Enrollment
390
High
DISTRICT 216 · STATE 573
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH WHIDBEY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 530819001878
South Whidbey High School
5675 Maxwelton, Langley, WA 98260 · (360) 221-4300 · Island County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL390 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 88% of Washington public high schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- C-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Washington public high schools
Student : Teacher
17.7:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 29.8:1 · STATE 21.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
145 students
DISTRICT 38% · STATE 51%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 101 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 95 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 98 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 96 | 25% |
Student demographics
34%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 35% · STATE 68% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within South Whidbey School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
Smarter Balanced + WCAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded StandardEnglish Language Arts
63.3%
WA avg 58.4% . +14.4pp since 2014
Math
35.6%
WA avg 51.2% . +5.0pp since 2014
What this means: On the Smarter Balanced + WCAS, Washington's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Washington schools, those numbers are about 58 and 51. Reading and writing scores are up about 14 points since 2014, while math scores are up about 5 points.
Smarter Balanced + WCAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 63.3% | 35.6% |
| 2023-24 | 87.6% | 47.2% |
| 2022-23 | 74.3% | 38.6% |
| 2021-22 | 68.5% | 41.6% |
| 2018-19 | 81.5% | 59.1% |
| 2017-18 | 74.8% | 38.7% |
| 2016-17 | N/A | 10.5% |
| 2015-16 | 16.7% | N/A |
| 2014-15 | 48.9% | 30.6% |
% Met or Exceeded Standard, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Smarter Balanced + WCAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
61.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.3%
based on WA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 61% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% typical for Washington schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Washington's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like South Whidbey High School
South Whidbey High School's state test result (61.3% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Whidbey High School this school | 390 | 37.2% | 61.3% |
| Kalama High School Kalama | 347 | 37.8% | N/A |
| Liberty Bell Jr Sr High Winthrop | 356 | 39.6% | 47.8% |
| Medical Lake High School Medical Lake | 506 | 40.3% | 51.7% |
| Montesano Jr-Sr High Montesano | 698 | 38.1% | 49.3% |
| Port Townsend High School Port Townsend | 383 | 43.3% | 59.0% |
Matched among Washington high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where South Whidbey High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Washington |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 61.3% | #27 of 271 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 35.6% | #103 of 321 ▼ 57 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.3% | #121 of 327 ▼ 115 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -5.6pp | #56 of 259 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 390 | #235 of 570 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.7:1 | #54 of 311 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 33.8% | #278 of 316 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 37.2% | #288 of 386 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.9% | #46 of 164 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
390
-41 (-10%) vs 2020
-23% since 1990-91, when it was 505
Student : Teacher
17.7:1
was 19.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 390 | 22.1 | 17.7:1 | 37% (145) |
| 2023-24 | 361 | 21.8 | 16.5:1 | 33% (118) |
| 2022-23 | 384 | 22.8 | 16.8:1 | 30% (115) |
| 2020-21 | 431 | 22 | 19.6:1 | 21% (92) |
| 2017-18 | 448 | 24 | 18.7:1 | 16% (71) |
| 2015-16 | 496 | 25 | 19.8:1 | 24% (119) |
| 2010-11 | 558 | 26 | 21.5:1 | 17% (96) |
| 2000-01 | 787 | 35 | 22.5:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 505 | 24 | 21.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Whidbey High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (448 to 390); teachers down 8% (24 to 22.1).
About South Whidbey High School
In Langley, Washington, South Whidbey High School is a small high school. It teaches 390 students in grades 9 through 12. It has 32% fewer students than the average for high schools in Washington (about 573).
South Whidbey School District (4 schools, 1,207 students) runs South Whidbey High School.
At South Whidbey High School, 81% of students are White. After that, the student body is 8% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 3% Native American, and 2% Asian. Census estimates put Island County at about 78% White, close to the school's figure. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 34%.
South Whidbey High School has 22.1 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of about 17.7:1. High schools in Washington average 21.6:1, 3.9 more students per teacher than here. A common income measure, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, is 37% at South Whidbey High School.
On the allk12 Grade, South Whidbey High School lands at A, ahead of 88% of Washington public high schools.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for South Whidbey High School is 55.3%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 61.3%.
Looking at the county, Island County, median household income comes to about $90,551, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 37% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 5%. The county's public schools total 26, with about 8,561 students.
South Whidbey High School's nearest public school is South Whidbey Academy (less than a tenth of a mile). The count of other public schools within five miles is 3. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 55.3%; South Whidbey High School's is 61.3%, ranking 2nd of 8.
South Whidbey High School has an NCES locale of Rural: Fringe.
From 431 students in 2020-21, enrollment fell to 390 by 2024-25. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio dropped to 17.7:1, from 19.6:1.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Island County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
86,836
Census ACS
Median income
$90,551
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
26
8,561 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in South Whidbey School District
- South Whidbey ElementaryElementary · 485 students
- South Whidbey MiddleMiddle · 290 students
- South Whidbey AcademyHigh · 42 students
- South Whidbey Special ServicesElementary
Other schools in Langley
- South Whidbey ElementaryElementary · 485 students
- South Whidbey MiddleMiddle · 290 students
- South Whidbey AcademyHigh · 42 students
- South Whidbey Special ServicesElementary
Nearby schools
- South Whidbey Academy0.0 mi · 42
- South Whidbey Middle0.0 mi · 290
- South Whidbey Elementary0.6 mi · 485
- Mukilteo Elementary7.0 mi · 521
- Olympic View Middle School7.2 mi · 851
- Columbia Elementary8.6 mi · 596
Frequently asked questions
About South Whidbey High SchoolHow large is South Whidbey High School?
South Whidbey High School enrolls approximately 390 students in grades 09-12.
Is South Whidbey High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
South Whidbey High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does South Whidbey High School have?
South Whidbey High School employs 22 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.7:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at South Whidbey High School?
At South Whidbey High School, the student body is approximately 81% White, 8% Hispanic, 2% Black, 2% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is South Whidbey High School public or private?
South Whidbey High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by South Whidbey School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.