Schools, teens and a house in WA. Northshore? Snohomish? (Seattle: low crime, how much)

[denise8]

We're a 4-person family who wants to move off of the Peninsula to the north of Seattle or Eastside to a great middle (or JH) and high school area an hour or so's commute to the airport (husband travels), a relatively safe, community-oriented area where teens can ride bikes, run, etc. We'd also like a school with an excellent band, arts, honors + AP or IB classes, drug-reduced, safe and challenging learning environment. We'd like a 2200-3000 sq." house with a flat yard for the dog and trampoline and sports where it doesn't flood and you can't hear the highway, a house from $300 - $400,000 that doesn't need many repairs. We're looking at the Northshore area, mainly, though we're open, as it might be too expensive there. What's it like to actually live and attend school in Kenmore or Woodinville? I've driven around those areas a bit and have gone to greatschools.org and the school websites, plus visited. Maybe Snohomish has something, too? Any ideas or suggestions? Please comment. We've been looking for awhile but feel like we're missing something

[danumkc]

From co-workers I have heard great things about Mill Creek (safe, lots of parks, and great shopping). Looking at greatschools.net Mill Creek schools are rated very well. The town is also close to i-5 if you have to commute to Seattle. The airport is approximately 1 hour south.

[danumkc]

I also here good things about Maple Valley and the Tahoma school district. It's about 45 minutes southest of Seattle and the commute to the airport would probaby be around 30 minutes, depending on traffic. Price-wise housing is very reasonable. You can get a newer 2500-3200 sq/ft for $325-375K. Lot sizes are fairly small but there are plenty of parks and trails.

[denise8]

Maple Valley, Tahoma, Mill Creek...hmmm. We haven't checked those places yet. I'll check with greatschools.org (or is it .net?) and look into it more. We were thinking of the north side rather than the south side, for some reason. We currently have 1/3 of an acre and could go smaller but not miniscule. I want a sportsy, artsy, education-minded area. We really want a great school, though not necessarily homogenous and stuffy, more friendly and ambitious. Again, I'll check your suggestions.

[RachelLJones]

Go with the North Shore school district in the Woodinville/Mill Creek area. You definitely don't want south side, and Bellevue S.D. can get stuffy.

[silas777]

The Clearview area south of Snohomish on Highway 9, puts you in the Glacier Peak School district, you are equal distance to 405 & I5, Mill Creek, Woodinville and Snohomish.Highly recommend it.

[Inkpoe]

I think the flat yard requirement make it a bit more cumbersome, the area is very hilly. If it's a flat area, then there's a possibility of flooding. We have lots of dog parks.

Northshore SD is a good one. Can't go wrong with any of the Eastside school districts. Snohomish SD is decent as well. I'm surprised there's no mention of Edmonds SD, Mukilteo SD or Shoreline SD--- they're good school districts as well.

[chickennoodle]

We live in Mill Creek, and purchased our home here after extensive research on schools and knowing how much house we could afford. We were leary of Everett School District, but figured the parent factor in Mill Creek would support a more challenging environment. The area is nice - close to everything you want/need, low crime but not non-existent, and parents who generally care about education. Music seems lacking in the elementary area, but there appears a very strong program at Jackson High School. Our kids are early elem., so I don't have too much knowledge of middle/high school. The new Glacier Peak High (Snohomish) has great parental reviews from friends, but the rest of Snohomish SD is prob. not what you're looking for. I think Bellevue SD's curriculum is top-notch, but agree that depending on the area, it is "stuffy".