We’re continuing to make changes at our secondary schools to help prepare all students to be Future Ready.
This work is part of Secondary Redesign—our effort to make learning more meaningful and challenging in ways that support every student’s success. It supports the Highline Promise to know every student by name, strength and need, so that they graduate prepared for the future they choose.
Grounded in Community Voice
The work of Secondary Redesign is grounded in the voices of students, educators and families who participated in empathy interviews, focus groups, and surveys in the 2023-24 school year to help determine the greatest need for change in our secondary schools.
Two priorities rose to the top:
- Real-world relevance: Helping students connect what they learn in school to real-life.
- Instructional rigor: Challenging students to meet higher expectations and achieve their full potential.
Progress in High Schools
Students in class for the Health Professionls Program at Tyee.
Since then, each of our comprehensive high schools has taken action. This year, we’re seeing those ideas turn into real opportunities for students. Here’s how our high schools are putting these priorities into action:
Tyee High School launched the Health Professionals Pathway, a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) Health Science pathway that gives students a head start in healthcare careers.
Highline High School switched to a four-period block schedule this school year, which allows students to take four longer classes each day instead of six shorter ones. The schedule has provided students with more course options related to engineering, applied sciences, and paraeducator preparation.
Mount Rainier High School tripled International Baccalaureate (IB) enrollment in 2023-24. They continue to expand access to the IB experience, which helps students think deeply, understand different perspectives, and improve their research and writing skills.
Evergreen High School is working toward a bold goal: helping students graduate with both a high school diploma and an Associate of Arts degree. To make that possible, they’re expanding dual credit options and developing ways to provide students with targeted help during the school day.
A Look Ahead
As our high schools’ redesign efforts have taken shape, one need has become clear: students need opportunities to explore college and career paths earlier — starting in middle school.
To meet this need, our middle schools are exploring ways to embed Future Ready opportunities into their school designs. Sylvester Middle School, for example, is seeking to rethink how it teaches science by adopting a career-focused course through Career and Technical Education (CTE). Middle schools are also exploring new Career Pathways courses, exposing students to a variety of real-world options that align with their learning.
Moving forward, we will continue to focus on designing our schools to prepare Future Ready students by expanding opportunities across the K-12 system.
Secondary Redesign
Secondary Redesign is our work to make secondary learning more relevant, more rigorous and more relevant to each student’s future. Guided by feedback from students, families and staff, we are focusing on real-world learning and stronger instruction so every student is known by name, strength and need—and graduates prepared for the future they choose.
Learn more about Secondary Redesign and our Priority Area work