Is Washington High School a good school?

Washington High School ranks in the bottom 20.6% of Washington high schools.

How many students attend Washington High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 997 students attended Washington High School.

What is the racial makeup of Washington High School?

Students at Washington High School are 31% Hispanic, 24% White, 16% Two or more races, 12% African American, 10% Pacific Islander, 6% Asian, 1% American Indian.

What schools feed into Washington High School?

Washington High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Brookdale Elementary Elementary : Christensen Elementary Elementary : Elmhurst Elementary School Elementary : James Sales Elementary Middle : Perry G Keithley Middle School

Washington High School

Summary:

Washington High School is a public high school located in Tacoma, Washington, serving grades 9-12 with a diverse student population of 997. The school is part of the Franklin Pierce School District, which is ranked 205 out of 247 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Washington High School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Washington high schools, maintaining a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past 8 years. The school performs particularly poorly for its African American, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander student groups, ranking in the bottom 20-30% of Washington high schools for these subgroups. However, the school's English Language Learner (ELL) students perform relatively well, ranking in the top 20% of Washington high schools. Washington High School's four-year graduation rate ranges from 86.5% to 91.5%, slightly below the state average, and its dropout rate has fluctuated between 4.0% and 10.8%, which is higher than the state average.

Academically, Washington High School's performance, as measured by proficiency rates on state assessments, is significantly below the state and district averages across all subjects and grade levels. In 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rates ranged from 9.52% in 10th grade math to 46.25% in 10th grade English Language Arts, compared to state averages of 33.4% and 66.2%, respectively. While Washington High School outperforms the nearby Gates Secondary School, it performs lower than the Franklin Pierce High School, both of which are part of the Franklin Pierce School District. The school's high percentage of students (67.3%) eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage, likely contributes to its lower academic performance and higher dropout rates compared to more affluent schools in the region.

Detail:

Public 9-12

12420 Ainsworth Ave S
Tacoma, WA 98444-2398

(253) 298-4705

District: Franklin Pierce School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
347^th of 437 Washington High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,115

Feeder schools for Washington High School:

Elementary:	Brookdale Elementary
	Christensen Elementary
	Elmhurst Elementary School
	James Sales Elementary
Middle:	Perry G Keithley Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.0

Number of students: 997

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

31.1%

White:

23.9%

Two or more races:

15.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 67.3%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare Washington High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Washington High School ranks worse than 79.4% of high schools in Washington. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 23.79. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Washington High School freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

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 Washington High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (31.1%), White (23.9%), two or more races (15.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 67.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Washington High School is 16. 1 high schools in the Franklin Pierce School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Washington High School employs 62.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Washington High School is $20,115. 1 high schools in the Franklin Pierce School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Washington High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Washington High School 347^th of 437 Washington public high schools. (See Washington 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:

Pacific Islander students:

White students:

Franklin Pierce School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Franklin Pierce School District 205^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Washington High School

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Rank History for all students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	28.32	292^nd	390	25.1%
2005	33.63	294^th	394	25.4%
2006	23.31	322^nd	395	18.5%
2007	42.60	268^th	399	32.8%
2008	27.87	319^th	396	19.4%
2009	36.79	284^th	402	29.4%
2010	34.72	306^th	423	27.7%
2011	29.67	322^nd	440	26.8%
2012	35.56	314^th	450	30.2%
2013	45.52	287^th	454	36.8%
2015	51.09	145^th	341	57.5%
2016	34.08	225^th	306	26.5%
2017	28.83	234^th	301	22.3%
2018	33.17	236^th	315	25.1%
2019	26.56	323^rd	417	22.5%
2021	14.41	410^th	455	9.9%
2022	24.06	335^th	434	22.8%
2023	17.87	384^th	442	13.1%
2024	23.79	347^th	437	20.6%

See the entire list of Washington High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	35.15	61^st	91	33.0%
2019	9.69	157^th	163	3.7%
2021	6.99	189^th	195	3.1%
2022	19.92	154^th	179	14.0%
2023	15.59	153^rd	166	7.8%
2024	28.37	122^nd	161	24.2%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	20.27	59^th	65	9.2%
2021	36.55	52^nd	102	49.0%
2024	72.30	11^th	68	83.8%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	20.89	189^th	212	10.8%

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

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

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	37.45	166^th	227	26.9%
2019	37.63	232^nd	344	32.6%
2021	18.41	356^th	392	9.2%
2022	30.04	270^th	370	27.0%
2023	24.29	294^th	362	18.8%
2024	31.00	262^nd	356	26.4%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	39.91	26^th	43	39.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	28.80	274^th	358	23.5%
2021	12.54	364^th	390	6.7%
2022	22.95	302^nd	368	17.9%
2023	14.92	325^th	357	9.0%
2024	18.31	298^th	347	14.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	25.85	206^th	254	18.9%
2019	21.29	297^th	355	16.3%
2021	16.41	352^nd	395	10.9%
2022	21.30	293^rd	363	19.3%
2023	15.09	321^st	358	10.3%
2024	23.48	286^th	362	21.0%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	12.58	112^th	121	7.4%
2021	21.53	110^th	136	19.1%
2022	19.17	107^th	124	13.7%
2023	20.78	98^th	118	16.9%
2024	34.55	73^rd	113	35.4%

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

Rank History for African American students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	41.11	30^th	54	44.4%
2019	27.80	66^th	86	23.3%
2021	33.77	79^th	111	28.8%
2022	32.27	60^th	89	32.6%
2023	14.46	73^rd	78	6.4%
2024	17.16	62^nd	70	11.4%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	42.12	130^th	241	46.1%
2021	30.89	192^nd	278	30.9%
2022	42.29	145^th	261	44.4%
2023	20.30	213^th	249	14.5%
2024	26.95	192^nd	248	22.6%

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

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	65.05	2^nd	6	66.7%
2019	74.75	3^rd	18	83.3%
2021	36.32	23^rd	33	30.3%
2022	51.32	11^th	17	35.3%
2024	29.23	7^th	8	12.5%

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

Rank History for White students at Washington High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	33.08	287^th	382	24.9%
2021	16.94	371^st	413	10.2%
2022	15.60	347^th	390	11.0%
2023	27.78	294^th	379	22.4%
2024	26.93	291^st	374	22.2%

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 Washington High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	743	67	103	27	10	n/a	n/a	0	950
1989	686	70	91	23	7	n/a	n/a	0	877
1990	697	56	103	28	10	n/a	n/a	0	894
1991	674	89	106	26	6	n/a	n/a	0	901
1992	674	102	108	26	8	n/a	n/a	0	918
1993	653	83	84	21	4	n/a	n/a	0	845
1994	629	63	65	33	12	n/a	n/a	0	802
1995	615	61	87	36	13	n/a	n/a	0	812
1996	615	61	87	36	13	n/a	n/a	0	812
1997	576	83	95	35	18	n/a	n/a	0	807
1998	549	83	120	33	11	n/a	n/a	0	796
1999	537	119	131	32	14	n/a	n/a	0	833
2000	589	114	123	32	22	n/a	n/a	0	880
2001	531	137	137	37	22	n/a	n/a	0	864
2002	559	172	157	60	12	n/a	n/a	0	960
2003	559	172	157	60	12	n/a	n/a	0	960
2004	543	170	158	77	17	n/a	n/a	0	965
2005	626	167	171	86	26	n/a	n/a	0	1076
2006	507	149	168	85	18	n/a	n/a	1	928
2007	468	155	157	109	18	n/a	n/a	8	915
2008	449	169	196	143	20	n/a	n/a	12	989
2009	438	169	184	129	17	n/a	n/a	22	959
2010	399	186	209	135	18	n/a	n/a	19	966
2011	428	165	68	146	11	132	51	0	1001
2012	405	161	86	148	11	116	80	0	1007
2013	391	143	96	174	14	101	91	0	1010
2014	369	157	86	167	9	98	107	0	993
2015	335	164	77	173	8	105	105	0	967
2016	337	163	65	192	6	104	114	0	981
2017	342	165	57	205	12	98	141	0	1020
2018	318	130	43	254	12	99	129	0	985
2019	292	123	49	263	12	95	125	0	959
2020	266	131	56	273	13	94	140	0	973
2021	246	129	44	301	12	98	144	0	974
2022	252	134	49	302	9	95	151	0	992
2023	238	123	60	310	11	98	157	0	997

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 Washington High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	950	43.0	22.0	0
1989	877	41.0	21.3	n/a
1990	894	42.9	20.8	0
1991	901	42.3	21.3	n/a
1992	918	41.2	22.2	n/a
1993	845	41.1	20.6	n/a
1994	802	38.5	20.8	n/a
1995	812	41.0	19.8	n/a
1996	812	41.0	19.8	n/a
1997	807	36.6	22.0	n/a
1998	796	40.1	19.9	n/a
1999	833	41.0	20.3	n/a
2000	880	40.1	21.9	n/a
2001	864	48.8	17.7	n/a
2002	960	46.0	20.9	44.5
2003	960	46.0	20.9	44.5
2004	965	48.0	20.1	42.4
2005	1076	47.8	22.5	37.8
2006	928	48.0	19.3	50.1
2007	915	45.3	20.2	47.9
2008	989	48.0	20.6	51.2
2009	959	49.0	19.6	59.6
2010	966	47.8	20.2	63.1
2011	1001	50.2	19.9	54.1
2012	1007	53.9	18.6	62.9
2013	1010	52.5	19.2	67.5
2014	993	n/a	n/a	71
2015	967	54.0	17.9	73.5
2016	981	54.0	18.1	73.5
2017	1020	54.8	18.5	74.4
2018	985	55.0	17.9	73.9
2019	959	56.5	16.9	79.7
2020	973	57.3	16.9	76.9
2021	974	56.4	17.2	66.5
2022	992	58.2	17.0	65.7
2023	997	62.1	16.0	67.3

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 Washington High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	950	43.0	22.0	0
1989	877	41.0	21.3	n/a
1990	894	42.9	20.8	0
1991	901	42.3	21.3	n/a
1992	918	41.2	22.2	n/a
1993	845	41.1	20.6	n/a
1994	802	38.5	20.8	n/a
1995	812	41.0	19.8	n/a
1996	812	41.0	19.8	n/a
1997	807	36.6	22.0	n/a
1998	796	40.1	19.9	n/a
1999	833	41.0	20.3	n/a
2000	880	40.1	21.9	n/a
2001	864	48.8	17.7	n/a
2002	960	46.0	20.9	44.5
2003	960	46.0	20.9	44.5
2004	965	48.0	20.1	42.4
2005	1076	47.8	22.5	37.8
2006	928	48.0	19.3	50.1
2007	915	45.3	20.2	47.9
2008	989	48.0	20.6	51.2
2009	959	49.0	19.6	59.6
2010	966	47.8	20.2	63.1
2011	1001	50.2	19.9	54.1
2012	1007	53.9	18.6	62.9
2013	1010	52.5	19.2	67.5
2014	993	n/a	n/a	71
2015	967	54.0	17.9	73.5
2016	981	54.0	18.1	73.5
2017	1020	54.8	18.5	74.4
2018	985	55.0	17.9	73.9
2019	959	56.5	16.9	79.7
2020	973	57.3	16.9	76.9
2021	974	56.4	17.2	66.5
2022	992	58.2	17.0	65.7
2023	997	62.1	16.0	67.3

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