Steilacoom High School

Posted: March 18, 2026

School is not very supportive when a student/family needed help. Instead of finding solutions for the problem/issue with the student, the school can only say no to everything.
It's not a very academic driven school even they do offer some AP classes, but most high schools offer AP courses anyway. School mostly likey focuses on sports and don't even recognize any academic successes.
Before we choose Steilacoom High School, we ignored the online negative reviews about the school and hoped for the best, but now, we are very disappointed that we picked it. Not a very impressive place at all.

Posted: March 18, 2026

Posted: March 18, 2026

Posted: March 18, 2026

Posted: March 18, 2026

Posted: March 18, 2026

Posted: March 18, 2026

Posted: March 18, 2026

Posted: August 1, 2025

Principal and teachers are professional and school is in a fantastic building.

Posted: August 1, 2025

Posted: August 1, 2025

Posted: August 1, 2025

Posted: August 1, 2025

Posted: August 1, 2025

Posted: August 1, 2025

Posted: August 1, 2025

Posted: March 11, 2024

I would not recommend this high school to anyone. The admin, especially the principles suspend students excessively for anything, also they base their disciplinary decisions off what students say as opposed to what really happened with facts and proof to support it. So your student essentially could be suspended because another student makes false claims because they don't like them and admin will suspend them and use poor excuses such as, I have reasons to believe, when it's nothing more than hear say from a student. Worst school I've ever had to deal with, they are unfair and unjust and the student pays the price for an incompetent admin.

Posted: March 11, 2024

Posted: March 11, 2024

Posted: March 11, 2024

Posted: March 11, 2024

Posted: March 11, 2024

Posted: March 11, 2024

Posted: March 11, 2024

Posted: June 17, 2021

If I could give more than 5 starts, I would. SHS Staff and Admin are AWESOME!!! We attended my daughters Graduation Ceremony last night and it was beautiful. The Staff obviously worked so hard to make this a memorable day for my daughter and all of her classmates.

Even during this pandemic time they were so caring and wonderful.

If you have an opportunity, go to SHS.

Posted: June 17, 2021

Posted: June 17, 2021

Posted: June 17, 2021

Posted: June 17, 2021

Posted: June 17, 2021

Posted: June 17, 2021

Posted: June 17, 2021

Posted: August 14, 2019

My experience with Steilacoom High School has been rewarding. I watched my son mature during these years and develop life long relationships not just with his classmates, but teachers and administrators as well. I know that a major part of his success was because of the compassion, guidance, and support the adults in that building provided to him and the student body. At Steilacoom, you do not just get, teachers or principals, you also get individuals that are fully invested in your students future, and gets just as excited as the student and parents, when students succeed. Thank you Steilacoom High School, continue to make the difference!

Posted: August 14, 2019

Posted: August 14, 2019

Posted: August 14, 2019

Posted: August 14, 2019

Posted: August 14, 2019

Posted: August 14, 2019

Posted: March 13, 2019

You want to send your children to a safe place where they they can be children, even as high schoolers. This is ironically that place most of the time, despite being located directly across the street from the Western State Mental Hospital! If you can look past the unfortunate location of the school, then do weigh what is most important to each of your children potentially attending. The staff is not going to get your child very far, and most interactions are disappointing to frankly disturbing at best. For the price of housing in this district, you could take the same money and easily buy in to a better high school catchment area. Please do your homework and look past the false first impression Steilacoom School District gives off. It is quickly replaced with the realization of the dysfunction, low achievement, and zero transparency.

Posted: March 13, 2019

Students have been caught cheating on classwork, homework and exams yet are not penalized. They get offers of redoing assignments and tests?! This tells decent students that preparation and caring don't matter. Way to go Steilacoom School District for perpetuating the bozo show that is the principal/admin staff at this once potentially wonderful high school.

Posted: March 13, 2019

I refuse to label all educators as underwhelming. Most high schools have a mix of good, caring, effective educators and then the ones who are pretty piss poor.

Posted: March 13, 2019

I do not have experience with this. I would say it depends on the specific teacher and every parent should thoroughly vet the district record through an organization such as Pave or the Washington State Governor's Ombudsman's Office which will refer for any concerns or open an investigation if there is a credible reporting. Military families should always try to access their Educational Advocates on base to make smart inquiries.

Posted: March 13, 2019

When instances of student harassment or bullying have occurred, the counselors and admin first discount it. Even when situations have involved police response, there is little to no acknowledgement of issues. Parents often only become aware of serious issues happening at the schools in this district because of a news report and/or social media. Lack luster with a circle the wagons to protect the district name at all cost mentality prevails in Steilacoom.

Posted: February 20, 2018

Posted: February 20, 2018

Posted: February 20, 2018

Posted: February 20, 2018

Posted: February 20, 2018

Posted: February 20, 2018

This school and its staff are by far, the most rude, incompetent people I’ve ever come across. We had a problem with a teacher and tried for weeks to get a call back from the principal. Nothing. Same from the counselors. I’m disgusted.

Posted: August 15, 2016

Posted: August 15, 2016

Posted: August 15, 2016

Posted: August 15, 2016

Great school, awesome teacher and good counselor. Many sports options with great coaches. I just hope Steilacoom school district or Dupont has swimming pool so kids do not have to travel to lakewood.

Posted: September 6, 2015

Posted: September 6, 2015

Posted: September 6, 2015

Posted: September 6, 2015

Steilacoom High School is a Spirited School and is full of PRIDE with an awesome ASB/ Leadership team.

Posted: August 28, 2014

This is only my opinion. From all schools that my children have attended, this is the worst. I used to work in different schools as volunteer and I feel they are disorganize. The library seem small (not to much books). How do you expect teens to be reading if there is not many books of their interest. We ended up changing my son from school.There is bulling. My child dropped his grades. now in the new school, he is doing awesome.

Posted: April 26, 2014

Terrible, principal's are horrible, teachers do NOT teach properly, then they expect all students to excel but never try to help them. As far as I see, Steilacoom High is full of pride but why, there is no point because it is not a unified school. They support H.I.B. but do not take action when kids are constantly bullied and threatened. Do NOT let your child attend this school.

Posted: September 25, 2013

My son loved his new school and enjoyed being in the concert band. Awesome group and support!

Posted: May 27, 2013

I attended Steilacoom High School for three full years and part of my Senior Year. I struggled a lot during my time at Steilacoom, largely because of certain teachers. I am an extremely shy person who was often subject to ridicule from my peers; in several cases I was "called out" in front of full classrooms in a manner that only worsened my shyness and feelings of inadequacy, and made me a target later (after class) for further teasing/bullying. In one case I had completed an English assignment in the "computer lab" and asked the teacher for permission to work on my creative writing piece, she gave me permission and I began working. About ten minutes after I approached her, she pulled up my writing on the projection screen in front of the entire class and yelled "WHO'S IS THIS?!" (drawing further attention to it, and allowed several students to make negative comments). This incident has stuck with me throughout the years and it took me a long time to find the courage to pursue my dream of being a professional novelist. That being said, there were also some incredible staff members who did help me; overall not a great experience, though my siblings have had more enjoyable ones.

Posted: February 13, 2013

Steilacoom is a BAD school. the teachers & kids are friendly. there's only 2 teachers in the whole school that i actually like but they are horrible at grading our (students) work. the school sucks. im switching schools. if anyone asked me if they should go or there parent ask if it a good school. i'd say no to both questions. HORRIBLE school

Posted: July 31, 2012

Having three kids go through SHS, I can tell you with experience that this school is superior to most. The administrators are fair yet firm, holding kids accountable but in a common sense way. The majority of the starters on the sports teams are also academic superstars, and not because of easy grading as evidenced by SAT scores. My kids have participated in leadership, sports, honor society, etc. while their friends who needed extra help were tutored by they and other kids as peer mentors. Countless people will tell you that this population of kids is accepting, regardless of economics or disability or ethinicity, and beyond that, are purposely outgoing to help others feel included. I hosted an international exchange student who wept openly at the idea of leaving SHS to finish school in her home country. Like everything, education is what you make of the opportunities provided and dependent on the support given and accountability required not just at school but more importantly, at home. If I were rich, I would stil choose this school over private. These teachers care. The coaches care. And by example, these kids care.

Posted: July 7, 2012

I think this is a great school district, one of the better ones in WA and certainly the best one within 50 miles of Ft. Lewis. The kids all seem to be well mannered. Every time I've visited the high-school (where my son attends) the kids I've encountered are polite even going as far as opening a door for me. The kids that attend the school makes a HUGE difference in the outcome of an education. If you have a school full of kids that are for the most part troublemakers then the schools environment will not be a good environment for learning; I truly think this is a healthy environment. The teachers, for the most part are, helpful and diligent about updating grades and sending emails when they see a problem. This is a great school, especially for military kids!

Posted: May 29, 2012

Nothing has changed since that 2007 comment - grading is random and teaching quality is questionable across subjects. Phoning in academicly, lack luster in spirit, horriblely organized little district. If you want your child to be in a continuation of middle school environment, Steilacoom High is the place. Worldly or rigorous or even solid with the basics, no, no and sadly no. Would move out of the district completely if we had the opportunity.