If you are the parent of a child in the Seattle area who has their sights set on attending a highly selective college, you know better than anyone how important it is to select the right high school to serve as a launching point for their college success. But Seattle’s elite high school ecosystem is no joke, and tons of competition await the soon-to-be high schoolers intent on attending one of the region’s top schools. So, where do you begin?

Elite College Admission Starts With Strategically Choosing a High School

There are many Seattle high schools with seemingly impressive reputations, large endowments, and star-studded alumni rosters. But not everything that glitters is gold. Even though we at Ivy Coach would never share our list of recommended schools or the rationale behind these selections with prospective clients, as this information is reserved for our package clients, we would be doing a disservice to Seattle families with middle school age children if we did not point out that many of the so-called “top” schools in the area actually don’t have strong relationships with elite college admissions offices. And conversely, there are plenty of lower-profile schools that actually have a great reputation for feeding into the most selective colleges in the nation. 

Popular Seattle Public and Private High Schools

Below you’ll find a list of the most talked-about high schools, both public and private, in the Seattle metro area. These lists should be taken with a grain of salt, as they may not be the best schools for your child. The only person who can help you separate the schools that glitter from those that are actually gold is a former elite college admissions officer who actually has insider information on whether admissions officers across the nation pick up the phone when these schools call. 

With that caveat in mind, here are the most popular public and private high schools in Seattle.

Popular Seattle Private Schools

Annie Wright Schools

The Bear Creek School

The Bush School

Eastside Preparatory School

Lakeside School

The Overlake School

Washington Preparatory School

Popular Seattle Public Schools

Eastlake High School

International Community School

Lincoln High School

Mercer Island School

Newport High School

Raisbeck Aviation School

Tesla STEM High School

Let’s zero in on a couple of these schools with some more details.

Lakeside School

With an alumni community that includes the co-founders of Microsoft, one of the largest endowments for an independent school in the United States, and a history that stretches back over 100 years, Lakeside School has a reputation that, without a doubt, precedes it. Much like the top colleges in the nation, Lakeside maintains a robust financial aid program and a comprehensive student-run ecosystem of extracurricular and affinity groups. 

But with this renown comes a low acceptance rate, with recent projections clocking in around 15%. Moreover, while there is a lot of buzz about Lakeside, it’s worth reminding our prospective clients that buzz doesn’t always translate into a reputation for sending students to the most selective colleges in the country.

Nikola Tesla STEM High School

Nikola Tesla STEM High School is a public magnet school located in Redmond, Washington. Like all of the Lake Washington School District “Choice Schools,” A.K.A. public magnet schools, Tesla STEM requires students to apply through a lottery system that opens in November of the year prior to the student’s first intended school year. With a 100% AP participation rate and a reputation for routinely topping local and national rankings of best public magnet schools, Tesla STEM is certainly one of the most notable public schools in the Seattle metropolitan area.

How Our College Admissions Consultants in Seattle Help Students Secure Elite College Admission

Are you the parent of a child in Seattle who you’d like to see attend one of the nation’s leading colleges? Getting into the right high school is easier said than done, so your child is better off with professional guidance to help them choose a school that matches their needs, goals, and future college plans. That’s where Ivy Coach comes in. We will optimize your child’s odds of admission while giving you the insight you need to avoid schools that talk the talk without walking the walk.

If you’re interested in getting started with us, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services led by our team of former elite college admissions officers.