Maritime High School

Why Maritime High School was nominated

Maritime High School connects students with hands-on, project-based learning to create access to local maritime careers and open doors to college. Anchored in the Duwamish Valley, we deliver powerful youth development experiences and exceptional education to students who are furthest from educational justice, resources, and opportunities in the Highline Public Schools and surrounding districts., This school has implemented a competency-based learning model and is or will soon be publishing Mastery Transcripts or MTC Learning Records as summative records for some or all graduates., Maritime High School is a new, small high school that opened in September 2021 with its first 9th-grade class. Maritime is a collaborative project of Highline Public Schools, Northwest Maritime Center, Port of Seattle, and the Duwamish River Community Coalition, with many community and industry partners engaged to support our students. Students will have time in the classroom, frequent field experiences and boat-based learning. In the 11th- and 12th-grade years, students will participate in internships to gain workforce skills and knowledge. Students will engage in project-based learning, working with teachers, community partners and industry experts in hands-on experiences; an innovative transcript will demonstrate their learning across all academic subject areas. By graduation, students will have skills to launch a Maritime career, and will also be ready to continue studying in a 2 or 4-year college. Regardless of a student’s life path, attendance in this school will increase their understanding of the natural world, increase their competency in practical skills, and offer them a greater awareness of the career opportunities of the sea and beyond., The school has implemented mastery-based learning system and uses the Mastery Transcript as the official summative record for some or all graduates or supplements the legacy transcript with the MTC Learning Record reporting on "durable skills) (aka "portrait of a gradudate" competencies)., Maritime’s work to build and live out an equity stance shows a school deeply committed to creating environments where every student feels a strong sense of belonging, relevance, and possibility. Their capacity-building efforts—particularly around mastery-based learning and culturally responsive sustaining education—have grown into coherent, schoolwide practices that support personalized pathways and empower students to take ownership of their learning. This evolution reflects a powerful dedication to reimagining what learning can be when equity and student-centered design are at the core.