Clyde Hill Elementary School or Peter Kirk in Kirkland? (Seattle: real estate, apartments)

[AussieJane]

Hi everyone,

We are moving from Australia to Bellevue/Kirkland in a few months.

We have never been there! Husband working in Main St, Bellevue.

I am really unsure which schools to pick for my son (7) and daughter (4, nearly 5).

Looking at Clyde Hill Elementary in Bellevue, also Peter Kirk and Lakeview Elementary in Kirkland, and will move (rent) near the area of the best/warmest/funnest/friendlist school. We have looked at all the goodschools and review sites and some mention bullying etc which worries me a bit!

We are really looking for a happy, friendly school with a nice community feel. This is more important to me than results as a priority, given we are moving SO far from home.

Does anyone have any feedback on this regarding Clyde Hill Elementary? Or Peter Kirk? Lakeview or even any other suggestions where the schools/community are fantastic. Especially for newcomers!!

Many thanks, I really appreciate your feedback.

Jane

[anneeliot]

I don't have any specifics on the schools themselves, but since you will be renting, keep in mind that you may not be able to find something zoned to your choice of school (inventory isn't that high, I've noticed). I recommend also keeping an eye on what's available to rent, then checking the schools the properties are zoned for. That's how we're building up a list of options, so we have a quick reference point when promising-looking properties become available.

[AussieJane]

Many thanks anneliot. I will have another look at rentals. So hard to find a house without being there!

[angelenogirl]

I love Kirkland. It's a very welcome and inviting place to live, and we almost moved into the Peter Kirk attendance area. I would definitely choose it over Clyde Hill. Now if you're stuck on Bellevue, I'd try to find something in the Enatai attendance area, which I've only heard his things about it (we also looked at a charming home in this district).

You're probably going to find more rentals in Kirkland, but purchasing there near downtown will cost a pretty penny.

[Aquamarineblue]

AussieJane I would not stress too much about schools as virtually all the schools on the Eastside (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Sammamish, Kenmore, Bothell) are highly rated. You would actually have a hard time finding a badly rated school. I would focus your energies on finding a rental as angelenogirl mentioned. Rentals everywhere on the Eastside are hard to find at the moment - everything decent is going fast. So if you can't rent until you arrive just try not to worry and focus more on the move. Clyde Hill is the most expensive neighborhood in the whole of the Seattle Metro region. This is mainly because this suburban neighborhood became a city purely to control it's zoning and prevent multi-family developments and small lots. The majority of lots on Clyde Hill are a quarter of an acre or more and average house prices are 2 million dollars. You are very unlikely to find any kind of modest family rental in Clyde Hill because they barely exist. Also there can be some expectations by other children that your child will come from a high charging family with a big home.

The Eastside has many areas that are very family friendly, green and safe - in fact that describes most of the Eastside. As you are all the way down in Oz don't try and figure out where to live by forum posts and real estate sites. This is a very highly educated area where the whole community is very supportive of schools and education. You are not going to find any hideous areas over on the Eastside - what you will find is a competitive market for rentals from overqualified people arriving from all over the world for the high paying jobs here.

[AussieJane]

Thanks to you both. Will take that advice and focus on the rentals.
So best place to find latest rentals... Zillow? Or Craigslist?

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by AussieJane

Thanks to you both. Will take that advice and focus on the rentals.
So best place to find latest rentals... Zillow? Or Craigslist?

Craigslist, Zillow, HotPads.com, Windermere Rentals.

[Aquamarineblue]

You are unlikely to find you can rent before you arrive because rentals go so fast landlords don't need to take the risk of taking applications from abroad. I would book short term housing and look when you arrive.

Such as: Kirkland WA Corporate, Furnished and Temporary Apartments - ExecuStay

[angelenogirl]

You can also get a rental agent to vet referrals for you.

[FrankSpencer]

Can't help with schools/Eastside locations, but we did the Sydney-USA transition so if you need any advise/help, message me