redmond or bellevue (Seattle, Kirkland, Kenmore: apartment, for rent, crime)

[kirsten]

hi there
we are a family in Denmark who will be moving to Seattle in about 2 months.
We have been looking at the different areas and since our criterias are a good junior high school for our daughter and we want to live in a nice green area we are looking at Redmond and Bellevue.
Can anyone recommend good junior high schools in that area. We think that the junior high schools and the high schools are very big there with about 800 students.

Thanks.
Kirsten

[the dufferz]

Kirsten,

A warm soon welcome to Washington.

The two web sites listed below will give you information about the size etc. of the schools in Redmond and Bellevue. You will find that the size of schools here (especially high school) will be quite a bit larger than 800 students.

where you live will determine what school you will be assigned to. It is possible to transfer to a different school, but I am not sure how easy that is to do.

The cost of living in Redmond and especially Bellevue is pretty high. Have you considered other areas in the vacinity? Most areas are very green.

Bellevue High School is a highly rated school for academics. Farther north, Inglemoor high school is also very highly rated. This is in the area between Kirkland and Kenmore.


http://www.bsd405.org/
http://www.lwsd.org/lwsd/html/schools/find.asp (broken link)

[kirsten]

Thank you for responding. I think that we have desided move to Redmond. We have been looking at Redmond Junior High School for our daughter. I have looked at the internet and the school sounds okay. We have also found an apartment in east Redmond. Now we are just waiting for our visa and then we are set to go.
Do you know if there is a place around redmond where they have horses?

Hanne

[CJMom]

Woodinville has some horse properties, and it's just east of Redmond. I don't know of a horse-for-hire operation out there, but you can probably find some. Also, within a 1/2 hour drive is a horse property that has horses for rent off Highway 9. I'm not sure if the city is still Woodinville. I'll try to find it and reply. I'm going out that way next weekend and could post the info here after that if I can't find it sooner.

[CJMom]

I searched Woodinville, WA and horses and came up with several horse-related sites (using google).

[kirsten]

Hi Cj Mom

Thanks that was very useful information, and I am just getting more and more sure that Redmond is the place for us. If you are living around Redmond do you then know about good middle schools?. I have looked at Redmond junior high school and a private school called the overlake school. Do you know them?

regards

Kirsten

[CJMom]

Sorry that I can't be of much help there. I have a toddler (2.5 years old) so I'm not into the school scene (unless it's pre-school). I will share that this part of the area (Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland) has excellent public schools - largely because we have a high tax base - lots of $$ from successful businesses like microsoft, expensive homes, etc. which helps to fund public schools.

A friend of mine has a son in Junior High, in the Bellevue school district, and he qualified to attend a "charter school" that's part of the public school system. I think that it's called the International School. Anyway, I'd suggest seeking one of those since they will cater to academically oriented, college-bound kids, or kids with a special interest like music, or languages.

Someone else might have more details to share.

[kirsten]

We would really like our oldest daughter to get into the international school too but there is a waiting list. We have been looking at the Redmond Junior High school. Did your friends son go there and was it ok?. I worry a lot about crime and drugs

Regards,

Kirsten

[CJMom]

I don't think that he ever went to the junior high. He was selected in the lottery for the Internation school.

I would be surprised if the school was any worse than any other school when it comes to drugs and crime. As far as I know, there isn't a gang problem in these districts, but again, I'm not very familiar. There are definitely poorer areas in the state that have problems with that, but I haven't heard of a problem on the Eastside (meaning Bellevue, Redmond and Kirkland). So, I don't think you need to be overly worried about that in this area. You have to worry about it no matter where you go to some extent.

[kirsten]

Your friends son was lucky, because I have only read good things about the international school.
Well, I think we have desided to try the Redmond Junior High school and hopefully she will like it. It is so difficult to sit on the other side of the world and decide for schools and which area to live in.
Hopefully we will be able to go soon so we can see how it looks for ourselves. :-)
Regards
Hanne