Moving to Seattle area - What is absolute best area for schools (Bellevue: rent, buying a house)

[doc310]

Please help! I will be moving to the Seattle area this summer with my family for a new job that is located in Edmonds. I want to live in the absolute best area I can so that my 3 kids can attend the best schools possible, this is the most important thing for me. I don't mind driving 45 minutes to work if I need to in order to make this happen. I will have one child starting 6th grade, one in 1st grade, and a third in preK. I am willing to pay up to about 3.5-4k per month in rent until I learn the landscape, then will consider buying a house in 2-3 years. Should I be looking at Mercer Island, or is the Northshore school district in areas like Lake Forest Park or Kirkland comparable and save me a bit on the commute? I want to live in a very nice, clean and urban area. I would consider private schools if necessary, but would prefer to save the 60k or so this would cost me and just live in the best area possible. I would appreciate any and all input, thanks! This is a major move for us, so we need all the help and advice we can get.

[tobester]

Mercer Island schools have been called the best publicly supported private schools in the area.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by doc310

Please help! I will be moving to the Seattle area this summer with my family for a new job that is located in Edmonds. I want to live in the absolute best area I can so that my 3 kids can attend the best schools possible, this is the most important thing for me. I don't mind driving 45 minutes to work if I need to in order to make this happen. I will have one child starting 6th grade, one in 1st grade, and a third in preK. I am willing to pay up to about 3.5-4k per month in rent until I learn the landscape, then will consider buying a house in 2-3 years. Should I be looking at Mercer Island, or is the Northshore school district in areas like Lake Forest Park or Kirkland comparable and save me a bit on the commute? I want to live in a very nice, clean and urban area. I would consider private schools if necessary, but would prefer to save the 60k or so this would cost me and just live in the best area possible. I would appreciate any and all input, thanks! This is a major move for us, so we need all the help and advice we can get.

Neither Lake Forest Park nor Kirkland is in the Northshore school district- Lake Forest Park is in the Shoreline district and Kirkland is in Lake Washington's. Both are good school districts. Lake Washington is overall considered a better district than Shoreline's. For absolute best maybe Mercer Island or Bellevue. But the Edmonds schools are also good, especially if you live within the Edmonds Bowl( close to the water near downtown Edmonds.)

[flyingsaucermom]

If you really want the absolute best schools for your kids thenI would do private schools... there are some excellent schools all over the area that I would love for my kids if I had the means. As others have mentioned Bellevue and Lake Washington are considered great public schools. Issaquah is considered to be a good district too (where I live). But educational is such a personal, qualitative choice...we have highly professional families (Dr and Dr so-and-so) who happily send their kids here... we also have Mr and Mrs. so-and-so choosing to remove their kids for the Jewish Day School.

[doc310]

Thanks for the replies so far! We are Jewish, and thought of the day school option, but I wanted to explore the public school option first. So I'm hearing that Lake WA is a good district, but I've read good things about Northshore school district also. Would Mercer Island top these then? Is it an unreasonable commute to Edmonds? Belleview just seems so far, and frankly it seems out of my price range. It's so hard trying to keep everyone happy with such a major move. I want to do what is best and trying to minimize regrets... Please keep the suggestions coming, thanks!

[shaylahc]

We are in Northshore schools and very happy. I suggest you visit some of the schools in the area to get a feel for their educational philosophies. It really depends on what you value in a school. What I like about Northshore schools is that they are small. It really feels like an "old school" type education, no fancy buildings, no locks on the doors, kids wandering freely from building to building on the school campus. It feels very safe. It's a small community (at least it is here in Woodinville) and I love it that we can run into people we know pretty much everywhere we go.

But if you value a super competitive environment, with state of the art everything, you might want something different. I believe that community is just as important as education. You could go to the best school in the world, but if the people are cold and snobby, then it seems like a poor trade off. Northshore seems to have a pretty good mix of social classes, and people seem to be friendly and not snobby (again, at least the folks I've met in our little corner of Woodinville).

Good luck with your decision!

[Hemlock140]

I would rate the best schools in the area as follows:

Mercer island
Bellevue
Lake Washington
Shoreline
Edmonds
Northshore

Still, you can't go wrong with any of these.

That's based on my 20 years here, raising 3 kids in the Lake Washington District. There is some difference between individual schools within any district,
ours went to Sammamish schools. Others will have their own opinions. When we moved here, I came up early, visited schools, talked to principals, and went to school board meetings over 6 months before deciding where to live and moving the family.

[homesinseattle]

Greetings from the Northwest Doc310 and congrats on the new position. I moved here 24 years ago from the East Coast and this place has brought me great joy since then. I have had many clients over the years decide to buy and stay soon after they get here. Your question is a good one, and not uncommon. I hear that your job is in Edmonds and you want great schools. Let's break this down a little more. I will tell you that Mercer Island, Bellevue and Northshore schools are fantastic, Mukilteo schools have a great reputation as well. Beyond that, though, what is important to you, what do you like? My family and I live in a cool vintage home in the Phinney Ridge Greenlake area, mostly because we love connected community feeling in neighborhoods, historic architecture, farmers markets, pubs, coffee shops and cafes nearby, want to be somewhat close to all that is good about Seattle, almost a European way of living. Some of my clients like a more suburban feel. The schools where we live aren't the very best, so we do send our 9 year old to a vibrant, heartfelt private school, a compromise we make to be in the area that makes us happy. Many find that the Northshore school area allows them to be in an area with semi-affordable homes, charming mid-century architecture, good access to parts (Edmonds) farther north but still within striking distance of Seattle and the mountains. Wherever you choose, I think you will find this a great place to live. Mercer Island has a vibrant Jewish community but would be a tough commute to Edmonds. Here is an excellent, inclusive temple that would be quite reachable from anywhere in the north end, we go here for high holidays : http://www.templebetham.org/. Enjoy the journey!

[doc310]

Thanks everyone for the great responses! So, I was looking at the Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, Woodinville, and Kirkland areas online, and these all seem quite nice and within a reasonable drive to Edmonds. I'm really not looking for a snobby school system, just one that provides very nice facilities, access to extra courses including music, art, and that has a strong academic program where children score high and where the majority have pursued higher education following high school. I have a child entering 6th grade, and it seems like Northshore has Junior High but no middle schools, am I correct? Again, I would make the sacrifice to drive from Mercer Island every day if need be, but I need to make sure it's worth it, as that is time spent driving instead of time spent with my family. It also looks like most private schools would also be quite a drive for me, and between the money spent and the driving, I'm not sure if it makes sense... I'll be heading back for a couple of days soon, and just want to make sure I use my time with a realtor wisely. Thanks again for your help.

[homesinseattle]

Just think long and hard before settling on Mercer Island. It is a great place but I intimately know the traffic patterns of this area, that would be a brutal commute to Edmonds. Here is some great info about Northshore schools: Northshore School District / Homepage