Public + private high schools, every state.
954
high schools (public + private)
831
public (280 districts)
123
private (NCES PSS)
95,080
public grade‑12 students (seniors, latest year)

WA public HS enrollment trend

Across the 151,393 students enrolled in WA brick-and-mortar public high schools in 2021, the state grew +4.2% by 2024 (157,679 students, +6,286 net). That's the demographic tide every individual school is fighting or riding.

Charter share of public HS enrollment (latest year): 0.7% (1,159 of 157,679 students). Virtual / nonclassroom-based schools excluded.

🗺️ State context · NAEP 2024

How does WA compare nationally?

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only test given the same way to students in every state — making it the benchmark for state-to-state academic comparison. Below, this state's 8th-grade averages and where it sits on the 50-state distribution.

8th-grade math
276
+3 vs national avg (273)
8th-grade reading
264
+4 vs national avg (260)
national avg WA Math → Reading → 260 290 245 275

Each dot is one state's 2024 NAEP 8th-grade averages. WA is highlighted in gold. Dashed lines mark national averages — being upper-right of both = above national in both subjects. Source: NAEP State Snapshot Reports. NAEP doesn't produce per-school scores — this is state-level context.

Where the students are

Top 10 cities by public-HS enrollment

Bellevue 7 HS 7,010
SEATTLE 8 HS 6,625
VANCOUVER 7 HS 6,113
AUBURN 5 HS 6,005
Yakima 6 HS 4,942
KENNEWICK 7 HS 4,824
FEDERAL WAY 3 HS 4,429
Seattle 9 HS 3,614
Snohomish 5 HS 3,205
Pasco 1 HS 3,127

School-size distribution

Public, classroom-based · grades 9–12, latest year

Fastest-growing high schools
public, classroom-based · grade 9–12 · 2021→2024
Tri-Tech Skills Center
Kennewick School District
319→629 +97.2%
Ridgeline High School
Central Valley School District
950→1,575 +65.8%
Acceleration Academy
Bethel School District
281→450 +60.1%
West Auburn Senior High School
Auburn School District
282→422 +49.6%
Summit View High School
Battle Ground School District
228→319 +39.9%
Innovation Lab High School
Northshore School District
189→252 +33.3%
CPSD Open Doors Program
Clover Park School District
209→276 +32.1%
Lincoln High School
Seattle School District No. 1
1,385→1,770 +27.8%
Highline High School
Highline School District
1,115→1,423 +27.6%
Cle Elum Roslyn High School
Cle Elum-Roslyn School District
246→311 +26.4%
Fastest-shrinking high schools
public, classroom-based · grade 9–12 · 2021→2024
Legacy High School
Marysville School District
320→143 -55.3%
Lake Washington Technical Academy
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
244→138 -43.4%
Summit Public School: Olympus
Summit Public School: Olympus
179→110 -38.5%
Legacy High School
Kennewick School District
291→193 -33.7%
Innovation High School
PRIDE Prep Charter School District
348→232 -33.3%
Stanton Academy
Yakima School District
259→183 -29.3%
Summit Public School: Sierra
Summit Public School: Sierra
296→214 -27.7%
Bates Technical High School
Bates Technical College
405→343 -15.3%
Kittitas High School
Kittitas School District
206→179 -13.1%
La Conner High School
La Conner School District
198→177 -10.6%

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