Rainier Beach High School shows improvement

Rainier Beach High School is off the list of schools judged as "needing improvement" under the federal No Child Left Behind law — a symbolic accomplishment that district officials lauded as proof the maligned South Seattle school's academic reputation is on the mend.

Schools on the list aren't meeting set standards on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Schools that accept federal Title I funding face sanctions for being on the list, but secondary schools in Seattle don't accept Title I money. That means Rainier Beach's removal from the list won't have any direct impact.

To get off the list, a school has to meet the standards for two years in a row. Rainier Beach met the standards in 2005-06 but failed to meet them in 2006-07. School officials appealed last year's decision and learned Wednesday they had won their appeal.

That makes Rainier Beach one of only three high schools in Seattle not on the list of schools that need improvement. The others are Roosevelt and Nathan Hale.

Rainier Beach Principal Robert Gary Jr. said that five or six years ago, his school was trending downward. After-school programs and intensive tutoring helped turn that around.

"Hopefully for parents, community members and younger students that are going to choose their high school in the next year or so ... please look at our statistics and know we are moving in the right direction," he said.

Rainier Beach's enrollment has fallen significantly — last year it was about 450 — and many students in the neighborhood around the school attend other schools in the district. The district is investing extra money in the school, but if that doesn't work, officials have discussed closing it.

District Chief Academic Officer Carla Santorno said Rainer Beach's improvement paves the way for increased enrollment at the school, which, in turn, will increase funding.

After students learned the news Wednesday, one challenged Gary to jump in nearby Lake Washington. So elated was the principal that he did it — suit, tie and all.

"That's why I'm eating soup right now, so I don't get sick," he said Thursday.

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com