High Schools
There are four neighborhood high schools in the district. In addition, five choice high schools serve specific needs and interests, including academic rigor, an increased pace of study, vocational programs and project-based learning.
For school enrollment numbers, please visit the enrollment report page.
Eastlake High School
400 - 228th Avenue NE, Sammamish 98074
Grades 9-12
- Students develop the intellectual strength and character necessary for future success
- Teachers engage and challenge students through well-designed instruction
- Literacy, math, science and world language labs support students in meeting high expectations
- Thriving programs in Performing Arts, Fine Arts, Wellness and Career and Technical Education
- Integrated programs in Grades 9-11 Humanities and Grade 9 Health and Fitness
- Successful athletics, ASB clubs and Servant Leadership program
- Honors pathway for students in grades nine and 10
- 23 AP and UW in the High School classes in math, science, computer science, humanities, world language and art
Emerson High School
10903 NE 53rd Street, Kirkland 98033
Grades 9-12
Not lottery based.
Contact school for more information.
- Maximum 130 students, grades 9-12
- Smaller class sizes
- Standards-based grading/credits
- Eight session calendar
- Opportunity for independent study coursework
- Full access to Running Start and WANIC skills programs for 11th and 12th graders
- Personalized learning plans are provided for each student
- Grading scale is A-B-C-No Credit
- Night school attendance opportunities
- Instruction provided using LWSD curriculum and state standards
Emerson K-12
10903 NE 53rd Street, Kirkland 98033
Grades K-12
Choice school, not lottery-based
Contact school for more information.
Mission statement: Emerson K-12 is a community of families working in collaboration with the Lake Washington School District to ensure that each student will be prepared to lead a rewarding, responsible life as a contributing member of our community and greater society.
Overview: Emerson K-12 is a Parent Partnership Program (PPP) designed to engage families interested in being active partners in their child(ren) instruction. Core and enrichment/elective classes are generally offered two days per week, with parents delivering instruction on the other days in partnership with certificated staff. Each student has an individualized learning plan that meets LWSD and state standards. We operate under the Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) part of Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 392.550. Many high school students also participate in WANIC, Running Start and/or their neighborhood school’s academic program. Our small size allows us to focus on individual student needs – and be responsive with interventions and/or accelerations as needed.
International Community School
11133 NE 65th Street, Kirkland 98033
Grades 6-12
Choice school, lottery-based
Mission statement: International Community School cultivates integrity, curiosity, complex reasoning, problem solving, and global awareness in every student with a rigorous, signature program of arts and sciences.
Overview: The school’s focus is on six core integrated content areas with an emphasis on depth of understanding and interconnected learning: humanities, international studies, art, science, mathematics and foreign language. ICS emphasizes global awareness and having the capacity to incorporate the attitude, knowledge, and skills necessary to feel empathy for the human condition all over the world while acknowledging our perspective as one among many, realizing how we impact and are impacted by larger systems.
Juanita High School
10601 NE 132nd Street, Kirkland 98034
Grades 9-12
Neighborhood high school
Mission statement: Students, staff, parents, and community working together will provide our students the opportunity to learn and use their minds well and develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to become life-long learners, responsible citizens, informed decision-makers, and competitive workers in the global economy.
Overview: The tradition of JHS is based on a strong sense of community. The school’s culture is based on the core values of personal integrity, a strong work ethic and a professionally collaborative environment. The atmosphere is personalized so that students of all levels and needs can find a home in our school. Juanita offers a blend of Advanced Placement and college preparatory coursework, including courses sanctioned by the University of Washington and the University of Cambridge. We also use safety net programs, when needed, to help ensure the high school graduation and academic success of each student.
Cambridge Program at Juanita High School
10601 NE 132nd Street, Kirkland 98034
Grades 9-12
Choice school, lottery-based
Overview: The Cambridge Program at Juanita High School provides rigorous academic curriculum and assessment administered by the University of Cambridge in England, with an emphasis on development of higher-order thinking skills, problem solving, investigative and research skills. The Cambridge Program provides a rich, collaborative environment in which scholarship is the norm, with a focus on transition to competitive post-secondary institutions. Examinations in mathematics & sciences, languages, arts & humanities, and global perspectives lead toward the globally recognized Advanced International Certificate of Education.
Lake Washington High School
12033 NE 80th Street, Kirkland 98033
Neighborhood high school
Mission statement: Each child, every day, connected and belonging in our community.
Overview: LWHS continues to grow and develop to ensure graduates are prepared for post-secondary success. In addition to the regular academic program offerings, the school offers a rigorous advanced academic curriculum. Students can take advantage of Honors, Advanced Placement, University of Washington in the High School, CTE Dual Credit (earning college credit while enrolled in classes at LWHS). They can also access full or part-time Running Start and WANIC classes.
Redmond High School
17272 NE 104th Street, Redmond 98052
Grades 9-12
Neighborhood high school
Mission statement: The mission of Redmond High School is to cultivate the potential and celebrate the strengths in each student, to help every student welcome challenge and use them as a catalyst for growth, and to prepare all students to embrace their role as members of their local and global community.
Overview: Redmond High School believes in helping all students to feel prepared and empowered. We strive to do this through thoughtful and intentional collaboration between students, teachers and families as we build shared expectations and values for activities, athletics and academics. Students can take advantage of Honors courses, Advanced Placement courses, UW in the high school (where students earn college credit while enrolled in classes they take at Redmond High School), full or part-time enrollment in Running Start, College in the High School and WANIC classes. Our school culture is based on the pillars of honor, excellence, respect and diversity, and we proudly display our motto: One Herd, One Home.
Tesla STEM High School
4301 - 228th Avenue NE, Redmond 98053
Grades 9-12
Choice school, lottery-based
Mission statement: Each student will graduate prepared to lead a rewarding, responsible life as a contributing member of our community and greater society.
Overview: Tesla STEM High School is a science, technology, engineering and mathematics high school that uses problem-based learning to prepare students for future STEM professions. Students enroll in, on average, six science courses and four math courses for high school. Engineering and technology are integrated into all grade level classes throughout their four years at Tesla STEM. A key academic feature frames the first two years of a student’s experience where they are immersed in an integrated science, engineering and humanities sequence. The focus is on the students’ development of multiple skills, including conducting authentic research, working with primary source documents and developing scientific investigations. Students also learn to understand and apply the engineering design process. In their junior and senior years, students work in a STEM Lab Concentration and/or STEM Pathway, conducting inquiry and research, exploring questions of their own, and championing their own ideas to the level of publication and/or production.
WANIC (Washington Network for Innovative Careers)
Office: 11605 - 132nd Avenue NE #A108, Kirkland 98034
Full year: grades 11-12
Summer semester: grades 9-12
Choice school, not lottery-based
Mission statement:
- Ensure student access and opportunities, while promoting equity and diversity in programs
- Provide highly challenging, relevant, specialized courses and programs
- Maintain and expand business and industry partnerships and connections
Overview: WANIC Skill Center offers high-quality, tuition-free technical and professional training for high school juniors and seniors. These year-long, advanced-level Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are based on rigorous academic and industry standards and prepare students for career and college readiness. WANIC programs offer dual credit opportunities (both high school and college credit) and/or lead to industry certifications. Programs are designed in three period blocks allowing extended time to not only learn the theory of a subject, but to also get authentic hands-on lab experience. All classes earn Occupational/Career & Technical Education high school credits and may offer other course equivalencies towards high school graduation requirements. WANIC operates as a cooperative consortium of seven local school districts. WANIC serves as a branch campus of all area high schools providing programs that would normally not be offered in every comprehensive high school due to high operative and equipment costs or not enough student enrollment at the school.
Recent High School News
Eleven students from Lake Washington School District (LWSD) have achieved something that less than one-half of 1% of test takers achieve.
Eastlake High School senior Lily Myers has been very busy this last year. Last July, Lily participated in the nationally competitive NASA STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) summer internship program, where she had the unique opportunity to work alongside NASA experts on critical earth and space research missions.
Five students from Tesla STEM High School took a break from their summer activities to focus on environmental conservation practices.
On September 20, the Redmond High School (RHS) Marching Band held its first halftime performance at a football game in recent memory.
Over the summer, Brian Wikert, chemistry teacher at Eastlake High School, won the American Chemical Society’s Puget Sound Section 2024 High School Teacher of the Year award. The award is given to nominees who demonstrate quality in their teaching, an ability to inspire and challenge students, and extracurricular work in chemistry or a chemical science. The award comes with $250 cash plus $750 for science supplies, and an invitation to the awards dinner that takes place on September 28 at Renton Technical College.
Sometimes it is hard to recognize teachers for all the things they do to help students prepare for the next chapter in their lives. But for Matthew Sturtevant, teacher at Tesla STEM High School, this is not one of those cases.
Two Lake Washington School District teams made it to the national Science Olympiad competition this year.