About Highline
About Highline College
Since 1961, Highline has been dedicated to meeting the needs of our community by offering over 100 program options that align with the careers in demand in our area. As our area has evolved over the years, our classes and programs have also evolved to meet the changing needs.
Highline College sits on ancestral lands of the Muckleshoot, Puyallup and many other Coast Salish tribes who made their homes on these lands and along these waters. Learn more about our Land Acknowledgment.
Highline College Accreditation
Highline College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the secretary of the United States Department of Education.
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is a five-member board that is appointed by the Governor of the State of Washington and confirmed by the Washington State Senate. The role of the Board is to oversee all operations of the College.
Our Mission
As a South King County college striving for social justice, Highline College partners with global students as they envision, plan and achieve their educational and professional goals. Adopted October 2022.
Our Vision
Highline College creates anti-racist, equitable pathways in higher education to close opportunity gaps experienced by our students. We support employees to foster the conditions for student and workplace equity. We accept people as they are and honor the life experience they bring. We are cultivating a collaborative learning community that centers the well-being of the whole person and provides a sense of belonging. We highly regard the families and support systems that enable our success and acknowledge that by working together we are limitless.
Our Values
Highline College seeks to live out these values in everyday practice:
- Accessibility
- Accountability
- Cultural Responsiveness and Agency
- Environmental Sustainability
- Equity-First Focus
- Life-Long Learning
- Partnership with local and global communities
- Respect
- Social Justice
- Student-Centered Approaches
- Transparency
Our Strategic Goals and Objectives
Our Strategic Plan for Equitable Student Success is built on four key goals. Rooted in our Mission, Vision, and Values, these objectives will shape our priorities for the next three to five years:
- Access – Increase equitable and representative access to postsecondary educational and career opportunities that lead to social and economic mobility in Highline’s service area.
- Learning – Increase equitable learning, retention, completion and transfer rates, and improve labor market outcomes using evidence-based innovation and high-impact practices in and out of the classroom.
- Community – Increase breadth and depth of partnerships with K-12, other postsecondary institutions, community-based organizations, employers and government that align with Highline’s strategic priorities and contribute to the economic and social vibrancy of the communities it serves.
- Culture & Capacity – Become an anti-racist college through intentional development of employees, facilities, and systems that support student success and close equity gaps.
For each of our strategic goals, Highline leadership identified a series of objectives.
Learn more about Highline College
Interested in Joining Our Team?
Highline College is one of Washington State’s 34 community and technical colleges. Highline is recognized by the American Association of Community Colleges, the Chronicle of Higher Education and NW Jobs as one of the best places to work in the nation. Highline's main campus is located on an 80-acre tree-filled site in the Pacific Northwest, 20 minutes south of downtown Seattle. Perched on a hill in Des Moines, Washington, the main campus overlooks the beautiful Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains.
Learn more about employment at Highline
Highline College Athletics: Home of the Thunderbirds!
The Highline College Athletics Department is a member of the Northwest Athletics Conference and consists of nine sports: Men’s and Women’s Basketball; Men’s and Women’s Soccer; Men’s Wrestling; Women’s Volleyball; Women’s Tennis; Women’s Fastpitch; and Women’s Golf.
