Washington High Schools 2025 Academic State Rankings

Education experts at US News released their annual high school rankings for 2025. The publication reviewed more than 24,000 U.S. public high schools, of which 328 in Washington were included in its annual rankings. US News Top 10 high schools and top 10 high schools east of the Cascades (including one school from North Central Washington) are found below.

How did US News rank the schools?

1. College Readiness 30%

   The percentage of 12th graders who took at least one AP or IB exam and earned a qualifying score. Earning a qualifying score counts three times more than just taking the exam.

2. State Assessment Proficiency 20%

   Students must achieve combined scores on state assessments to graduate.

3. State Assessment Performance 20%

   How state assessment scores compare to what U.S. News expected based on the number of students who are Black, Hispanic, or from low-income households.

4. Underserved Student Performance 10%

   Scores from state assessments for Black, Hispanic, and low-income students are compared to the average scores for other students in the state. The goal is to achieve equal or better scores for these groups.

5. College Curriculum Breadth 10%

   The percentage of 12th graders who took AP and IB exams and earned qualifying scores in different subjects. Taking more exams is better than taking fewer, up to a maximum of four exams. A qualifying score on an exam counts three times more than just taking the exam.

6. Graduation Rate 10%

   The proportion of entering ninth graders who graduated four academic years later.

Top 10 Washington High Schools (2025 ranking)

10 - Bellevue High School

9 -  Vancouver ITech Preparatory (Vancouver)

8 - Mercer Island High School

7 - Interlake Senior High School (Bellevue)

6 - Bainbridge High School (Bainbridge Island)

5 -  Lincoln High School (Seattle)

4 - Raisbeck Aviation High School (Tukwila)

3 - Newport Senior High School (Bellevue)

2 - International School (Bellevue)

1 - Tesla STEM High School (Redmond) - ranked 18th in the nation

The Top 10 Washington High Schools East of the Cascades  (2025 ranking)

10 - Mt Spokane High School (Mead, WA)

60th-ranked high school in Washington

Ranked 3,686th in the nation.

Enrollment: 1,457

Graduation rate: 91%

College readiness: 29.8%

9 - Ridgeline High School (Liberty Lake)

59th-ranked high school in Washington

Ranked 3,602nd in the nation.

Enrollment: 1,538

Graduation rate: 92%

College readiness: 31.2

8 - Walla Walla High School (Walla Walla)

58th-ranked high school in Washington

Ranking 3,547th nationally.

Enrollment: 1,586

Graduation rate: 97%

College readiness: 23.6%

7 - North Central High School (Spokane)

57th-ranked high school in Washington

Ranked 3,483rd in the nation.

Enrollment: 1,456

Graduation rate: 92%

College readiness: 32.5%

6 - Kamiakin High School (Kennewick)

55th-ranked high school in Washington

Ranked 3,399th nationally.

Enrollment: 1,950

Graduation rate: 89%

College readiness: 27.5%

5 - Bridgeport High School (Bridgeport)

52nd-ranked high school in Washington

Ranked 3,356th in the nation.

Enrollment: 223

Graduation rate: 90%

College readiness: 28.8%

4 - Ferris High School (Spokane)

51st-ranked high school in Washington

Ranked 3,254th in the nation.

Enrollment: 1,674

Graduation rate: 93%

College readiness: 29.7%

3 - Hanford High School (Richland)

43rd-ranked high school in Washington

Ranked 2,584th in the nation.

Enrollment: 1,788

Student-to-teacher ratio: 18 to 1

College readiness: 21.1%

2 - Lewis & Clark High School (Spokane)

33rd-ranked high school in Washington

1,815th nationally ranked.

Enrollment: 1,672

Graduation rate: 935

College readiness: 44.1%

1 - Pullman High School (Pullman)

22nd-ranked high school in Washington

Ranked 1,415th in the nation.

Enrollment: 855

Graduation rate: 96%

College readiness: 41.2