Rainier Beach High School

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Rainier Beach High School/Resources/Counseling Center/Running Start

Running Start

About Running Start

Juniors and Seniors can take classes at a 2-year college that can be applied towards high school graduation and can transfer to colleges in Washington state and most colleges in Oregon.

Students can do full-time Running Start and take classes only at the college or do part-time Running Start splitting their time at Rainier Beach High School and the local college.

See bottom of page for colleges’ Running Start pages

Getting Started

It is important that you complete and enroll into Running Start by the deadline of May 10th, 2024.

If you need support, a Running Start Advisor will be at Rainier Beach on April 17th in the library from 10am-2pm. If you are not able to make this date, please schedule a meeting with a Running Start Advisor on your own time.

Please read the information below carefully:

  1. Complete the RBHS Running Start Contract
  2. Apply for admissions online to a local college such as South Seattle College, Seattle Central College, or North Seattle College 
    • It is free to apply to these three colleges.
    • In the application, when asked what your intended major area of study is, please answer: Running Start.
    • Please use your personal email in the application, NOT school email, as you are not able to receive out-of-district email on your SPS account.
    • Within two business days of submitting your application, you will receive an email with your Student ID (SID) number. Please save that email.
  3. Activate your ctcLink account
  4. Take Placement Test at the college (see specific college links below). You must place into English 101. If you want to take math or science classes, you should also take the math placement test. Students may take an English Self-Directed Placement test and a Math Placement test online.
  5. Schedule a meeting with your high school counselor, please bring the following to your meeting:
    • Signed RBHS Running Start Contract
    • Proof that you placed into English 101 and/or college-level Math
  6. Contact your college to schedule a registration appointment.
  7. Email your Rainier Beach Counselor a copy of your running start class schedule to confirm you are enrolled.

College Running Start Resources

College Placement Test Information

  ***After registering to a local college, you will take the placement test to determine eligibility. Be sure to check out your local college’s placement testing info and schedule before visiting: