Name: Jane Addams
Location: 11051 34th Avenue NE
Building: 40-room brick and concrete
Architect: Mallis, DeHart & Hopkins
Site: 17.21 acres

"Jane Addams Junior High School" was the first secondary school constructed by Shoreline School District No. 412. At the time it was being planned, demographic studies indicated the school would serve all junior high students in the area for a long time. Few foresaw the tremendous population growth in this suburban district. As Shoreline’s major secondary school, Addams was designed as a first-class facility with a capacity of 1,250 students. The building was meant to serve as a community center for the north end as well, so a fully professional stage was included in the auditorium.

The Shoreline School Board selected a site that had been part of a farm located across from the Meadowbrook Golf Course. The lower section near (N)E 110th Street was a meadow used for pasturing horses. Scrub trees grew on the hill at the back of the property near (N)E 115th. The site bordered the old Pacific Highway, which ran from Ravenna north to (N)E 110th, turning at 34th Avenue (N)E to continue north past what became the front entrance of the school. The name for the new school was chosen in an essay contest spon- sored by the district. Students were asked to write about various Nobel Prize winners. The winning entry, submitted by Maple Leaf pupil Marlene Mondala, discussed the life of Jane Addams, a noted American social worker who received the Peace Prize in 1931. Addams opened in September 1949 with only 7th and 8th graders. The 9th grade was added the following fall. Don C. Keesler was appointed the first principal and continued in that role until 1969. Around 1951, an addition was made with boys and girls gymnasiums. Within a few years of opening, enrollment at Addams soared to over 2,250, and the student body went to an "overlapping shift" program. On March 13, 1953, the Seattle School Board passed a resolution for jointly operating Addams with the Shoreline School District during the 1953–54 school year. The following year, when Addams was annexed into the Seattle School District, the number of students dropped to 1,200.

The superiority of the Addams auditorium facility is evident from the lease agreement signed with the University of Washington for its use after Meany Auditorium on the university campus was demolished because of earthquake damage in 1965. Nathan Hale also staged productions at Addams because its building lacked an auditorium. When overcrowding again became a problem in 1972, parents suggested allowing 9th graders to attend Nathan Hale High School, which had been built across the street in 1963. In September 1979, the 9th graders were moved to Hale.

Under a long-range plan enacted by the school board in 1981, Addams was slated for closure. From 1980–83, Addams housed only 7th and 8th graders, and its enrollment dropped significantly to 530 students. A reentry program began in fall 1982 for students who were on long-term suspension or expulsion and wished to be readmitted. The building closed as a middle school in June 1983. The spacious facility became home to a preschool, daycare center, gymnastics school, the Civic Light Opera, and other tenants.

In 1985, Summit K–12 Alternative School moved into Addams when its site at Colman was engulfed by the Interstate 90 construction project. Some Summit parents were not pleased by the new location because they preferred to stay in the central part of the city, but Addams offered facilities vital to a K–12 program, such as a gymnasium and science labs. With ample growing space available, Summit has thrived and attracted more students.

Summit competed with other secondary schools in sports and changed its team nickname from the "Slugs" to the "Invaders" about 1990. An enhanced arts curriculum had been developed with the assistance of parent volunteers.

The sports field at Nathan Hale and Addams underwent renovation and expansion and opened in September 2000.