Is West Seattle High School a good school?

West Seattle High School ranks 69 th of 437 Washington high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend West Seattle High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,392 students attended West Seattle High School.

What is the racial makeup of West Seattle High School?

Students at West Seattle High School are 65% White, 12% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 4% African American, 2% Not Specified.

What schools feed into West Seattle High School?

West Seattle High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Alki Elementary School Elementary : Fairmount Park Elementary School Elementary : Gatewood Elementary School Elementary : Genesee Hill Elementary Elementary : Lafayette Elementary School Middle : Madison Middle School

West Seattle High School

Summary:

West Seattle High School is a public high school serving 1,329 students in grades 9-12 in the Seattle School District. The school has a diverse student population, with a racial makeup of 64.71% White, 11.66% Hispanic, 4.82% African American, and 4.67% Asian.

West Seattle High School consistently performs well academically, ranking 69th out of 437 high schools in Washington state and receiving a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's strong test scores, with 86.69% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 56.92% proficient or better in Math, significantly exceed state and district averages. West Seattle High School also maintains a high 91.9% four-year graduation rate, higher than the district and state averages. The school performs well across various student subgroups, including female students, male students, Hispanic students, and White students, as well as English Language Learners and Special Education students.

While West Seattle High School has a majority White student population, it maintains a relatively diverse student body compared to some nearby schools, such as Interagency Detention School and Cleveland High School STEM, which have higher concentrations of specific racial groups. Additionally, West Seattle High School serves a more socioeconomically diverse student population, with a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch compared to nearby schools like Interagency Programs.

Detail:

Public 9-12

3000 California Av SW
Seattle, WA 98116-3302

(206) 252-8800

District: Seattle School District No. 1

SchoolDigger Rank:
69^th of 437 Washington High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,535

Feeder schools for West Seattle High School:

Elementary:	Alki Elementary School
	Fairmount Park Elementary School
	Gatewood Elementary School
	Genesee Hill Elementary
	More...
	Lafayette Elementary School
Middle:	Madison Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 22.0

Number of students: 1,392

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.0%

Hispanic:

12.0%

Two or more races:

11.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 19%

See top rated Washington high schools

Compare West Seattle High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details West Seattle High School ranks better than 84.2% of high schools in Washington. It also ranks 8^th among 15 ranked high schools in the Seattle School District No. 1. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 81.09. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at West Seattle 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 Racial makeup is: White (65%), Hispanic (12%), two or more races (11.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 19% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at West Seattle High School is 22. 13 high schools in the Seattle School District No. 1 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare West Seattle High School employs 63.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Seattle High School is $18,535. 15 high schools in the Seattle School District No. 1 spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

West Seattle High School:

SchoolDigger ranks West Seattle High School 69^th of 437 Washington public high schools. (See West Seattle High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Seattle School District No. 1:

SchoolDigger ranks Seattle School District No. 1 48^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for West Seattle High School.

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Rank History for West Seattle High School

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Rank History for all students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	44.23	244^th	390	37.4%
2005	48.03	236^th	394	40.1%
2006	54.71	206^th	395	47.8%
2007	56.95	193^rd	399	51.6%
2008	56.75	200^th	396	49.5%
2009	57.69	200^th	402	50.2%
2010	45.12	259^th	423	38.8%
2011	36.52	292^nd	440	33.6%
2012	52.66	227^th	450	49.6%
2013	60.32	182^nd	454	59.9%
2015	18.72	301^st	341	11.7%
2016	73.52	65^th	306	78.8%
2017	74.15	71^st	301	76.4%
2018	66.61	103^rd	315	67.3%
2019	80.76	58^th	417	86.1%
2021	78.58	69^th	455	84.8%
2022	87.81	40^th	434	90.8%
2023	88.52	41^st	442	90.7%
2024	81.09	69^th	437	84.2%

See the entire list of Washington High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	60.82	56^th	163	65.6%
2021	65.62	54^th	195	72.3%
2022	81.10	29^th	179	83.8%
2023	81.67	25^th	166	84.9%
2024	75.18	35^th	161	78.3%

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

Rank History for English Language Learner students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	38.91	41^st	65	36.9%
2022	90.80	5^th	70	92.9%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	54.74	51^st	139	63.3%
2021	63.67	39^th	212	81.6%
2022	91.57	5^th	130	96.2%
2023	94.76	8^th	110	92.7%
2024	78.43	15^th	110	86.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	53.60	116^th	227	48.9%
2019	71.62	72^nd	344	79.1%
2021	49.20	179^th	392	54.3%
2022	70.41	84^th	370	77.3%
2023	74.02	56^th	362	84.5%
2024	50.26	170^th	356	52.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	58.72	110^th	243	54.7%
2019	83.18	41^st	358	88.5%
2021	80.81	46^th	390	88.2%
2022	85.92	33^rd	368	91.0%
2023	85.58	42^nd	357	88.2%
2024	77.24	64^th	347	81.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	69.26	73^rd	254	71.3%
2019	77.33	66^th	355	81.4%
2021	75.10	75^th	395	81.0%
2022	86.51	40^th	363	89.0%
2023	88.10	34^th	358	90.5%
2024	79.69	63^rd	362	82.6%

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

Rank History for Asian students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	53.80	45^th	87	48.3%
2019	63.44	40^th	121	66.9%
2021	61.66	47^th	136	65.4%
2022	59.15	46^th	124	62.9%
2023	61.38	41^st	118	65.3%
2024	55.03	47^th	113	58.4%

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

Rank History for African American students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	44.66	28^th	54	48.1%
2019	44.97	41^st	86	52.3%
2021	40.45	66^th	111	40.5%
2022	46.94	47^th	89	47.2%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	51.73	74^th	156	52.6%
2019	73.72	48^th	241	80.1%
2021	50.27	129^th	278	53.6%
2022	85.48	30^th	261	88.5%
2023	75.58	41^st	249	83.5%
2024	67.43	61^st	248	75.4%

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

Rank History for White students at West Seattle High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	71.95	56^th	222	74.8%
2019	81.80	50^th	382	86.9%
2021	79.19	65^th	413	84.3%
2022	86.64	31^st	390	92.1%
2023	85.95	37^th	379	90.2%
2024	77.28	65^th	374	82.6%

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: 3.5)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent
Monday, March 11, 2019

Vibrant school. Lots to offer for academics, theater, music, athletics. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, May 2, 2011

It appears that the teachers are handing out A's like candy to low performing students to up the overall stats so they regain all of their cut funding. Incomplete homework, late assignments, and one paragraph essays will get you an easy A in almost any class. Close Quote

Enrollment information for West Seattle High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	471	207	302	43	17	n/a	n/a	0	1040
1989	390	191	307	47	24	n/a	n/a	0	959
1990	409	143	258	53	16	n/a	n/a	0	879
1991	368	187	316	69	34	n/a	n/a	0	974
1992	377	175	358	63	31	n/a	n/a	0	1004
1993	356	160	350	61	27	n/a	n/a	0	954
1994	327	164	309	66	31	n/a	n/a	0	897
1995	403	99	225	84	22	n/a	n/a	0	833
1996	403	99	225	84	22	n/a	n/a	0	833
1997	509	116	278	82	30	n/a	n/a	0	1015
1998	544	128	269	85	36	n/a	n/a	0	1062
1999	551	134	271	78	35	n/a	n/a	0	1069
2000	481	136	260	89	29	n/a	n/a	0	995
2001	430	146	248	96	23	n/a	n/a	0	943
2002	502	154	244	118	35	n/a	n/a	0	1053
2003	502	154	244	118	35	n/a	n/a	0	1053
2004	547	152	260	137	37	n/a	n/a	0	1133
2005	555	153	286	150	38	n/a	n/a	0	1182
2006	607	192	286	182	31	n/a	n/a	0	1298
2007	615	202	297	214	33	n/a	n/a	0	1361
2008	543	199	275	192	31	n/a	n/a	0	1240
2009	495	198	285	193	25	n/a	n/a	0	1196
2010	447	224	261	180	25	n/a	n/a	0	1137
2011	386	192	209	176	22	9	24	0	1018
2012	390	184	206	143	17	7	48	0	995
2013	430	176	168	130	18	7	45	0	974
2014	453	153	157	123	18	6	57	0	967
2015	491	139	151	136	14	7	76	0	1014
2016	519	115	126	127	15	7	84	0	993
2017	521	115	124	136	9	7	80	0	992
2018	573	100	130	137	6	5	95	0	1046
2019	593	79	109	132	9	7	100	0	1029
2020	668	86	100	136	6	6	114	1	1117
2021	716	75	81	122	7	3	133	2	1139
2022	790	72	74	135	8	7	131	9	1226
2023	860	64	62	155	9	2	153	24	1329
2024	905	60	64	167	5	6	163	22	1392

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 West Seattle High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1040	46.0	22.6	0
1989	959	47.0	20.4	n/a
1990	879	46.8	18.7	0
1991	974	44.7	21.7	n/a
1992	1004	45.0	22.3	n/a
1993	954	40.0	23.9	n/a
1994	897	42.8	21.0	n/a
1995	833	40.8	20.4	n/a
1996	833	40.8	20.4	n/a
1997	1015	41.1	24.7	n/a
1998	1062	49.8	21.3	n/a
1999	1069	48.8	21.9	n/a
2000	995	50.0	19.9	n/a
2001	943	47.7	19.8	n/a
2002	1053	57.6	18.3	33.9
2003	1053	57.6	18.3	33.9
2004	1133	57.0	19.9	31.9
2005	1182	56.9	20.8	31.6
2006	1298	56.7	22.9	29.4
2007	1361	65.8	20.7	33.3
2008	1240	61.5	20.2	33.8
2009	1196	62.5	19.1	36.1
2010	1137	56.4	20.1	46.4
2011	1018	50.8	20.0	46
2012	995	50.9	19.5	44.4
2013	974	48.0	20.2	40.9
2014	967	n/a	n/a	42
2015	1014	51.0	19.8	36.3
2016	993	49.0	20.2	29.3
2017	992	48.6	20.4	30.2
2018	1046	50.2	20.8	25
2019	1029	51.3	20.0	20.9
2020	1117	51.8	21.5	19
2021	1139	54.6	20.8	16.4
2022	1226	58.2	21.0	15.8
2023	1329	60.8	21.8	19.2
2024	1392	63.1	22.0	19

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 West Seattle High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1040	46.0	22.6	0
1989	959	47.0	20.4	n/a
1990	879	46.8	18.7	0
1991	974	44.7	21.7	n/a
1992	1004	45.0	22.3	n/a
1993	954	40.0	23.9	n/a
1994	897	42.8	21.0	n/a
1995	833	40.8	20.4	n/a
1996	833	40.8	20.4	n/a
1997	1015	41.1	24.7	n/a
1998	1062	49.8	21.3	n/a
1999	1069	48.8	21.9	n/a
2000	995	50.0	19.9	n/a
2001	943	47.7	19.8	n/a
2002	1053	57.6	18.3	33.9
2003	1053	57.6	18.3	33.9
2004	1133	57.0	19.9	31.9
2005	1182	56.9	20.8	31.6
2006	1298	56.7	22.9	29.4
2007	1361	65.8	20.7	33.3
2008	1240	61.5	20.2	33.8
2009	1196	62.5	19.1	36.1
2010	1137	56.4	20.1	46.4
2011	1018	50.8	20.0	46
2012	995	50.9	19.5	44.4
2013	974	48.0	20.2	40.9
2014	967	n/a	n/a	42
2015	1014	51.0	19.8	36.3
2016	993	49.0	20.2	29.3
2017	992	48.6	20.4	30.2
2018	1046	50.2	20.8	25
2019	1029	51.3	20.0	20.9
2020	1117	51.8	21.5	19
2021	1139	54.6	20.8	16.4
2022	1226	58.2	21.0	15.8
2023	1329	60.8	21.8	19.2
2024	1392	63.1	22.0	19

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