The reported proficiency rate for Science is 77%.
Original Research by School Decision on Maritime High School
Maritime High School is a small regular public high school in Des Moines, Washington, serving grades nine through twelve as a choice school within Highline Public Schools. It is a relatively new option in the district, launched as part of an expanding portfolio of specialized secondary pathways that also includes Innovation Heights Academy, Big Picture, and other programs. Because it is a choice school, admission is not tied to a single neighborhood attendance boundary; families across the district may apply.
The school is small for its grade band. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic share and a smaller but visible group of students who identify as two or more races. The proportion of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is substantial, indicating a school that draws from a range of household incomes. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the information reviewed; a parent may want to ask the school directly about these supports.
State testing data is limited. The most recent science assessment results, from a single school year, show the first cohort performing well above the midpoint among high schools in King County, landing in the top quartile of the comparison set. That said, the tested group was small, and the results cover a single subject and grade. More recently, the school has reported proficiency rates in English language arts and math for a combined all-grade figure. The English language arts rate is moderate, with roughly three in five students meeting the standard. The math rate is lower, with just over a third of students meeting the standard. Because the school is young and enrollment is small, there is no multi-year trend to gauge improvement or decline, and no graduation rate data was available in the reviewed materials. A parent evaluating academic rigor will want to look at how the school’s career-linked maritime curriculum aligns with these state-tested outcomes and what supports are in place for students who need to build foundational skills.
The school carries no state designation as a Title I school, and its magnet status was not reported. Neither chronic absenteeism nor discipline data appeared in the reviewed sources.
Des Moines is a mid-sized suburban waterfront city on Puget Sound, roughly midway between Seattle and Tacoma. It is primarily residential, with housing across income levels, and includes a small downtown shopping district near the city marina, Highline College, and several retirement homes. The city slopes from the Pacific Highway corridor down to the Sound, with ravines cutting through the terrain. Walkable street life is concentrated at the waterfront and the Redondo neighborhood boardwalk; most of the city is suburban residential with winding streets, limiting pedestrian access outside the core. Multiple highways border or bisect the city, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is close by, shaping the local economy and, in some areas, creating noise constraints on development. The city has grown modestly in recent decades. A new Sound Transit light rail station near Highline College is planned, which could shift development patterns.
Highline Public Schools is in the midst of a multi-year school modernization and construction program that has relocated some schools to interim sites, including Pacific Middle School. For families considering Maritime High School, the district context includes active facilities changes and a growing array of choice options, meaning the landscape of available programs and buildings may continue to shift in the near term.
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