History of Ballard High School
September 2008 marked the 107th anniversary of the opening of Ballard High School. One hundred seven years and over 30,000 graduates later, the Ballard High School Class of 2008 will graduate on June 13, 2008 at Memorial Stadium.
Ballard High School has over 1600 students in grades 9-12. BHS is well-known for the numerous programs offered at the school. Students have the opportunity to join unique programs such as video production, Academy of Finance, Maritime Academy, Biotech Academy, a wide variety of music classes, and so much more. Ballard is also well-known for having a very supportive community with a strong PTSA, booster clubs, and its own Ballard Foundation. The Beavers compete at the 4A level in the KingCo Conference and are supported by an enthusiastic student body full of rich tradition and school spirit.
Ballard High School got its start in the fall of 1901, when the Ballard School District added grades eleven and twelve to the already existing Central School, creating the first four-year high school in the Ballard area. The very small school, soon to be known as Ballard High School, was located at 5308 Tallman Ave. There were three people on the faculty, including the principal, Harry F. Giles. The first graduating class had four members and held its commencement on June 23, 1902.
By 1905, enrollment had grown to 80 students. Ballard became part of the city of Seattle in 1907 and the high school became part of the Seattle Public School System.
Ballard High School moved to its present location during Christmas vacation 1915. The school could accommodate 1,000 students. Three hundred of them were transferred from Lincoln. The building was remodeled three times, once in 1925, then again in 1941 and for the last time in 1959. At that time, the student body had grown to over 2,000 members.
That structure was demolished the summer 1997 to make room for the current facility. The student body was housed in the old Lincoln High School building during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 school years. September 1999, Ballard High School returned to 1418 NW 65th St. to occupy a brand new building with the ability to accommodate evolving technology and more than 1,500 students.
It has been 100 years since Ballard High School opened its doors for the first time. Eleven principals, hundreds of faculty and many, many students later, Ballard has grown into the first choice of students selecting a high school in the Seattle Public School District.
Ballard High School is the oldest continuously operating high school program in the city.
Seattle’s first high school opened in 1883; its first graduating class was in 1886. That program eventually moved to Capitol Hill, to accommodate the dramatic increase in Seattle's population caused by the Alaskan Gold rush of the 1890's, and became Broadway High School in 1902. In 1946, Broadway closed as a high school and instead was devoted to vocational training and adult education as Edison Technical School.
West Seattle High School’s history is similar to Ballard’s, since the area was also a separate city until being annexed by Seattle in 1907. West Seattle School opened in 1893 and added a high school program in 1902. The high school program moved to the school’s current site in 1917. The original West Seattle School was renamed Lafayette but most of that building was demolished in the 1949 earthquake.
Lincoln High School in Wallingford opened in 1907 and was closed in 1981. Queen Anne High School opened in 1909 and also closed in 1981.