Decatur High School

Decatur High School is one of the substantial high schools in FEDERAL WAY, Washington, part of Federal Way School District, with 1,352 students on its rolls from grades 9 through 12. By comparison, Washington's public schools average about 573 students each, so Decatur High School sits 136% larger than that benchmark.

Within Federal Way School District, which oversees 43 schools and 22,250 students, Decatur High School is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Decatur High School shows that the most-represented group is Hispanic (33%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. The remainder reads as 22% White, 13% multiracial, 12% Black, 11% Asian. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 11%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school employs 65 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 20.9:1. The state averages about 21.6:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 65% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is higher than King County's rate of about 38%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Decatur High School falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 36.7%; this one comes in at 20.1%, -16.6 points off the demographic line.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for King County indicate median household income runs about $124,746, 57% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. In all, King County runs 544 public schools (combined enrollment of about 278,492 students), of which Decatur High School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Olympic View Elementary School, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Decatur High School ranks 8th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 35.0%.

Decatur High School operates from a residential location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 4%: 1,403 students in 2018 compared to 1,352 in 2025. The White share of enrollment ticked down from 35% to 22% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.