302	193	27	n/a	n/a	1	1881
2006	1132	193	316	253	27	n/a	n/a	10	1931
2007	1059	202	375	268	25	n/a	n/a	21	1950
2008	999	203	429	318	26	n/a	n/a	34	2009
2009	955	220	465	364	22	n/a	n/a	46	2072
2010	872	182	470	338	24	n/a	n/a	50	1936
2011	818	178	389	405	15	36	103	0	1944
2012	744	158	356	368	10	30	126	0	1792
2013	761	153	339	347	8	18	117	0	1743
2014	695	156	334	394	7	29	127	0	1742
2015	639	185	363	453	10	38	142	0	1830
2016	600	182	359	468	7	34	148	0	1798
2017	528	228	337	452	4	43	174	0	1766
2018	449	217	338	457	4	61	177	0	1703
2019	434	218	337	524	10	64	158	0	1745
2020	401	191	326	559	9	60	149	0	1695
2021	379	197	311	604	10	51	143	0	1695
2022	356	197	275	610	7	62	129	6	1642
2023	355	239	292	670	9	91	136	5	1797

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 Thomas Jefferson High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1151	53.0	21.7	0
1989	1108	51.0	21.7	n/a
1990	1004	48.6	20.6	0
1991	1010	47.5	21.2	n/a
1992	1032	45.8	22.5	n/a
1993	1149	48.3	23.8	n/a
1994	1235	53.3	23.2	n/a
1995	1319	61.1	21.6	n/a
1996	1319	61.1	21.6	n/a
1997	1296	61.8	21.0	n/a
1998	1414	64.1	22.1	n/a
1999	1452	68.9	21.1	n/a
2000	1546	74.0	20.9	n/a
2001	1518	71.7	21.2	n/a
2002	1581	72.0	22.0	25.7
2003	1581	72.0	22.0	25.7
2004	1887	82.0	23.0	29.5
2005	1881	81.5	23.1	30.7
2006	1931	82.6	23.4	28.8
2007	1950	86.5	22.5	35.4
2008	2009	86.1	23.3	38.5
2009	2072	87.1	23.8	34.8
2010	1936	87.0	22.2	41.1
2011	1944	86.8	22.3	30.8
2012	1792	83.7	21.3	48.8
2013	1743	77.8	22.3	49.6
2014	1742	n/a	n/a	50.2
2015	1830	83.0	22.0	54.9
2016	1798	83.0	21.6	54.7
2017	1766	83.7	21.0	55.7
2018	1703	77.6	21.9	55
2019	1745	77.2	22.5	55.4
2020	1695	74.0	22.9	56
2021	1695	75.8	22.3	57.5
2022	1642	74.0	22.1	62.1
2023	1797	76.2	23.5	71.6

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 Thomas Jefferson High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1151	53.0	21.7	0
1989	1108	51.0	21.7	n/a
1990	1004	48.6	20.6	0
1991	1010	47.5	21.2	n/a
1992	1032	45.8	22.5	n/a
1993	1149	48.3	23.8	n/a
1994	1235	53.3	23.2	n/a
1995	1319	61.1	21.6	n/a
1996	1319	61.1	21.6	n/a
1997	1296	61.8	21.0	n/a
1998	1414	64.1	22.1	n/a
1999	1452	68.9	21.1	n/a
2000	1546	74.0	20.9	n/a
2001	1518	71.7	21.2	n/a
2002	1581	72.0	22.0	25.7
2003	1581	72.0	22.0	25.7
2004	1887	82.0	23.0	29.5
2005	1881	81.5	23.1	30.7
2006	1931	82.6	23.4	28.8
2007	1950	86.5	22.5	35.4
2008	2009	86.1	23.3	38.5
2009	2072	87.1	23.8	34.8
2010	1936	87.0	22.2	41.1
2011	1944	86.8	22.3	30.8
2012	1792	83.7	21.3	48.8
2013	1743	77.8	22.3	49.6
2014	1742	n/a	n/a	50.2
2015	1830	83.0	22.0	54.9
2016	1798	83.0	21.6	54.7
2017	1766	83.7	21.0	55.7
2018	1703	77.6	21.9	55
2019	1745	77.2	22.5	55.4
2020	1695	74.0	22.9	56
2021	1695	75.8	22.3	57.5
2022	1642	74.0	22.1	62.1
2023	1797	76.2	23.5	71.6

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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