Gig Harbor High

As a big high school in Gig Harbor, Washington, Gig Harbor High enrolls 1,375 students from grades 9 through 12, one of the schools within Peninsula School District. Enrollment runs roughly 140% larger than the state mean of about 573.

Within Peninsula School District, which oversees 17 schools and 9,015 students, Gig Harbor High is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Gig Harbor High shows that 77% of the student body identifies as White; the rest consists of 11% Hispanic, 9% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 64% White, putting the school's mix noticeably more White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 53 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 26.1:1. The state averages around 21.6:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 15% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Pierce County runs at roughly 50%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully below the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Gig Harbor High is in the bottom 10% of Washington public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 70.2%; Gig Harbor High posts 54.1%, -16.0 points below that line.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Pierce County put median household income runs about $99,564, roughly 31% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Gig Harbor High is one of 287 public schools in Pierce County (combined enrollment of about 138,462 students).

Nearest neighbor: Discovery Elementary School, around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Gig Harbor High. On composite proficiency, Gig Harbor High comes 8th of 8 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 67.3%.

The school occupies a bedroom-community site.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 15%: 1,610 students in 2018 compared to 1,375 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 24.5:1 in 2018 to 26.1:1 today.

On the community side, the feed for Gig Harbor High typically covers classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.