Highline High School

With passage of the 2016 bond, we are rebuilding Highline High School. School staff and community members helped plan and review the design.

Find HHS construction updates and more progress photos below.

Opening: September 2021
Architect: Bassetti Architects
General Contractor/Construction Manager: Skanska

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Progress Photos

Check out photos of our progress: Staff and community members helped plan, review designs or participated in community meetings. On HHS Alumni Day in May 2019, we said goodbye to the old building and took a group photo. Skanska took over the site in July 2019. Crews completed demolition by the first week of November. Construction is moving from the southeast corner to the northwest corner of the site. The new school is scheduled to open September 2021.

HHS Construction (March 2020)

HHS Construction (February 2020)

HHS Construction (January 2020)

HHS Construction (December 2019)

HHS Construction (November 2019)

HHS Demolition (July - October 2019)

HHS Alumni Day 2019

Designs & Plans

Staff and community members rolled up their sleeves and helped with planning and design of the new high school through the HHS Design Review Committee, community meetings and feedback opportunities. Staff helped the architects support the educational specifications in the design. See the design images and read the February 2019 news update:

Architects Share Final Design Details
-- February 2019

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

Northwest corner of new Highline High School, showing 2-story north building and 3-story south building.

Timeline

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 The building has outdated, failing mechanical systems.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

HHS site camera looking SW at south wing being built and gym walls up.

HHS Gym Walls Up; 3rd Story Appears on South Wing

Jan 5 2020

Project Update | Highline High School
Site cameras captured construction progress at Highline High School during the first week of January 2020.

View of Highline High School project site after demolition, with drill, tall pine trees and stadium visible.

Crews Install 2,300 Deep Piers at HHS

Nov 15 2019

Project Update | Highline High School
Workers are drilling 25 feet in the earth 2,300 times to install deep aggregate piers for the new Highline High School. The first structural steel columns and beams are up. Find out more and see photos.

Staff welcomed HHS students back to school at the Olympic Interim Site.

HHS Students Welcomed Back to School at Olympic Interim Site

Sep 8 2019

Highline High School students and staff started their two-year stint at the freshly renovated Olympic Interim Site in Des Moines this week. See photos from the first day of school, September 4, 2019.

Crews removing terra-cotta details from HHS.

Crews Salvage Terra-Cotta Details; North Wall Coming Down

Sep 8 2019

It’s happening, Highline Pirates, your new building is almost in the works! The terra-cotta details were salvaged, the library and cafeteria demolished and the front wall is coming down this week.

Round-Up of Farewell Memories

Jun 28 2019

During May and June we said goodbye at our two oldest school buildings. Here is a round-up of links to videos, photos and more from the farewell events for alumni and community members and from the last day of school at Des Moines Elementary School and Highline High School.

Oversight Committee members meet for a quarterly bond progress report.

Project Updates: Oversight Committee Tracks Bond Progress

Jun 28 2019

Six community members and experts keep an eye on our 2016 school bond projects and finances. We provide quarterly reports to the Oversight Committee and the school board. Get the status on every bond project and other capital projects in this report summary. We're on target with the 2016 school bond.

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