District profile / Washington

Highline School District

Burien, Washington · Public school district · #19 of 150 Washington districts by enrollment

Compare with peers

18,072

Students

2024-25 school year

Schools

2024-25 school year

$17,087

Spending per student

FY2020-21 · 15% above the Washington median

17.9

Students per teacher

2024-25 · Washington median 18.3

Highline School District is a public school district based in Burien, Washington, serving 18,072 students in 43 schools. By enrollment it ranks #19 of the 150 Washington districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 88% of them. Its schools average 420 students each, about the same as the Washington median of 435. It spends about $17,087 per student on day-to-day operations, 15% more than the Washington median. It has roughly 17.9 students per teacher.

How Highline compares

HighlineWashington median, districts with 1,000+ students

Spending per student$17,087

Washington median $14,904 · 15% above · FY2020-21

Instruction spending per student$10,350

Washington median $8,883 · 17% above · FY2020-21

Students per school420

Washington median 435 · about the same · 2024-25

Students per teacher17.9

Washington median 18.3 · about the same · 2024-25

Students per counselor270

Washington median 368 · 27% below · 2024-25

Spending and staffing

Where the money comes from$417.3 million in revenue · FY2020-21

Federal 10%State 64%Local 26%

Measure	Highline	Washington median	Year
Current spending per student	$17,087	$14,904	FY2020-21
Instruction spending per student	$10,350	$8,883	FY2020-21
Total spending	$416.0 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Total revenue	$417.3 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Teachers (full-time equivalent)	1,011	n/a	2024-25
Total staff (full-time equivalent)	2,305	n/a	2024-25
Students per teacher	17.9	18.3	2024-25
Students per counselor	270	368	2024-25

Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Washington median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.

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Peer districts in Washington

Compare side by side →

District	Students	Schools	Spending per student	Students per teacher	Rank
Issaquah School DistrictIssaquah	19,098	30	$15,278	18.3	#15
Pasco School DistrictPasco	18,913	31	$14,457	17.4	#16
Kennewick School DistrictKennewick	18,826	33	$14,239	18.0	#17
Auburn School DistrictAuburn	18,174	26	$15,919	17.3	#18
Highline School DistrictBurien · this district	18,072	43	$17,087	17.9	#19

Similar-size districts nationally

District	Students	Spending per student	Students per teacher
Rankin County School DistrictBrandon, MS	18,196	$9,860	13.0
Vista UnifiedVista, CA	18,112	$13,817	20.7
Davidson County SchoolsLexington, NC	17,985	$9,233	16.2
Wentzville R-IVWentzville, MO	17,973	$11,453	13.9

Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.

Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-wa-highline-school-district