Garfield was one of 14 schools in King County in 2007 to receive the "School of Distinction" award from the office of superintendent of public instruction for making the most progress over six years in reading and writing on the WASL. The school has a silver medal of distinction from "U.S. News and World Report" in 2008 and 2009 for being among the top-performing high schools in terms of college readiness. The school is noted for producing a number of National Merit Scholars each year, and Garfield consistently produces more National Merit Scholars each year than any other public school in Washington state. Garfield frequently competes for the highest number of National Merit Scholars of any school in the state, including private schools. Garfield students make up more than 70 percent of the Seattle Public School students who take AP exams.