Redmond, Eastlake or Woodinville Schools- Any pros/cons? (Seattle, Sammamish: low income, renting)

[Opal1205]

Hi All,

My husband and two kids (ages 7 and 5) are moving from Austin to the Seattle area this summer. We are considering Redmond and Woodinville. They both seem like communities we'd be happy in. Can anyone offer any insight about Redmond HS, Eastlake HS, and Woodinville HS? We see that test scores for these schools are all similar, but are there any pros/cons about these schools (especially the elementary schools that feed into them) that we would not see on paper?

I should add that our hope is for our kids is to have a strong "all-around" school experience, not necessarily focusing on test scores, but sports and clubs too. We are coming from an elementary school in Austin with a close-knit community (many kids could walk to school and parents volunteered regularly) and we would love to find something similar here.

Thanks for any feedback!

[homesinseattle]

Hi Opal!

You are coming from "keep weird" Austin, my first cousin lives there. I'm generalizing, but I think you'll find a bit more room for self-expression in the Woodinville schools. I've heard the "all around" experience is better, you'll get a little more for your house buying/renting dollar and just be a hop skip from Hwy 522 and a drive out towards magnificent Cascade Mtn skiing and hiking. What kid wouldn't like that?

[carroll4628]

Let's get something straight first. Are you coming from "Keep Austin weird" (i.e., you live south/southwest in the city proper) or are you in the suburbs like Round Rock?

Sammamish (Eastlake HS) is it's own "little" community on the hill. It should be called "Education Central" IMO. There is Inglemoor MS, Eastlake HS (LWSD), Eastside Catholic, Skyline HS (Issaq SD) and within 2-3 years another International Community School (6-12) will be built by LWSD. They are all within 5 miles of each other. Lots of local elementary schools, lots of kids walking to school, very volunteer oriented community, nice parks - sports teams, activities galore. Very family centric. LOTS of traffic getting off the plateau in the mornings. BUT...it is a "divided" community - part in Issaquah SD and part in LWSD, and throw in the Catholic school...

Eastlake HS is known for it's athletics. Redmond HS is known for it's music, theater, arts programs. Both do very well academically. Both are in the LWSD - 3rd largest in the state. There are too many elementary schools (8 that feed into Eastlake HS), at least 10+ that feed into Redmond HS, to make comments on (unless you have specific one in mind). There is some redistricting going around LWSD with new elementary & middle schools coming on line in the next 2-3 years, so MAKE SURE you do your research. (North Redmond, Novelty/Union Hill areas most affected.)

Can't comment on Woodinville HS, but I would disagree about the self-expression in Woodinville schools. Eastlake HS is more affluent in general (due to the lack of low income housing on the plateau) than Redmond HS, so is more "sterile" than Redmond HS. Coming from Texas (even Austin), you might find more "self-expression" in the suburbs than you were anticipating.

[Hemlock140]

When we moved here in 1993 with 3 kids I went to school board meetings and visited schools before deciding on Sammamish (Eastlake HS) where our kids went and were successful. The issues discussed by the board at their meetings can tell you a lot about them. At that time I was not as impressed with Woodinville (Northshore District) though it was still good. I don't know if that has changed in all these years, but I did hear that Eastlake is still showing over 57% of students in Advanced Placement classes, 96% graduation rate, and over 90% of their graduates going on to college. Those seem to be better indicators of school quality than just comparing test scores.