Kennedy Catholic High School is one of three Archdiocesan high schools operated directly by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, alongside Bishop Blanchet (Crown Hill, north Seattle) and O'Dea (boys-only, Capitol Hill). The school enrolls roughly 750 students in grades 9-12 on a hillside campus in Burien, with a 12:1 student-teacher ratio and tuition typical of the region's parochial day schools. Founded in 1966 as John F. Kennedy Memorial High School (named by Archbishop Connolly from Rome shortly after the assassination), the school shortened its name in 2009 and rebranded as Kennedy Catholic.
Among Catholic high schools in the Puget Sound region, Kennedy occupies a middle position: less elite-academic than Seattle Prep or Holy Names (girls), less athletics-driven than O'Dea or Eastside Catholic, but with a serious AP catalog, the Aquinas Honors Program, and dual-credit through Seattle University's Matteo Ricci program. Athletically the Lancers compete in the North Puget Sound 4A league and have collected 17 state titles across sports.
In February 2020 the school drew national coverage when two teachers — Paul Danforth and Michelle Beattie — were forced to resign over their engagements to same-sex partners. Students staged a walkout, parents protested at the Archbishop's office, and KUOW and the West Seattle Blog covered the dispute extensively. The episode remains the school's defining recent news story and continues to shape its public reputation around morality-clause enforcement.
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