Enrollment
910
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Tukwila, WA
Foster Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Foster Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 530813001341
👥 S:T ratio 13
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Foster Senior High School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Washington schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Washington schools.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Tukwila · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.7:1
- large classes for Washington
- 68.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Foster Senior High School has class sizes larger than 87% of Washington schools. Computed live against every Washington school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Foster Senior High School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Tukwila, WA.
School address
District: Tukwila School District · Washington
NCES ID 530813001341 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.7:1
vs 17.6:1 Washington avg
+23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.1%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Foster Senior High School compares with Washington and U.S. medians
What stands out at Foster Senior High School
Foster Senior High School is a higher-need, large high school in Tukwila, Washington, enrolling 910 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21.7:1 is larger than about 87% of Washington schools and 23% above the 17.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 68.1% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Washington, bigger than 92% of state schools at 910 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,394 scored Washington schools.
Against 132 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #45.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (37%) and African American (25%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 75/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 228 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Tukwila's high schools, it stands alongside Raisbeck Aviation High School (400 students): Foster Senior High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.7:1 vs 21.1:1).
Tukwila School District also operates Showalter Middle School (651 students) and Cascade View Elementary (481 students) alongside Foster Senior High School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Foster Senior High School compares
Foster Senior High School on the metrics families compare, against Washington and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.7:1 | ▲ 23% | 17.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.1% | ▲ 51% | 45.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 910 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.7:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
910
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.7:1
students per teacher
- 23% above state mean
Top 87% in Washington - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
20.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$22,111
per pupil, district-wide
- above Washington avg of $19,487
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 228 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 37.1%
African American 24.8%
Asian 20.5%
White 8.4%
Two or More 5.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 37.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 74.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 74.7, Foster Senior High School is more mixed than the Washington school average of 53.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tukwila School District, which includes Foster Senior High School.
$22,111
Per student
+13%
vs Washington
Avg $19,487
+33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 53.1%
Federal 18.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Foster Senior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Showalter Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cascade View Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tukwila Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Thorndyke Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Foster Senior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 651
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 481
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 458
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 68/100
- Enrollment
- 386
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar high schools in Tukwila
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Washington, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~910 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Foster Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Foster Senior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Tukwila School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Foster Senior High School
How many students attend Foster Senior High School?
Foster Senior High School has 910 students enrolled. It is a high school in Tukwila, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Foster Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Foster Senior High School is 21.7:1, which is 23% higher than the Washington average of 17.6:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Foster Senior High School?
68.1% of students at Foster Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Foster Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Foster Senior High School is Hispanic or Latino at 37.1% of enrollment, in Tukwila, WA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 74.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Foster Senior High School?
Foster Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Foster Senior High School rank among public schools in Tukwila?
By Resource Investment Index, Foster Senior High School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Tukwila, WA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Tukwila on the city page.
Is Foster Senior High School a good school?
Foster Senior High School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of Washington schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Washington schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Tukwila School District?
Besides Foster Senior High School, Tukwila School District also operates Showalter Middle School (651 students), Cascade View Elementary (481 students), and Tukwila Elementary (458 students). See the Tukwila School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.