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Highline Public Schools
15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW Burien,WA 98166

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Monday-Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Highline High School

Northwest Corner of New HHS Design

With passage of the 2016 bond, we will rebuild Highline High School. The new building will open in fall 2021. We are involving the school community of Highline High School in planning and design of their new school through the HHS Design Review Committee, community meetings and feedback opportunities. Planning workshops with staff help the architects support the educational specifications in the design. We will continue to alert you to opportunities to provide community input and respond to the design work. 

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Photos of Progress

Coming soon! Check out photos of our progress from planning and community meetings to demolition and construction. Work on site will start at the end of the 2018-19 school year. The new school will open fall 2021.

Timeline

HHS will be hosted at the Olympic Interim School for two years during construction of the new school, starting in fall 2019. 

Planning & Design | February 2017 - February 2019

Bid & Award | February - July 2019

Construction | July 2019 - July 2021

Occupancy | July - August 2021

School Starts | Fall 2021

Designs & Plans

Bassetti Architects shared the following design images at a community meeting in May 2018. A larger pdf file of all the images is available below.

Close-up drawing of main HHS entrance rebuilt with original brick and terra cotta.

HHS North Wall - Rebuilt Entry

Design of new wall of HHS .

HHS North Wall

View of northwest corner of the design of the new Highline High School.

HHS Northwest Corner

West courtyard with covered spaces and entrance from car drop-off lanes.

HHS West Courtyard

View of southeast corner of HHS.

HHS Southeast Corner, Physical Education & Athletics Wing

View of the southeast corner of new school design.

HHS South Entry Courtyard

 

Download HHS Designs & Building Layout Plans, May 2018 (12.6 KB pdf


Please call 206-631-3002 to request to see the HHS display boards in person or for accessibility assistance. 

Background

Highline High School is over 90 years old and was identified as a top priority for capital improvements. The building has outdated, failing mechanical systems. Because it was built in and for an earlier era, it is not up to current fire or earthquake codes. The electrical infrastructure cannot support the technology we expect in today’s schools. 

Highline has undergone several additions and partial renovations, which have extended its use well beyond its expected lifespan. The latest renovation, 25 years ago, remodeled classrooms in the main building but did not address major systems such as heating and plumbing. An independent building evaluation conducted in 2013 found plumbing in poor condition, mechanical systems failing, leaks in sprinkler systems and failing cornice joints, among other issues. 

We recognize that the Highline High School building holds a special significance in the community. We have selected Bassetti Architects to design Highline High School. Bassetti has successfully rebuilt a number of historic schools, including Roosevelt High School, Franklin High School, and Stadium High School.

Here you can view before and after photos of school projects done by Bassetti Architecture.

HHS Construction Updates