Ballard High School
Ballard High School is a proud community of learners that is supported by a passionate group of parents and alumni to provide a rigorous education for all of our students.
We believe strongly that engaging students in school through academies, pathways, performing arts, athletics & activities increases their learning opportunities. Simply stated, students who get involved at Ballard High School, perform better at Ballard High School.
There are countless ways to get involved at BHS. Here are a few places to start:
Ballard also offers a wide variety of rigorous and engaging Advanced Placement Courses, UW in the High School Courses, Running Start and CTE courses to challenge students and prepare them for college and life. Additional information is available on the Academics Overview page.
Our Mission
"Ballard High School is an inclusive, supportive community that cultivates a tradition of excellence for all students." ~adopted May, 2008
Our Motto
"To Honor Thee We Trophies Bring"
Our Vision
- All students will develop positive relationships with adults and students at Ballard High School through academic, extracurricular, and social opportunities.
- All students will receive support – academic, social, cultural – in order to take on the challenges they will face, including college, career, and other endeavors.
- All students and families will join with Ballard High School to engage as partners in supporting and strengthening the school and greater community.
- All students will develop individual strengths, achieve academic excellence, and be recognized for their successes.
Our History
Ballard High School's first official football team was organized 89 years ago in 1902. The school had about 100 students then. It was located on Tallman Avenue near Market Street. The team practiced and played on a vacant lot near the school. They put up and removed their own goal posts when they played home games against team like Everett or Kent or Seattle High School.
Ballard players finished their own uniforms with some help from Ballard merchants. They wore nose guards and shin guards and stripped sox and padded vests. They wanted matching turtle necks so the boys searched all over town until they found about a dozen black seaters with red horizontal stripes. They promptly bought those. The is how it came to be that Ballard Beavers wear red and black jerseys to this day.
The 1903 squad, consisted of Captain Paul Mackie, Arthur Fairbanks, Frank (Pete) Best, Roy Brazen, Robert Stone, Tom Anderson, Arthur McDermott, Julius Hooper, Clair Dunmore, Jack Hight, Al Houts, Don Mackie and Lyle Gay (my father). ~
Eleanor Gay Thomason, '37 | Story told in 1991.
Ballard High School Art Collection
Have you wandered the halls of Ballard High School and wondered where all of the wonderful pieces of art on display all around the school come from?
The Orre Nobles Art Collection at Ballard High School began in 1998 when the new building was under construction-a perfect time to plan and implement an art program. Read more about the collection.
The collection is owned by the Ballard High School Foundation and is on permanent loan to Ballard High School. The Foundation pays for all installations, for annual insurance coverage, and continues to research possible additions to the collection that fit the established criteria. Read more about this collection in the June 2019 Talisman!
Our Foundation
As the oldest high school in Seattle, Ballard has a proud tradition of excellence. The Ballard High School Foundation is comprised of proud graduates of Ballard High School and our supporters.
Past projects funded by the Foundation include the Greenhouse, the Earl Kelly Performing Arts Center Sound System, the BHS Library, the Orre Nobles Art Collection, Athletic Supplies, Music Supplies and the Henry Bendele Strength Facility. Current projects for the Foundation include an Endowment and the GAINS Project to assist struggling students. For more information, visit the Ballard Foundation Website or contact Executive Director, Dick Lee at rjlee@seattleschools.org