2023 Best High Schools for Athletes in King County

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.04 out of 5  90 reviews

Senior: O'Dea High School is a unique experience and is something that I can say is the best thing that's ever happened to me. You get four things which I value most in one high school and that is, great academics, great sports, brotherhood and opportunity. One exceptional part of O'Dea is the athletic programs. If you're from the state of Washington, the number one thing O'Dea is known for is their success in all sports. The coaches not only set up players for success on the field/court, etc., they set them up for life and the next level. I am so grateful to be apart of two athletic programs at the school. Another factor that makes O'Dea excellent is the brotherhood. Since O'Dea is an all boys school, the time that's spent getting to know one another is unmatched. Everyone is viewed as brothers and treats everyone with respect, in the classroom, out of the classroom, or anywhere else. It's an experience that's truly one of a kind and unique and one that I can say I'm proud to been apart of.... Read 90 reviews

• grade A

• grade A+

• Total number of sports 11

• Bellevue School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.94 out of 5  204 reviews

Senior: I found Bellevue High to have many strong characteristics such as a strong sports teams, high achieving peers, and engaging teachers. My experience has been an overall pleasant experience. However, I would like to highlight the slow response the school had to a counselor who was not very engaged with her students: se had often provided inaccurate information to some students which costed them a lot of time and money. Eventually, the problem was dealt with and now the school continues to hold its promises of strongly preparing its students for college, sparking interests in students, and just being an overall inclusive school.... Read 204 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Total number of sports 26

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 4.21 out of 5  260 reviews

Parent: My daughter grew from a fourth grader wanting to attend Holy Names Academy because its building looked like Hogwarts, to a rising ninth grader wanting to attend for the all-girls academic excellence, to now a high school senior with a nuanced understanding of an all-girls high school experience. Her confidence and sense of self as a young woman has grown impressively. The faculty and staff transitioned to 100% online during the pandemic without skipping a beat, and bent over backwards to accommodate the students during the many months of online school. Our experience has been wonderful!... Read 260 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Total number of sports 17

• Kent School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.88 out of 5  333 reviews

Senior: My time at Kentwood were cut short with COVID, but the few moment spent there were ones that have affected me forever. I am a senior now, and haven't been on the Kentwood campus for academic related activity since January of my freshman year. However, over the past three years I have played varsity volleyball for them, as well as attend other sporting events, and the school spirit is unmatched. Throughout the Kent School District, we are known to have the most school spirit out of the highs chool's, one small fact that I take great pride in as I am a big attendee. Besides school spirit, Kentwood offers a large amount of diversity and culture, not just in nationality and origin, but in personality, style, art, and much more. Many are excited to leave high school, move onto bigger and better things, and although this may be me, I hope bigger and better things have the same attributes of Kentwood High School.... Read 333 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A+

• Total number of sports 23

• Sammamish, WA•

• Private School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.87 out of 5  139 reviews

Freshman: Eastside Catholic is a very welcoming school. I found the teachers very helpful, funny and kind. I understood concepts well and I enjoyed every day at school! The course selection is amazing and includes an array of subjects. I like the college readiness classes such as the UWHS classes. I found many classmates who were sweet and accepting of everyone. I liked Health class as it taught us many helpful strategies to tackle addiction, mental health, and improve overall wellbeing. I liked the fact that there were posters in the bathroom and on the walls which gave students information about mental health and how to seek help. I love school assemblies because they are filled with school spirit and fun games. I greatly appreciate the service opportunities given by Eastside Catholic because it really helps me find volunteer activities that I enjoy and love doing. I also appreciate how easy it is to talk to counselors and the staff at Student Services for whatever questions I might have.... Read 139 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Total number of sports 17

• Mercer Island School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.77 out of 5  241 reviews

Senior: Extracurricular offerings, including sports, music, and clubs, are great! Would like to see more diversity overall. STEM and science courses aren't as strong as English and history.... Read 241 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Total number of sports 27

• Seattle Public Schools, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.85 out of 5  96 reviews

Senior: I love the diversity at Rainier Beach High School and we have great teachers who support and understand us. We get outside college readiness support and advice from our teachers and counselors. We also the IB program which looks good on our college resumes.What could improve is the facility itself, It has been renovated in decades. Our administration could improve in terms of being more involved with student feedback.... Read 96 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade A

• Total number of sports 18

• Lake Washington School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.88 out of 5  488 reviews

Junior: There are many nice teachers and staff members who are willing to give extra help and advice when needed. There are also many students, so many opportunities to make friends and meet new people as well. Because of the number of students, the hallways do get crowded, as well as the parking lots directly before and afterschool. There are a variety of clubs and sports facilitated by the school that give students many activities and extracurriculars to choose from. The school community is welcoming overall and the school is a safe and fulfilling place for education!... Read 488 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Total number of sports 23

• Seattle Public Schools, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.61 out of 5  502 reviews

Senior: Garfield's sports programs overall are very competitive and usually perform well. During my freshman year the girls and boys basketball teams won state, and the girls won state again during my junior year. In the past Garfield's school lunch was terrible, but recently the school lunches have been very good, and school lunch is free for everyone at Garfield. But if you decide you don't want school lunch, there is an Ezelle's directly across the street and a convenience store a block away. Garfield's music programs are also very good. The advanced ensembles and the jazz bands get to go on lots of fun trips. The bathrooms, however, smell horrible. There is also graffiti on almost every single bathroom stall. There are a few bathrooms that are almost always closed for repairs. The field at Garfield used to look nice, but ever since people started eating on the field there has been a ton of garbage covering it, and the garbage attracts crows.... Read 502 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Total number of sports 21

• Northshore School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.92 out of 5  342 reviews

Sophomore: The teachers are amazing and super skilled in their respective fields. However, there are a few rules that allow discrimination and bullying to occur. The campus is great and very easy to get around. The clubs and sports are super interesting and help you feel like a part of your community. The school’s spirit is a little low but that’s mainly because of COVID regulations and the ban of assemblies. Overall, I really enjoy going to Woodinville High School and highly recommend it!... Read 342 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Total number of sports 17

• Lake Washington School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.64 out of 5  194 reviews

Senior: I really appreciate the coaches and parents that help make the athletics program so great! I have enjoyed being on the Football and Wrestling Teams. I would love to see more diverse community involvement with the school. It would be very encouraging to see more people of color and cultures volunteering at the school and getting involved with students to build up the community in and out of school.... Read 194 reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• Total number of sports 22

• Federal Way Public Schools, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.88 out of 5  369 reviews

Senior: Something that I like about Federal Way High School is that you can't miss it. The school is off the side of a highway in the middle of the city of Federal Way. Most of the staff at my school are great advisors and help me achieve opportunities that I didn't think I was capable of. One of the things I love about my school is it's diversity, we hold a lot of cultural clubs such as LatinX, Black Student Union, Pacific Isander club, Asain American club, French Club, Russian-Ukrainian club etc. At the end of the year, the school has a big assembly dedicated to celebrate all cultures by having students choosing to preform their culture by dance/song/speech. It's the one thing everyone looks forward to every year for many years. As for the teachers I had throughout the years, I would say I have good connection with over 70% of them. Even with teachers I never had, they are so easy to talk to.... Read 369 reviews

• grade B

• grade A

• Total number of sports 16

• Issaquah School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.87 out of 5  317 reviews

Senior: I enjoy Liberty because I feel there are numerous learning opportunities in various different aspects. Everyone has different interests, but there is something for everyone. Most teachers are fairly accommodating and work well explaining concepts to students. But, there are some teachers who seem to not know what to do if a student does not understand a concept and are not good at handling the fluctuating emotions of teenagers. The school itself makes an effort to keep bullying and social issues to a minimum, but being around teenagers mean that there is always something. Overall, I feel my high school experience has been above adequate and has prepared me for college and my future well.... Read 317 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Total number of sports 15

• Auburn School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.81 out of 5  330 reviews

Senior: Auburn Riverside is the best!!! The school environment is so clean and friendly. And their teachers really care about their students and work really hard on the subjects they teach. The school has a wide range of subjects they offer and many languages courses and clubs as well. They even have a small special 8th period that every student has called AR time where students get time in school to do homework or projects or sleep cause sometimes students don't have time when they get home to take care of their siblings or do jobs to support their family. Our school also partakes in school programs like Breaking down the walls and Character strong where it helps bring students together since quarentine and online school messed everyone's social skills. The school has massive school spirit and fun spirt weeks. there are rarely any news of fighting or bullying, etc. And it seems that both the students and teachers have a really great time.... Read 330 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Total number of sports 22

• Northshore School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.63 out of 5  400 reviews

Junior: This school has many inclusion programs and is constantly creating more clubs and activities for students to be a part of. There is a designated time during regular school days for students to be involved in clubs. This is amazing because many students do not have transportation abilities outside of school or extra time to be in clubs. This designated time helps students be involved in the community. There are also great things like free school food. Without this, many students go hungry throughout the day and cant focus on schoolwork. Food is an essential part of learning and retaining new information being taught. The school has great administration that is constantly trying to do more things do better our school.... Read 400 reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• Total number of sports 15

• Issaquah School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.73 out of 5  501 reviews

Senior: Skyline High School has provided a mostly well-rounded education. The teachers at this school are passionate about the content that they discuss, and they make sure that students at the institution care just as much as them. Overall, the school provides an excellent system of preparation for college. Most classes center around being "future ready," as well as enthusiastic about your career choice. As someone in Skyline's IB Career Path program, I value this experience heavily, as it teaches me how to be ready for any turns my future may take. The school's culture can sometimes prove overwhelming, with competition as a high value. This competition is exciting in terms of extracurriculars, like sports. But sometimes it promotes unhealthy habits to its students like pulling all-nighters or studying the least for a test. At the end of the day, my experience at Skyline was very nice.... Read 501 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Total number of sports 15

• Seattle Public Schools, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.89 out of 5  331 reviews

Senior: I would say this is a great school to attend but as with any public school there are problematic parts. My favorite parts about this school is the Teen Health Center, the student body, and the various activities and commitments that can be joined. What needs to be known is that the school is in a upper class majority white neighborhood, there are problems that our society still faces. I see progress being made and am glad to say that I have been apart of that progress, but there is more to come. If you are thinking of having your child attend Roosevelt, know that there are teachers and admin that are hard to deal with and conversely, there are teachers and staff that are wonderful to work with.... Read 331 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Total number of sports 23

• Auburn School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.89 out of 5  282 reviews

Senior: Having only moved to Auburn Mountainview this year, I have only experienced this school through distance learning. Regardless, I have had a great experience with my classes, my teachers, and my classmates. The classes I took this year have proven to be helpful in college preparation. My teachers, despite the difficult circumstances of this year, have tried their hardest to accommodate each student and still teach their classes as they would normally. Although I was not able to attend AMHS all four years of high school, I am glad to have been able to finish senior year here!... Read 282 reviews

• grade B+

• grade A

• Total number of sports 24

• Tahoma School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.87 out of 5  538 reviews

Senior: Tahoma High, on a grand scale, is known for its high success rate. More students attend school and graduate future ready than many in the nation. There are incredibly dedicated and wholesome teachers who contribute their waking hours to helping their students. The school building is very young. It was completed in 2017, when I entered high school, and altered the grade succession of the previous (and now obsolete) Tahoma Junior High School. However the high success and graduation rate, the student body is little-involved in school spirit. Assemblies are more cheesy than fun, but the crew for Homecoming and Prom do a fantastic job. They never miss a beat. We love our football team. Football games are such fun! Games are held at the old high school and worth the long sit in the cold! My overall experience has been very good, but lacking in departments that would otherwise make up a memorable and exciting high school experience. Overall, a fantastic school for students in the area.... Read 538 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Total number of sports 17

• Snoqualmie Valley School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.54 out of 5  298 reviews

Senior: The sprawling campus is brand new and quite possibly the best in state. MSHS boasts state of the art fine arts and technical education facilities and is visually appealing, not to mention the gorgous eponymous Mount Si overlooking campus. Football games are amazing, and the wild student section is a school tradition. Leadership oppurtunities are very accessible. You can find your "niche" in athletics, clubs or the arts. But, as far as the education you get, Si is average. Most teachers don't utilize facilities and the resources avaible to them. AP/Honors teachers are competent, but unfortunately, there isn't a culture of academic curiosity at Mount Si. Still, the school is intentional about celebrating student success. The administration lack in communication skills and their oversight is restrictive. Still, the school has a ton of potential. Student organized traditions make the Senior experience a blast! If you push yourself and engage socially you will have a good experience here.... Read 298 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Total number of sports 19

• Seattle, WA•

• Private School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 4.19 out of 5  109 reviews

Junior: I am a junior at SAAS and I love it. I have been at SAAS since middle school. The amazing science and arts electives are something that is unique to here. I can take neuroscience right after ceramics right after psychology if I want! Theater and visual arts are particularly strong. All academic classes have different levels to them so that each student can choose how much they would like to challenge themselves. The most challenging classes are American Studies (joint Honors English/Honors History) and Advanced Chemistry. The teachers are great and have diverse teaching styles, so there's always someone who teaches the way you learn. While SAAS has excellent sports teams (soccer, volleyball, golf, and ultimate frisbee are the strongest), the school doesn't revolve around sports like a traditional high school. The college prep is amazing, they have answered all of my questions incredibly well and I have total faith in them going into college applications. I've enjoyed my time at SAAS!... Read 109 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Total number of sports —

• Redmond, WA•

• Private School•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 4.36 out of 5  92 reviews

Freshman: It is an amazing experience to go to Overlake! Coming in as a new student, it was amazing how inclusive the students and faculty are. The teachers hold office hours and really want you to succeed. They even write extensive recommendations for outside school projects and applications. The teachers are honestly amazing and the coursework is challenging. For more advanced student they offer Honors and AP classes and the teachers will always push you regardless. The student body is amazing and since the campus is large you meet people from multiple different grades. A wide range of electives, clubs and hangout spots make the Overlake experience one to remember.... Read 92 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A

• Total number of sports —

• Shoreline School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.8 out of 5  377 reviews

Senior: Shorecrest High School has a great student community, and most people are pretty friendly. The staff are mostly alright, but there are some that could use some work for sure. There are some teachers with problems with touching students or addressing students inappropriately (whether that's creepily or simply not respecting a student's name and pronouns) but the majority are very nice people who genuinely want their students to succeed. The campus is pretty, and not too hard to navigate once you figure out how the gym and band buildings work. The food isn't too bad either, there are a la carte options if you don't like what's being sold, and vending machines, too. They haven't handled COVID as well as I would have hoped they would, though, and many students get away with not wearing a mask correctly with little consequence, if any.... Read 377 reviews

• grade A

• grade A

• Total number of sports 20

• Seattle Public Schools, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.85 out of 5  140 reviews

Senior: I like how it’s a connected diverse group of kids, and nobody dislikes that. The teachers are my favourite part. I’m 100% sure that everyone at our school has a friendship to at least one of their teachers. They’re very connected to their students and it feels good. Every year I make new friends with people, although with my one and a half years absence because of COVID it was a little hard in general. I’ve been in the band all four years of high school and I’ve been involved in the drama department. It’s a a big group of motivated motivated and inspired kids in those academics. Some go to state competitions. Speaking of which, I attended my first sport, bowling, which is new to our school. Our coach was very good at teaching us traditional ways and telling us about himself. We have cool sports like bowling, curling, wrestling, softball, and sailing at our school. It’s very nice to be able to pick a sport that matches with who you are.... Read 140 reviews

• grade A minus

• grade A

• Total number of sports 22

• Lake Washington School District, WA•

• 9-12

• •
  Rating 3.91 out of 5  445 reviews

Senior: My experience overall at Redmond High School was relatively good. There are some very qualified and inspiring teachers and staff who made my four years easier and pushed me to try my best. However, there are definitely some teachers at RHS who should not be teaching and who waste their students time and effort by teaching with low quality and self-centered motivations. The social climate at Redmond High is satisfactory at best, it can be very cliquey and dramatic but overall I do not have as many complaints, though there are some people at this school who should be held responsible for their actions instead of coddled like RHS tends to do.... Read 445 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A minus

• Total number of sports 23