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Foss High School

Tacoma, WA 98405

Phone: (253) 571-7300
District: Tacoma School District

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GreatSchools Rating

public • Grades 9,10,11,12 • 557 students

Foss High School, a public school located in Tacoma, WA, serves grades 9-12 in the Tacoma School District.It has received a GreatSchools Rating of 2 out of 10, based on a variety of school quality measures.

Foss High School is a public school located in Tacoma, WA. 557 students attend Foss High School.

School Ratings

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	1/10	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	2/10	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.

Worrisome patterns of chronic student absenteeism have been identified.

Posted: November 26, 2025

Staff is committed and caring. I love that this school is a part of our community. The international baccalaureate program offers many opportunities.

Posted: November 26, 2025

Posted: September 3, 2024

I've had a great experience with all my teachers. They love what they do, and they're always open to helping students. The counselors, however, are impossible to reach. Not only this, but some of them have the worst attitudes ever, so good luck trying to have a meaningful conversation with them. The students lack school spirit, so student engagement is always low. Overall, it's not fun going here and you probably won't get the high school experience that you see on TV. If you're planning to go to go to Foss, then just go ahead and take Running Start to escape the atmosphere once you're a junior, lol.

Posted: October 10, 2023

I agree with what the previous replies here have to say. The teachers are very kind and genuine people, and you can tell that they love what they do. My personal problem lies with the counselors. They do not reply to emails at all. And even if they do, expect a one-week gap. You could email them the most important and urgent thing ever, but they still wouldn't bat an eye. This is extremely annoying to me as it feels like I do not have a genuine support system that I can go to in the case I need help with anything. In simple terms, they are completely unreliable counselors. I hope they get replaced with people who are actually good at their jobs and are willing to provide real support to students instead of passing everything by.

Posted: October 10, 2023

Posted: September 23, 2023

Ive had a great experience with all the teachers here as many of them truly do believe in their students and pushes them to do better. However, its the student themselves that ruin the atmosphere. They do not care for the environment, their peers, or their teachers. They act like children that need to be babysat 24/7 which is why I switched to Running Start for my junior and senior years. Aside from the teachers, the principal and counselors are absolutely UNRELIABLE. If you email them asking for help, expect to almost NEVER get a reply. The principal is obviously biased towards the IB program, and the moment a student shows interest in Running Start or literally anything else, she blatantly shows her disinterest toward them. Do not go here if youre expecting a calm and welcoming environment, and I hope all of the kind and genuine teachers are able to escape.

Posted: April 10, 2021

This school works hard to serve the community. Foss provides vast college bond support, the full IB program, IB classes, and an incredibly committed staff. The relatively small size makes extra-circulars highly accessible. School neighbors a beautiful wetland (the Tacoma Nature Center) as well as a Fred Meyer which is great for a part time job.

Posted: April 10, 2021

Posted: June 18, 2016

The school can have distractions like any other school, but the teachers really cared and my children were able to take their education to the next level. Great Athletics as well if that's their thing. I also love the community feel of the school!

Posted: September 16, 2013

A very nice caring wonderful school where every teacher cares about your well being and the counslers know your name and the principle is always there and so is the vice.

Posted: August 7, 2013

Our school was named after Henry O. Foss. He was an elected official, businessman and civic leader. Our school was built in 1973 and in 1982, Foss became the first school in Washington State to introduce the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. This program is one of great standards as well as one that gives all students who have enough work ethic and discipline to grow immensely in critical thinking and college like attributes. In 2001, the school was elected by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as an Achiever High School in Washington State. The school its self is a phenomenal education destination. Students are diverse and come from everywhere around the world. Our ASB is a very unique set of people who are the teachers and students cheerleaders throughout the year. Using their skills to really get people to keep their heads up, keep smiling and always continue to improve. Our school is exclusive and uncommon to others around our state and nationwide. Please make us one of your choices. Our daily saying is on the intercom in the morning is " I'm a Henry Foss Falcon full spirit of pride and I love to hold it down for Henry Foss High. Have a great day Falcons!"

Reviews provided by GreatSchools^™

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	North End	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Tacoma	WA	1.9 mi
2	Stadium District	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Tacoma	WA	2.7 mi
3	westridge apartments	Apartment Complex	Tacoma	WA	2.8 mi
4	Hawaiian Village	Apartment Complex	Lakewood	WA	4.5 mi
5	Clocktower	Neighborhood/Subdivision	DuPont	WA	12.2 mi
6	Gem Heights	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Puyallup	WA	12.8 mi
7	Silver Creek	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Puyallup	WA	13.7 mi
8	Lost Creek	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Graham	WA	15.6 mi
9	McCormick Woods	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Port Orchard	WA	20.2 mi
10	The Ridge at McCormick Woods	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Port Orchard	WA	20.6 mi
11	Tahoma Meadows	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Yelm	WA	21.2 mi
12	The Carriages at Fairwood Downs	Apartment Complex	Renton	WA	21.7 mi
13	Avonlea	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Lacey	WA	22.4 mi
14	Woodsmuir	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Olympia	WA	23 mi
15	Manette	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Bremerton	WA	23.4 mi
16	Kitsap Lake	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Bremerton	WA	24.9 mi
17	Fairway Lane	Apartment Complex	Bremerton	WA	26.4 mi
18	Blueberry Meadows	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Bremerton	WA	26.8 mi

#	Name	City	State	Distance
1	Port Orchard	Port Orchard	WA	21.8 mi
2	Stonegate	Olympia	WA	22.3 mi
3	Maple Valley	Maple Valley	WA	22.9 mi
4	Black Diamond	Black Diamond	WA	23.5 mi
5	Downtown Seattle	Seattle	WA	26.3 mi
6	Bainbridge Island	Bainbridge Island	WA	26.7 mi
7	East Bremerton	Bremerton	WA	27.8 mi

Base	Distance
McChord AFB	8.1 mi.
Fort Lewis	11.2 mi.
Naval Base Kitsap - Bremerton	23.4 mi.
Coast Guard Seattle	25.3 mi.
Naval Base Kitsap Bangor	34.5 mi.

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Foss High School

Tacoma, WA 98405

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