Ballard High School
Seattle, WA 98117
Phone: (206) 252-1000
District: Seattle Public Schools
GreatSchools Rating
public • Grades 9,10,11,12 • 1678 students
Ballard High School, a public school located in Seattle, WA, serves grades 9-12 in the Seattle Public Schools.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 9 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.
Ballard High School is a public school located in Seattle, WA. 1678 students attend Ballard High School.
School Ratings
| Category | Rating | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Test Scores | 9/10 | The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Smarter Balanced Assessment data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and using 2025 Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. |
| College Readiness | 9/10 | The College Readiness Rating uses this high school's graduation rates, college entrance exam participation and performance, or AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment participation to determine how well schools are preparing students for success in college and beyond. The College Readiness Rating was created using 2017 Average SAT score data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, using the following data from the 2021 Civil Rights Data Collection: percentage of students enrolled in IB, AP or Dual Enrollment classes in grades 9-12, using 2025 4-year high school graduation rate data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and using 2026 demographic data from Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. |
Posted: September 24, 2025
Its me, the one who wrote the huge review about community college son, editors please go ahead and take that down because it wont let me
Posted: September 24, 2025
Posted: September 24, 2025
Posted: September 24, 2025
Posted: September 24, 2025
Posted: September 24, 2025
Posted: September 24, 2025
Posted: September 24, 2025
Posted: February 17, 2025
Posted: February 17, 2025
Posted: February 17, 2025
Posted: February 17, 2025
Posted: February 17, 2025
Posted: February 17, 2025
Posted: February 17, 2025
Posted: February 17, 2025
My son attended this school until halfway through his junior year when he dropped out and got his GED at Shoreline CC and is now attending college courses there. I can't help but point out some negative things regarding this school. He was kicked out of one of their programs his freshmen year for not having "good enough" grades across his classes, the grade in question was a C in algebra, he had Bs and one A in all other classes. We also came from a middle school in West Seattle, so he did not have many friends to start here and experienced bullying from a group of kids in his home room class that were a part of the football team, and the faculty failed to do anything about it his freshmen year. His second year he also experienced bullying from kids on one of the Soccer teams when he made one of the teams throughout the season. We also had a teacher his second year tell my son he would be a "drop out" and "to just quite school." Halfway through his third year his father passed away and that was the last straw, as nothing was done about the bullying or teacher, we decided it would be best he just get his GED and start college early. I would not recommend this school to anyone as we have had nothing but pour experiences all around.
Posted: January 10, 2025
We have had an excellent experience with our daughter at Ballard HS. They have a great selection of AP courses and multiple clubs, not to mention their outstanding band and athletic program. All teachers I have interacted with have been professional and caring about their students achievements.
Posted: January 10, 2025
Posted: January 10, 2025
Posted: January 10, 2025
Posted: January 10, 2025
Posted: January 10, 2025
Posted: January 10, 2025
Posted: January 10, 2025
Posted: February 7, 2021
I had a pretty good experience here after transferring from another school. The building itself could really use an extra wing, though. Most of the hallways and staircases are so narrow and they get extremely packed when kids get out of class, to the point that I genuinely believe there would be causalities in the event of a fire, for example. The only open spaces where you can stop getting pushed around is 2 of the entrances and a cafeteria. Seriously, as schools get more populated, this place would give me claustrophobia if they tried to accommodate more kids. Also a LOT of the students tried to peer pressure me into buying coke lmao, what a waste of money. Mostly good teachers though.
Posted: February 7, 2021
Posted: February 7, 2021
Posted: February 7, 2021
Posted: February 7, 2021
Posted: February 7, 2021
Posted: March 29, 2018
Posted: March 29, 2018
Posted: March 29, 2018
Posted: March 29, 2018
Posted: March 29, 2018
Posted: March 29, 2018
This school is one of the strongest in the district and state academically with many AP courses, clubs such as robotics and programs such as biotech, digital film etc recognized nationally. The Jazz band was chosen this year, along with Roosevelt High from Seattle and only one additional high school in WA state, to attend the most competitive Jazz competition in the country 2018 Essentially Ellington competition & fesitval in NY. Only 13 bands are chosen nationwide. The robotics team won the world championship last year out of 25 countries, including groups from China, Canada, Turkey, Israel etc and over 400 teams. Something no NW team has ever done. We have found many excellent teachers, including computer science, math, science & LA teachers, and the counselors are great considering the school is highly over-enrolled until the new school opens. The principal is perhaps the strongest and most effective in the district. He is focused on serving and challenging all the students in the community at the school, including students who are highly capable who could have gone elsewhere. In recent years many highly capable students have chosen Ballard their neighborhood school over Garfield and are happy and doing well.
Posted: March 29, 2018
Posted: April 2, 2014
My son is a sophomore this year and he's had a great experience at Ballard in 9th and 10th grade. He has enjoyed almost all of his subjects and I have found his teachers to be very responsive to questions. The Maritime program and Mr. Foster are exceptional. The one time I had a question for his school counselor, she was great, too. I have seen no evidence of bullying and lots of school spirit!
Reviews provided by GreatSchools™
| # | Name | Type | City | State | Overall Rating | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meredith Heights | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Poulsbo | WA | 12.2 mi | |
| 2 | Caldart Cottages | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Poulsbo | WA | 12.5 mi | |
| 3 | Blueberry Meadows | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Bremerton | WA | 12.8 mi | |
| 4 | Manette | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Bremerton | WA | 13.2 mi | |
| 5 | The Reserve at Bucklin Hill | Apartment Complex | Silverdale | WA | 13.7 mi | |
| 6 | Woods and Meadows | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Poulsbo | WA | 14.9 mi | |
| 7 | Fairway Lane | Apartment Complex | Bremerton | WA | 16.4 mi | |
| 8 | Kitsap Lake | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Bremerton | WA | 16.6 mi | |
| 9 | Whisper Ridge | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Bremerton | WA | 17 mi | |
| 10 | Mukilteo | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Mukilteo | WA | 18.4 mi | |
| 11 | The Ridge at McCormick Woods | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Port Orchard | WA | 18.4 mi | |
| 12 | McCormick Woods | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Port Orchard | WA | 19 mi | |
| 13 | The Carriages at Fairwood Downs | Apartment Complex | Renton | WA | 19.5 mi | |
| 14 | North Everett | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Everett | WA | 22.7 mi | |
| 15 | Stadium District | Neighborhood/Subdivision | Tacoma | WA | 28.6 mi |
| # | Name | City | State | Overall Rating | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Downtown Seattle | Seattle | WA | 5.4 mi | |
| 2 | Bainbridge Island | Bainbridge Island | WA | 7.6 mi | |
| 3 | East Bremerton | Bremerton | WA | 12 mi | |
| 4 | Poulsbo | Poulsbo | WA | 13.2 mi | |
| 5 | Ridgetop | Silverdale | WA | 13.9 mi | |
| 6 | Naval Base Kitsap | Poulsbo | WA | 14.9 mi | |
| 7 | Silverdale | Silverdale | WA | 15 mi | |
| 8 | Port Orchard | Port Orchard | WA | 15.3 mi | |
| 9 | Lakeness Meadows/ Vinland Area | Poulsbo | WA | 16.2 mi | |
| 10 | Maple Valley | Maple Valley | WA | 26.8 mi |
| Base | Distance |
|---|---|
| Coast Guard Seattle | 6.2 mi. |
| Naval Base Kitsap - Bremerton | 14.8 mi. |
| Naval Base Kitsap Bangor | 15.9 mi. |
| Everett Naval Station | 22.8 mi. |
| McChord AFB | 38.6 mi. |
| Fort Lewis | 41.9 mi. |
| Whidbey Island NAS | 47.8 mi. |
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