Peninsula High School sits on a hill above Henderson Bay and Burley Lagoon in Purdy, just north of Gig Harbor, and has served the Gig Harbor and Key peninsulas as the area's flagship comprehensive high school since opening at its current site in 1947. It enrolls roughly 1,400 students and competes as the Seahawks in the South Puget Sound League.
The school is the older of the two main high schools in the Peninsula School District, which split enrollment with newer Gig Harbor High School beginning in 1979. Athletic history includes a 3A football state championship in 1978 and back-to-back SPSL 3A titles in 2012 and 2013, and notable alumni include Olympic distance runner Doris Brown Heritage and former Seattle Seahawks receiver Paul Skansi.
In April 2026, the district announced that Josh Zarling, a former Bainbridge High School teacher who most recently served as director of district data services for Tacoma Public Schools, would succeed retiring principal Michael Benoit, who had led PHS for four years. The Peninsula School District has also been recognized as a Purple Star district for its support of military-connected families.
Source: WA ERDC Graduate Outcomes.
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