Washington’s Top 5 Public HS Football Programs (2021–2025)

Public Schools Top 25 | National Series — Part 47/50Washington turned out to be one of the more fascinating states in this entire series because it gives you elite big-school public powers at the top, a historic 1A dynasty, and — just like several of the toughest states we’ve covered — public and private schools all competing in the same playoff brackets.The state is governed by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) and uses a six-class enrollment system based on grades 9–11 enrollment, not total 9–12.The classifications are:4A – largest schools3A2A1A2B1B – smallest schoolsThe key thing to understand is that 4A through 1A are all traditional 11-man football.The smaller-school formats begin in the B classifications.That matters a lot in this ranking, because Royal’s five straight titles came in full 11-man 1A football, not a reduced-player format.Since the WIAA does not separate public and private schools, public powers often have to go through private schools like O'Dea High School, Eastside Catholic School, Kennedy Catholic High School, and Archbishop Murphy High School just to win a state championship.That makes the résumés at the top even stronger.After fully rebuilding the championships from 2021–2025, here are the Top 5 public high school football programs in Washington over the past five seasons.🥇 1. Lake Stevens High SchoolAccomplishments (2021–2025)4A State Runner-Up — 20214A State Champion — 20224A State Champion — 20234A State Runner-Up — 2025Why they’re #1This is the strongest résumé in the state.Two titles and two runner-up finishes in Washington’s largest classification is exactly what we’ve weighted heavily throughout this entire series.No public program in the state can match that combination of big-school hardware + sustained consistency.This is not just a great peak — this is five-year control of the top class.Verdict:Washington’s premier big-school public program of the past five years.🥈 2. Sumner High SchoolAccomplishments (2021–2025)4A State Champion — 20244A State Champion — 2025Why they’re #2Back-to-back 4A state championships speaks for itself.Sumner’s rise over the last two seasons has been one of the biggest stories in Washington football.The only reason they sit behind Lake Stevens is because Lake Stevens matched them in titles while also adding two more title-game appearances.Still, back-to-back titles in 4A is elite.Verdict:The best current big-school public power in the state.🥉 3. Graham-Kapowsin High SchoolAccomplishments (2021–2025)4A State Champion — 20214A State Runner-Up — 2023Why they’re #3This is where the Washington list really separates itself.Graham-Kapowsin already has a strong in-state résumé with a 4A title and another finals appearance, but what pushes them into this tier is what happened after the 2021 season.They went to Las Vegas and beat Collins Hill High School, the Georgia 7A state champion, 40–36 in the GEICO State Champions Bowl.That Collins Hill team was led by Travis Hunter, one of the most high-profile recruits in modern high school football.That is one of the best national wins by any public-school program we’ve seen in this entire 50-state project.A 4A title, another finals appearance, and a signature national win over a Travis Hunter-led Georgia champion gives them an incredibly strong case.Verdict:One of the best peak résumés in the country during this window.4️⃣ Royal High SchoolAccomplishments (2021–2025)1A State Champion — 20211A State Champion — 20221A State Champion — 20231A State Champion — 20241A State Champion — 2025Why they’re #4This is a true dynasty.Royal has won five straight state championships and lost just one game across the entire five-year stretch.That point matters.While 1A is not weighted the same as 4A, five straight titles in any full 11-man classification is impossible to ignore.This is the kind of sustained dominance that deserves recognition in a statewide top five.Verdict:The most dominant dynasty in Washington football during this five-year span.5️⃣ Bellevue High SchoolAccomplishments (2021–2025)3A State Champion — 20213A State Champion — 20233A State Runner-Up — 2024Why they’re #5Bellevue is one of the most respected names in Washington high school football history, and they still put together a strong five-year résumé.Two 3A titles and another finals appearance keeps them firmly in the Top 5.The only reason they slide behind Royal is the sheer weight of five consecutive 11-man state titles.Bellevue fans will absolutely have an argument here, but I think Royal’s dynasty has to be rewarded.Verdict:Still one of the premier brands in the state.Final Ranking — Washington (2021–2025)1. Lake Stevens2. Sumner3. Graham-Kapowsin4. Royal5. BellevueWashington ended up being one of the most balanced states in the series.You have:sustained 4A excellenceelite national-caliber peaksa true 1A dynastypublic/private crossover pressure in the playoffsThis one should create some really strong discussion, especially around Royal vs Bellevue.And honestly, that’s exactly what makes this series great.This is Part 47/50 in our nationwide series breaking down the Top 5 Public HSFB Programs of the Past 5 Years (2021–2025).Next Up: Part 47.5/50 - Washington D.C.Here is the full thread to catch up on any states that you may have missed: 👉CLICK HEREIf you like this series and want to help out, I greatly appreciate any likes, reposts, bookmarks, or comments. It all really helps the algo put these articles in front of more people.Thank you for reading.— Alex | T25PS