Celebrating SPS’ Small Schools
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Summary: Small high schools provide high-quality learning opportunities and are perfect for students and families considering non-traditional options.
Celebrating SPS’ Small Schools
Performing arts, filmmaking, ethnic studies, radio, STEM, advanced career education, and more! These are just a few of the interest areas students at Seattle Public Schools secondary alternative schools can focus on while in high school.
These schools not only provide high-quality, world-class education, but they are perfect for students and families considering non-traditional learning opportunities. Check out the schools below for more information!
SPS Small High Schools
Educating the Mind, Embracing the Heart
- Students transitioning from middle school to high school have a guaranteed placement in their neighborhood comprehensive high school
- Additionally, SPS has option schools with continuous enrollment for students in grades 9-12
Use our Address Lookup Tool to see which school your student will be assigned. You can also view these options schools in the Address Lookup Tool, use the filter and select Option Schools with Continuous Enrollment.
Option schools provide a variety of programmatic opportunities, non-traditional curriculum, and educational styles for families looking for options to their attendance area school. While every school uses the same high academic standards to teach our students, our small high schools offer unique programs and services that may fit your student’s specific interests and your family’s needs.
Option Schools with Continuous Enrollment include:
- Alan T. Sugiyama High School, grades 9-12
- Interagency High School, grades 9-12 (Grade 9 students enroll at Interagency under special and approved circumstances)
- Middle College High School, grades 9-12
- Nova High School, grades 9-12
- Seattle World School, grades 8-12
- The Center School, grades 9-12
No matter a child’s interest, these schools will make sure every SPS student graduates prepared for college, a career, and community participation.
SPS Small Schools
Alan T. Sugiyama High School
Grades: 9-12
Location: 8601 Rainier Ave. S.
Phone: 206-252-6600
Principal Joe Powell
Alan T. Sugiyama (ATS) at South Lake
This high school partners with community members in the performing arts, music, radio, filmmaking, design and more to engage students and provide opportunities for them to work alongside industry professionals.
While in school, students will develop skills, learn how to network, and participate in internships that will drive their careers and post-secondary education.
Features:
- Personalized academic program, goal-setting, wraparound supports, and low teacher-student ratio (13:1)
- Credit acceleration through individualized projects and online programs
- College and Career Readiness through the Y Scholars program
- Career Pathway Internships in media and the arts. Partners include The Residency, The Seattle Rep Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Theatre Group, Kreative Collective, Converge Media, KEXP Radio and many others
- Graduation Pathways include
- Bridge to College English
- Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathways
- SPS’ only in-house child education center for parenting and expectant students
The Center School
Grades: 9-12
Location: Seattle Armory at Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St
Phone: 206-252-9850
Principal Barbara Casey
The Center School offers a rich academic college prep program enhanced through its focus on the arts. Students dive deep into inquiry-based and project-based curriculums. Internship and career explorations are available, so students have a professional transition into higher education and employment.
Features
- College-prep, core academic program includes humanities, math, arts, science and Spanish.
- Arts-infused electives
- Offer a special education autism continuum inclusion program and general education inclusion, Access and Resource placements for students with special needs
- Advanced Placement courses: biology, environmental science, calculus, statistics, drawing and painting and English language and composition.
- Community partnerships include Seattle Repertory Theatre, Vera Project, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Pottery NW, Pacific Science Center, and others.
Interagency High School
Grades: 9-12 (Grade 9 students enroll at Interagency under special and approved circumstances)
Location: 3258 S. Ferdinand St. 10 campuses across the city
Phone: 206-743-3942
Principal Sharonda R. Willingham
Interagency Academy removes equity barriers for students to access multiple learning pathways. With a trauma-informed approach, ethnic studies learning framework, and virtual learning supports, the school meets every student where they are, while supporting them as they grow.
Features
- Four-day orientation process to learn about the supports and work with staff to determine a Student Learning Plan and identify any accessibility needs.
- Online learning opportunities through our Innovative Virtual Academy
- Weekly, two-way communication with students and families and weekly academic report conference between students and teachers
- Micro-credentialing: Students can earn .1 credit in core subject areas each month
- Career Connected Learning and CTE programming: Building and Construction Trades program
- Multiple community partners support students and families with programming and resources
- Columbia campus school-based health center for students
Middle College
Grades: 9-12
Locations: Seattle University Campus or North Seattle College Campus
Phone: 206-252-9900
Principal Keven Wynkoop
This school offers a college-focused program where students spend grades 9 and 10 in a small, supportive environment on the Seattle University and Seattle College campuses. Students prepare for enhanced full time Running Start in grades 11 and 12.
Middle College offers flexible and innovative structures to support students academically, socially, and emotionally, enabling students to attain high standards and meet their goals.
Features
- Personalized learning focused on supporting student success in high school and in the transition to college
- 9th and 10th grade students take classes with their small, grade level cohort, which allows for frequent 1:1 attention from teachers
- 11th and 12th grade students participate in an enhanced Running Start program on a college campus, continuing to connect with their cohort and mentorship opportunities
- Our primary mission is to increase the college success rates of students who are the 1st in their families to attend college, those who may also be impacted by systemic racism, and/or students who experience poverty
- Partners include Seattle Colleges, Clear Sky, Invest Ed, Alliance for Ed, Simon Youth Foundation, Middle College National Consortium
Nova
Grades: 9-12
Location: Horace Mann Building, 2410 E. Cherry St.
Phone: 206-252-3500
Principals Eyva Winet and Annie Parker
Students at Nova apply their learning through application, performance, and portfolio-based assessment to demonstrate competencies.
As an Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) School, each student has a personalized learning plan and is held to additional requirements including ethnic studies coursework, social justice projects, community engagement, community agreements, and social responsibility.
Features
- Individual advisors and mentorship for every student
- Student-led committees and students create their own schedules with support of their coordinator
- Students have the freedom to lean into their passions and build their graduation pathway, courses, and projects aligned to those passions and their post high school vision
- Nova is an ALE school, is non-graded and competency-based
- Additional graduation requirements in ethnic studies, community service and a culminating social justice inquiry project
- Community partners: Country Doctor (school-based health clinic), Seattle Colleges, Collective Justice, Urban ArtWorks, Sound Mental Health, Ryther
Seattle World School
Grades: 8-12
Location: 1700 East Union Street
Phone: 206-252-2200
Principal Tara Hobson
This school offers a personalized, project-based learning experience for students focused on computer science and STEM career fields. Seattle World School serves recent immigrants from multicultural, multilingual backgrounds who want to increase language acquisition rates and expand their technology skills.
Features
- College prep program for multilingual learners.
- 100% of seniors applied to college and financial aid in 2022.
- Career Pathways and Advanced Placement Classes
- CTE Computer Science (including AP CS), Healthcare and Business Classes
- We offer Running Start (early college classes) with support and internships.
- Students are immersed in a multicultural, multilingual environment with students that speak 22 languages and are from 34 different countries
- Personalized learning and small educator to student ratios
- 1:18 in 9th and 10th grade
- 1:24 in 11th grade
- We have a school-based health center on campus for students
- Afterschool programming: English classes, soccer and academic tutoring
Cascade Parent Partnership
This is an inclusive community of professional and parent educators working together to engage, encourage and empower K-8 students on their individual learning journeys. The school partners with families to create individualized plans that support the unique needs and interests of diverse learners.
Students attend classes and explore interests at Cascade, at home, and in their communities.
Skills Center
The Skills Center is committed to delivering advanced career and technical education for high school juniors and seniors. Courses offer high school credit, industry recognized certification, advanced learning, and college credit.
Classes are taught industry professionals in partnership with business and industry advisors.
