High School Education

The Issaquah School District serves students in grades 9-12 at three comprehensive high schools, Issaquah High School, Liberty High School and Skyline High School, and an innovative high school, Gibson Ek High School. Our District also educates young offenders while they serve their sentences at the state’s Echo Glen Children’s Center in Snoqualmie.

We believe that experience available in high school classrooms enhance the probability of achieving a pattern of lifelong learning as well as the achievement of life goals. To this end, the District has established specific requirements for all students graduating from the Issaquah School District.

The Department of High School Education is part of the Department of Secondary Education and provides supervision of high schools and general support for high school programs. These programs include services for struggling students which need assistance with retrieving credit such as Summer School (also includes enrichment opportunities), and programs for excelling students such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate Program and College in the High School classes. Specific details about requirements for participation in these programs can be accessed through each schools website and the high school counseling websites. Approximately 60% of students attending school in our District participate in AP, IB and/or College in the High School Courses, with almost 85% of those who take AP/IB tests passing them. 

The Issaquah School District also provides flexible learning opportunities for high school students through Online Learning and Running Start Programs. The programs support students by granting credit in the same manner as other course offerings in the District while allowing students to complete graduation requirements in a setting that best matches their learning style. The Running Start Program also allows students to simultaneously earn college/university credit while they are earning high school credit.

Students who are receiving Home Based Instruction have access to the athletic and co-curricular programs of the District and the Running Start Program. Program details and contacts can be viewed in the links provided. 

Caring for the well-being of students mentally, physically, and socially has always been a top priority for the District. In early 2014, we began contracting with Swedish Hospital to provide mental health specialists at each of our comprehensive high schools. This unique partnership has made services easily accessible to students on a day to day basis, allowing us to help students when they need it most. Additionally, the District partnered with Friends of Youth to provide drug and alcohol counseling and mental health services. Information on accessing these services can be found by contacting the Counseling Department at each High School.