Original Research by School Decision on Cleveland High School Stem
Cleveland High School STEM sits in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, a comprehensive public high school serving grades nine through twelve within the Seattle School District No. 1. It is a regular public school with no charter or magnet status. The student body is diverse and reflects the city’s varied population, with a composition that includes a large share of Asian students, a smaller but still sizable Black and African American population, and smaller groups of white, Hispanic or Latino, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning the school serves a community with real economic range.
The school is mid-sized for a large urban high school, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across the four grade levels. State testing data from the most recent year offers a picture of overall academic performance. In English language arts, a solid majority of students met the state proficiency benchmark, a result that positions the school well relative to many peers. In math, about half of students met that benchmark, a figure that leaves room for improvement. In science, just under half of students were proficient. These scores give a general read: the school produces above-average literacy outcomes while math and science performance is more mixed, and a parent considering the school may want to ask how the school supports students who are not yet at the proficiency mark in those subjects.
No graduation rate was available in the data, so a parent should confirm that metric directly with the school or district. No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or teacher staffing was reported, though those factors could matter in deciding whether this school fits a particular student.
Cleveland High School STEM identifies itself with a STEM acronym, which suggests a programmatic focus on science, technology, engineering, and math, but data on specific course offerings, AP or dual-credit pathways, career and technical education programs, or extracurricular access was not available. A parent interested in the depth of those offerings should ask the school what advanced coursework, internship opportunities, or specialized STEM tracks are actually available.
Seattle itself is a major city and technology hub, home to Amazon, with a regional economy also shaped by Boeing and Microsoft. The city’s housing market is expensive, with home values that have dipped slightly recently but remain well above national benchmarks. Rents are high, and the price-to-income ratio is steep, making the city a costly place for families. The district faces financial pressures from declining enrollment and expiring federal funds, which led to proposals for school closures that were scaled back after community pushback but may still affect long-term planning. A capital levy approved by voters in 2022 funds school construction and renovation, which could mean updated facilities at Cleveland, though specific projects at this school were not detailed.
This is a school for a family that wants a comprehensive urban high school experience in a diverse setting in a major city. The academic data shows a school where reading and writing results are a relative strength and math and science are more workable areas. The lack of detailed program data means a family should do its own research on what STEM programming actually looks like here. The district’s budget situation and Seattle’s high cost of living are real considerations. A parent who values a school that reflects the full demographic range of a large city and is open to asking questions about math and science support may find this a solid option worth a closer look.
See more original research from School Decision →