Best Special Needs Schools in Burien, Washington (2026)

Highline Big Picture School in Burien is a Highline Public Schools choice school for grades 6 to 12 built on the Big Picture Learning model. Our high school opened in 2005 and our middle school in 2011, and both share the district's Manhattan site. Families apply through the district lottery for schools of choice. Learning here does not run on traditional grades or credits. Each student follows an individualized learning plan, shows mastery of five competencies, and presents work at exhibitions three times a year. Advisories of about 17 students stay with the same advisor for two years in middle school and four years in high school. Middle schoolers take regular field trips and spend one day a month at service learning sites. High schoolers spend two days a week off campus at internships with mentors, and many add Running Start or skills center courses. Middle school students ride district transportation, and high school students receive ORCA cards for public transit. We do not run our own extracurricular activities; students can join activities at their home school. IEP and multilingual learner supports are tracked through every learning cycle.

• Public choice school (grades 6-12)
• Big Picture Learning model
• Internship-based learning
• Project-based learning

Highline High School first opened in 1924, and our Pirates moved into a new building in September 2021. We serve grades 9 to 12 in Burien as part of Highline Public Schools, and every student is assigned a Chromebook. Our Spanish Dual Language program now runs all four years, through a 12th grade civics course taught in Spanish. Students can take Advanced Placement courses, including AP Computer Science starting in 10th grade, and earn credit through College in the High School. Juniors and seniors can attend college through Running Start or take career and technical classes at Puget Sound Skills Center. AVID, the Core Plus program, 9th grade support, English language learner services and special education are all part of the school. Our Unified PE class has general education students working alongside peers served by special education. Music is a big part of campus life, with band, orchestra, guitar ensemble, mariachi ensemble, drama and an intro to piano class. We also offer athletics, ASB clubs, a library, a College and Career Center, a counseling center, and a HealthPoint clinic on site. District buses serve the school.

• Public high school
• Speech therapy
• Project-based learning
• Music and performing arts