The right high school can do a lot to set you up for success, both when you apply to college, and once you get there. Good high schools give you mastery over fundamentals and foundations, the building blocks you need to study more advanced subjects. Beyond that, they give you room to start exploring academically, to find what you actually enjoy learning and doing.
This makes choosing the right high school to support your needs of paramount importance. A great school will boost your chances of getting into a great college. Of course, what makes a school a perfect fit for one student may not work at all for another; each student is unique, with their own needs and strengths. Thus in this article, we are going to go through a number of the best high schools in Seattle (and its environs), to give you a sense of what your options are, and how each may serve your needs. Let’s get started!
Public vs Private Schools
As with most every city, Seattle offers both public and private high schools, and students may avail themselves of either. We will examine these in separate sections, as they are difficult to compare directly. In general, both try to do the same thing, but each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
The biggest strengths of private schools are their selective nature, and the amount of resources they have. The selective nature of these schools means that students tend to be more invested in their education, leading to a more academic environment. In addition, the number of resources they have often (though not always) means they are able to offer more opportunities to their students, including smaller class sizes and more advanced or esoteric topics.
Public schools can form partnerships with community colleges for dual enrollment coursework, allowing high school students to take and receive credit for actual college coursework. This also opens the door to more advanced topics of exploration. Some public schools also have a significant number of advanced courses, but this can vary widely, based on the resources of a district and a particular school or program.
The final concern, and major difference, is that of cost. You pay for public schools through property taxes; these are assessed whether you have students in these schools or not. Private schools are then a significant expense on their own; this is an investment, and you must decide for yourself if the cost is worth it.
Best Private Schools in Seattle
This is not going to be an accounting of every private school in Seattle, but instead a listing of the best ones. These are not in any particular order.
Located in Redmond, a suburb of Seattle, Overlake is a private, secular, day school, and serves children in grade 5 through 12. The school is divided between the middle school (5-8) and the upper school (9-12). There are approximately 550 students in the school, with a student:teacher ratio of 8:1. They offer 17 AP courses, and a number of their own honors courses. They have a number of options for students to pursue independent study or research. The average SAT score at Overlake is 1470, and the average ACT score is 32.
Tuition at Overlake is $45,530 annually; unlike many other private schools, the cost of tuition does not vary by grade level. There is some need-based financial aid available. Students must apply to Overlake using Ravenna, an online application portal. Applications open in September, and are due in January. Applications require the online form, a parent statement, a student essay, scores from either the SSAT or ISEE, two letters of recommendation; one from your current math or science teacher, and the other from your current English or social studies teacher, transcripts from this year and the past two years, and a student interview. Students generally enter in 5th, 6th, and 9th grades; other grades may be applied to if there is space available.
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Located in Kirkland, a suburb of Seattle (and the place where Costco was founded), Eastside is a private, coed, secular, day school, serving students in grades 5 through 12. It serves approximately 500 students, with a student:teacher ratio of 9:1. They offer a number of advanced coursework options, but do not have AP courses, choosing instead to offer their own honors coursework. Some students do choose to take AP exams as well to earn college credit, but this is not required. Note that the only foreign language they offer is Spanish. They offer advanced seminar electives for 11th and 12th graders, which are meant to allow them to explore specific subjects in more depth. There are also a number of independent study and senior thesis options, for students wishing to pursue independent research. The average SAT score is 1440, and the average ACT is 33.
Tuition at Eastside is $46,600 for all grade levels. There are additional fees for services such as bus transport or lunch. Applications to Eastside open in September, and are due in January. Applications are done online through the Ravenna platform. These require an online form, a parent statement, a student essay and short answers, transcripts from the past three years, including the current year, two letters of recommendation from teachers in core academic areas, a recorded interview, and a live writing assessment (done online). A parent interview is not required, but is recommended. Scores from the ISEE or SSAT are accepted, but are not required.
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Located in North Seattle, Lakeside is regularly ranked as one of the best private schools in the city. It is a coed, private, secular, day school, serving students in grades 5-12, with a student:teacher ratio of 9:1. The school has a broad academic program, and also requires students complete at least 80 hours of volunteering over four years to graduate. Lakeside offers only a limited number of AP courses, and instead offers a wide array of more specialized coursework, especially in English and social studies. They only offer honors coursework in math and science; all courses are taught at an advanced level; these simply go beyond that. The average SAT score at the school is 1480, and the average ACT score is 33.
Tuition at Lakeside is $44,730 for all grade levels. There is some need-based financial aid available. Applications to the school must be done online; these open in September and are due in January. All applications are submitted through Ravenna. Applications require the application form, a student essay and short answers, a parent statement, transcripts from this year and last year, two letters of recommendation; one from a humanities teacher and one from a math or science teacher, a personal reference from a teacher, administrator, or coach, scores from the SSAT (Lakeside does not accept the ISEE), and a student interview.
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Located in the Wedgwood neighborhood of Seattle, UPrep (as it is commonly referred to by its students) is a coed, secular, college-prep day school, serving students in grades 6 through 12. It enrolls approximately 660 students, with a student:teacher ratio of 9:1. The school’s academics focus on preparing students for college; they offer a range of advanced coursework. They do not technically offer AP courses, but many of their courses parallel AP coursework, and prepare students for the exams should they choose to take them.
UPrep notably offers academic intensives; these are two brief sessions each year where students are given a chance to dive deep into an area of interest. These are offered in core and interdisciplinary academic subjects, and are intended to allow students to gain a deeper introduction to particular fields, including some real-world experience. The average SAT score at UPrep is 1390, and the average ACT score is 32.
Tuition at UPrep is $46,150; though this varies by grade level. There is some need-based financial aid available. Applications must be done online; UPrep uses the Ravenna application portal. There are two application deadlines; siblings of current students may apply early, with a deadline in October; all other students must apply by January. The application requires an online form, a student essay, a parent statement, a parent meeting, a student assessment, transcripts, letters of recommendation from two teachers, a school administrator recommendation, and scores from the ISEE or SSAT test.
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This is a private, Christian, day school in Redmond, a suburb of Seattle. It serves students in grades pre-K through 12; there are approximately 840 students in the school, with a student:teacher ratio of 13:1. The school is non-denominational Christian; students are not required to be Christian to apply or attend, but faith does inform both the curriculum and the culture at the school. The school is divided into three campuses, with the upper school occupying one of these.
Bear Creek offers what it describes as a liberal arts Christian education, with a focus on preparing students for college. They offer a full suite of AP courses, and also offer a number of dual enrollment courses; though students must apply specifically to take these courses. In addition to core academic subjects, students take four years of faith/theology coursework. The average SAT score at Bear Creek is 1390, and the average ACT score is 31.
Tuition at Bear Creek is $36,630 annually, though this does vary by grade level. There is some need-based aid available. Applications to Bear Creek must be submitted online, they use a third party site to handle applications. These open in September, and are due in January. Applications require the online form, a parent questionnaire, transcripts, two letters of recommendation from teachers, an interview, and ISEE or SSAT scores.
The Best Public High Schools in Seattle
We will now go through some of the best public school options, in both Seattle proper, and some of the surrounding suburbs. These schools are not a full list of all public schools available, but serve to give you a sense of some of your options.
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This school is named after the inventor, and has no relation to the car company. It is a public magnet high school in Redmond, and serves students in the Lake Washington School District. It enrolls approximately 610 students, and has a student:teacher ratio of 21:1. As the name suggests, the school offers a very strong STEM-focused curriculum, with a full suite of AP and advanced coursework. Math and science courses are required each year, and students take integrated engineering and technology courses throughout their time in high school.
Students are given a chance to pursue individual research projects with the help of faulty guidance in their junior and senior years. The average SAT score is 1400, and the average ACT score is 32. The school has numerous internship partnerships with local and area businesses, which allows students to get hands-on experience in numerous fields. Applications to the school are done through the district. Students are admitted to the school using a lottery.
Located in Bellevue, Newport is a public high school serving the southern portion of the Belleview School District. It enrolls approximately 1,850 students, and has a student:teacher ratio of 21:1. It is regularly regarded as a top public school, both in Washington and nationally. It is not a magnet school, and attendance is based on where you live, with no other factors considered.
The school offers a full curriculum, including 27 AP courses. Belleview’s school district offers immersion programs for Spanish and Mandarin, and Newport continues the high school portions of these programs; these have the goal of granting students full fluency in their chosen language. They also offer a number of dual enrollment courses for students who wish to earn college credit early. The average SAT score at Newport is 1274.
Of note are the school’s robotics teams. These are longstanding clubs at the school, and are quite competitive at both the state and national levels. They also have a strong debate program at the school.
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This is a public magnet school in Bellevue, and is run by the Bellevue School District. It enrolls approximately 570 students in grades 6 through 12, and follows a unique curriculum, distinct from other schools in Bellevue. Admission to the school is based on lottery; all students in the Bellevue School District are entered in 5th grade; students with a sibling already attending the school get priority. The school offers a full suite of academics and extracurriculars, but students wishing to participate in sports must do so through their home school.
The school offers a unique seven-year curriculum, with students proceeding directly from middle school to high school coursework in the same school. This covers all core academic subjects, and also French; part of the goal of the school is for students to attain full fluency in French by the time they graduate. This also includes an optional exchange program in high school, where students may spend a semester studying in France, or host a French student. Note that the school does offer languages beyond French, but all students must take French.
In addition to this, they offer a full suite of advanced academic options, including a full suite of AP courses. Seniors choose a topic and a mentor, and then undertake a year-long independent research on a subject of their choice. The average SAT score at the school is 1410, and the average ACT is 30.
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This is a public school in Sammammish, and operates as part of the Lake Washington School District. It was formerly a senior high school, but converted to a four-year school in 2012. Its enrollment is based on where you live, there are no other requirements to get admitted. Eastlake enrolls approximately 2,370 students, with a student:teacher ratio of 21:1. Eastlake operates on a non-traditional schedule; on Mondays students attend all seven periods, but the rest of the week, students have three or four periods each day, each 90 minutes in length. The goal is to give students more time to process, and for teachers to give lessons with more depth.
Eastlake offers a full suite of AP courses. Notably, the school also offers a large number of dual enrollment courses, where students can earn college credit in high school; these cover both core academic subjects and some technical fields. They offer 24 AP courses and 16 dual enrollment courses. The average SAT score at Eastlake is 1288, and the average ACT score is 29.
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RAHS is a public magnet school located in Tukwila, and part of the Highline School District. It offers a specialized STEM curriculum, with a focus on preparing students for careers in or relation to aviation and engineering. While the school is based in Tukwila, it enrolls students from further afield; 51% of seats are reserved for students who live within the bounds of Highline School District, 20 seats are reserved for students who attend Seattle Public Schools, and the remaining 30 go to students from other districts. Applications must be submitted online.
RAHS offers a full suite of advanced academic coursework. On top of core academic subjects, RAHS offers a significant number of courses specific to the aviation industry, from those exploring engineering to those looking into the business side of the industry. Students also get the chance to learn from industry experts and undertake internship programs beginning in 10th grade. This includes significantly more engineering options than in most other high schools. The average SAT score at the school is 1161.
Note that due to its strong focus on engineering, the school offers fewer AP courses in humanities and arts subjects. There are still courses offered in these areas, but these are not the main focus of the school.
Final Thoughts
High school is a formative time in any student’s life, and sets them up for everything they do thereafter. A great student supports a student on their path, and equips them with the skills and resources they need to prosper, not just in the moment, but for the rest of their life. We hope this article has given you a sense of what high school options exist in and around Seattle, and which may be the best fit for your needs.
Of course, all of this is general advice by necessity, while we have found that all students have their own unique needs and situations, which may change greatly which school serves to best support them. If you are looking for advice specific to your own situation, or to discuss what school best fits your needs, then schedule a free consultation with us today. We have a long experience helping students manage their transition to high school, and are always happy to hear from you.
