Sumner High School (Washington)

Sumner High School
Location
1707 Main St
Sumner, Washington 98390

United States

47°12′13″N 122°13′58″W / 47.20361°N 122.23278°W / 47.20361; -122.23278
Information
TypePublic high school
MottoHome of Puyallups Sons
Opened1911[1]
School district
Sumner–Bonney Lake School District
SuperintendentLaurie Dent[2]
Principal
Jeff Baines
Grades9-12
LanguageEnglish
ColorsPurple and gold
   
MascotSpartan
RivalsPuyallup High School[3]
Feeder schools
Sumner Middle School
Lakeridge Middle School
Websiteshs.sumnersd.org

Sumner High School is a high school in Sumner, Washington, United States. It is one of two high schools in the Sumner–Bonney Lake School District, which serves Sumner and the neighboring city of Bonney Lake.

The high school's athletic teams are named the Spartans, with its colors being predominantly purple and gold.[4] They are members of the South Puget Sound League and classified as a 4A school.[5]

Athletics program

Sumner High School's sports department participates in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's South Puget Sound League, at the 4A level. Sumner previously was at the 1A level through the 1950s and early 60s, briefly jumping up to 4A, before settling in the 3A classification level until 1977. Sumner transitioned to the 4A level from 1977 to 2005, was moved down to 3A until 2010, down again to 2A until 2014, back up to 3A in 2016, and returned to 4A for the 2017-2017 season.[6][1]

Sports offered:

Sexual abuse allegations

In 2023, Sumner High School and its school district faced a lawsuit from a group of six students who had claimed they had been sexually abused by a teacher at the school. The lawsuit claims that the school district was aware of the sexual abuse, but did not take action until it was reported by news outlets. In April 2023, Sumner High School basketball coach Jacob Jackson was charged with child rape and molestation, and subsequently fired from his position; two lawsuits were filed against him prior to the firing.[4][7] Allegations of abuse were made against Jackson as early as 2018.[8] In April 2025, Jackson was sentenced to 40 years and three months in prison after he was convicted of 19 counts of various sex crimes against eight teenage boys.[9]

Campus

Sumner High School's campus consisted of a main building, single-story wings, eight detached portable classrooms, and standalone athletic and arts facilities.

The district decided to expand the school through 3 phases of construction.[10] In 2023, Phase 1 of the campus modernization was completed, adding a three-story building with 18 classrooms, a library, and a cafeteria. Construction began on Phase 2 in July 2026, which added a West Building adjacent to the Phase 1 for the general classrooms, Career and Technical Education (CTE) labs, and a band room, are expected to be completed by Fall 2028.[11][12] Following Phase 2, a future Phase 3 build-out funded by the same 2024 voter-approved measure will complete the campus expansion by Fall 2032. This final phase will introduce a new Performing Arts Center, a gymnasium, an aquatic facility, athletic courts, and multi-use turf fields.[13]

Sunset Stadium

Sunset Stadium is a stadium attached to Sumner High School. It was first built in 1959 and was remodeled in 2001–2002. Its naming rights are held by Sunset Chevrolet, a car dealership located in downtown Sumner. It is used for American football, soccer, lacrosse, and track and field.[14]

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 "Sumner High School Master Plan". August 18, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Dr. Laurie Dent: Superintendent". Sumner-Bonney Lake School District. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Upset! McGee runs wild, Sumner knocks off undefeated rival, No. 1 Puyallup". The News Tribune. November 29, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Malone, Patrick (April 3, 2023). "Disappearing Snapchat messages complicate Sumner High School sex abuse investigation". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Overview - Sumner-Bonney Lake School District". www.sumnersd.org. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  6. ↑ "State Tournament History". Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WA). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  7. ↑ Wong, Nia (April 4, 2023). "Sumner HS basketball players plan to file lawsuit against district, former coach for alleged sexual abuse". FOX 13 Seattle. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Students sue Sumner-Bonney Lake school district over ex-coach's alleged sexual abuse". FOX 13 Seattle. August 17, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  9. ↑ Kent, Jackie (April 17, 2025). "Former high school coach sentenced to 40 years for sex crimes against teens". KOMO-TV. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Sumner High School Modernization & Expansion Phase 1 - Sumner-Bonney Lake School District". www.sumnersd.org. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  11. ↑ Bsanti, Puneet (July 27, 2026). "Construction underway for $114 million expansion of Pierce County high school". The News Tribune. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  12. ↑ Sutich, Jason (July 28, 2026). "Sumner High School breaks ground on next phase of $412M expansion". MyNorthwest.com. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Sumner High School - Sumner-Bonney Lake School District". www.sumnersd.org. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  14. ↑ McColl, Michael (June 13, 2013). "Groundhopping: Sunset Stadium, Sumner (Washington State, USA) – AFTN". Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  15. ↑ Manley, Jon (June 18, 2023). "Sumner's Jacob Bresnahan is The News Tribune's 2023 All-Area baseball player of the year". The News Tribune. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Alumni Spotlight: Nick Hagadon, SHS '04". www.sumnersd.org. May 15, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
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