Highline College Photo #3 - View from the Outreach Building of the Totem outside Student Services/Admissions, Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains.

Highline College

2400 S 240th St
Des Moines, WA 98198
Top Ranked (2025): View Rankings
  • Highline Community College is nationally and internationally recognized as a premier community college, a reputation earned through the development of an institutional culture that values innovation, globalization of curriculum, and community participation. It is one of 34 community and technical colleges in the state of Washington.

School Highlights

Highline College serves 7,048 students (45% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 13:1 is lower than the state community college average of 15:1.
Minority enrollment is 77% of the student body (majority Black and Hispanic), which is more than the state average of 56%.

Quick Stats (2025)

  • Enrollment: 7,048 students
  • In-state tuition: $4,000
  • Out-state tuition: $4,401
  • Student:teacher ratio: 13:1
  • Minority enrollment: 77%
  • Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Top Rankings

Highline College ranks among the top 20% of public schools in Washington for:

School Overview

The teacher population of 534 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Highline College
(WA) Community College Avg.
Carnegie Classification
Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges: Associate's Dominant
Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges: Associate's Dominant
Institution Level
Four or more years
Four or more years
Institution Control
Public
Public
Total Faculty
534 staff
353 staff
This chart displays total faculty of Highline College and community college average number of faculty in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
School Calendar

Student Body

The student population of Highline College has grown by 11% over five years.
The student:teacher ratio of 13:1 has increased from 11:1 over five years.
The Highline College diversity score of 0.82 is more than the state average of 0.75. The school's diversity has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Total Enrollment
7,048 students
5,207 students
This chart displays the total enrollment of Highline College and community college average number of enrollment of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
Student : Teacher Ratio
13:1
15:1
This chart displays the student staff ratio of Highline College and community college average student staff ratio of Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
# Full-Time Students
3,161 students
2,028 students
This chart displays the total number of Full-time students enrollment of Highline College and average number of community college Full-time students enrollment of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
# Part-Time Students
3,887 students
3,179 students
This chart displays the total number of Part-time students enrollment of Highline College and average number of community college Part-time students enrollment of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
This chart displays the Full-time students and Part-time students enrollment breakdown of Highline College.
This chart displays community college average Full-Time students and Part-Time students enrollment breakdown of Washington.
# Enrollment Undergraduate
704 students
494 students
# Full-Time Undergraduate Students
3,161 students
2,028 students
This chart displays the total number of Full-time undergraduate students enrollment of Highline College and average number of community college Full-time undergraduate  students enrollment of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
# Part-Time Undergraduate Students
3,887 students
3,179 students
Total Dormitory Capacity
160 students
140 students
This chart displays the dormitory capacity of Highline College and the community college average dormitory capacity of Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% American Indian/Alaskan
n/a
1%
This chart displays the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan students in Highline College and the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
% Asian
19%
10%
This chart displays the percentage of Asian students in Highline College and the percentage of Asian community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hispanic
19%
17%
This chart displays the percentage of Hispanic students in Highline College and the percentage of Hispanic community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Black
20%
7%
This chart displays the percentage of Black students in Highline College and the percentage of Black community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% White
23%
44%
This chart displays the percentage of White students in Highline College and the percentage of White community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Hawaiian
1%
1%
This chart displays the percentage of Hawaiian students in Highline College and the percentage of Hawaiian community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
% Two or more races
8%
8%
This chart displays the percentage of Two or more races students in Highline College and the percentage of Two or more races community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
% Non Resident races
5%
3%
This chart displays the percentage of Non Resident students in Highline College and the percentage of Non Resident community college students in Washington by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
% Unknown races
5%
9%
This chart displays the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in Highline College.
This chart displays the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in Washington.
Diversity Score
0.82
0.75
This chart displays the diversity score of Highline College and the community college average diversity score of Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in less than 4 years)
32%
30%
This chart displays completion rates for First-Time of Full-time students of Highline College and community college average completion rates for First-Time of Full-time students of Washington by year, with the latest 2013-14 school year data.
College Completion Rate (Students who graduate in 4 years or more than 4 years)
0.4005%
0.3584%
Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years)
$38,300
$36,400
This chart displays average graduate earnings (10 Years) of Highline College and community college average graduate earnings (10 Years) of Washington by year, disaggregated by student subgroups with the latest 2012-13 school year data.

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

The public in-state tuition of $4,000 is less than the state average of $4,105. The in-state tuition has declined by 5% over four years.
The public out-state tuition of $4,401 is less than the state average of $7,359. The out-state tuition has declined by 6% over four years.
In-State Tuition Fees
$4,000
$4,105
This chart displays tuition fees for an in-state student of Highline College and the public community college average tuition fees for an in-state student of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
Out-State Tuition Fees
$4,401
$7,359
This chart displays tuition fees for an out-of-state student of Highline College and the public community college average tuition fees for an out-of-state student of Washington by year, with the latest 2023-24 school year data.
Tuition Notes
3 qtrs, 15 credits
% Students Receiving Some Financial Aid
35%
58%
This chart displays the percent of students who is receiving some financial aid in Highline College and the percent of community college students who is receiving some financial aid in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Median Debt for Graduates
$10,486
$11,794
This chart displays median debt for students who have completed a certificate or degree in Highline College and average median debt for community college students who have completed a certificate or degree in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Median Debt for Dropouts
$5,500
$6,192
This chart displays median debt for students who have not completed a certificate or degree in Highline College and average median debt for community college students who have not completed a certificate or degree in Washington by year, with the latest 2022-23 school year data.
Acceptance Rate
n/a
99%
Source: 2024 (or latest year available) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) , School Administrators

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Highline College cost?
Highline College's tuition is approximately $4,000 for In-State students and $4,401 for Out-State students.
What is Highline College's ranking?
Highline College ranks among the top 20% of community college in Washington for: Least expensive tuition, Diversity in US community colleges and Average community college minority breakdown.

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Quick Stats (2025)

  • Enrollment: 7,048 students
  • In-state tuition: $4,000
  • Out-state tuition: $4,401
  • Student:teacher ratio: 13:1
  • Minority enrollment: 77%
  • Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Related School Videos

Did You Know?

For King County, WA public community colleges, the average tuition is approximately $4,098 per year for in-state students and $7,784 for out-of-state students. Read more about average community college tuition costs across the country.

King County, WA community colleges have a diversity score of 0.77, which is higher than the national average of 0.74. The most diverse community college in King County, WA is Seattle Central College. Read more about community college diversity statistics in the USA.

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