Fairwood (Renton) schools (Bellevue, Kent, Issaquah: houses, neighborhoods, to buy)

[seamama]

We're thinking of moving to Fairwood area of Renton and would like opinions of the following schools:

- Fairwood Elementary
- Ridgewood Elementary
- Carriage Crest Elementary
- Lake Young Elementary
- Meeker Middle
- Northwood Middle
-Kentridge High

I've already looked at WASL scores but I know #'s don't tell the whole story so I'm looking for personal experiences about things like parent involvement, community support, administrative (principal) support, whether the teachers like their jobs and are good at what they do, and even general school reputation. Thanks!

[Ira500]

I had some former coworkers whose kids went to Lake Youngs Elementary, and they thought it was a terrific school, and they were very involved parents....and Kentridge High has long had a great reputation.

[Brandon26pdx]

That's my old neighborhood. Although I haven't lived there in 10 years, I would lean heavily towards neighborhoods where the kiddies would go to Meeker/Kentridge. No idea about the elementary schools. Stay out of Renton school district IMO. Otherwise Fairwood is one of the nicer areas of Renton last I knew. (I worked at the golf and country club when I was a teenager living there.)

[seamama]

Originally Posted by Brandon26pdx

Stay out of Renton school district IMO.

That's where were now- LOL! And it's why we're trying to get out. We actually do like Renton though and are glad to have some other school district options.

Thanks to both of you- would love to hear more from others...

[drewba]

We live in Fairwood and have a son at Ridgewood Elementary.

Overall, I'd say it is an acceptable, but not great, school. The Kent School District curriculum is very heavily based in standard lesson plans (teaching to the WASL?), so the children get a lot of worksheets. I'm not a fan of this form of teaching because it doesn't encourage creativity or foster a love of learning. I'm also quite frustrated at the lack of diversity in the curriculum, particularly the lack of science programs. In our son's three years at Ridgewood, we've had two very good teachers and one terrible one (who is no longer at the school).

Parent involvement isn't nearly as strong as we would like. It seems very difficult to recruit volunteers and my wife tells me that PTA meetings are sparsely attended.

I only have anecdotal knowledge of the other schools on your list, although what I've heard about Kentridge hasn't been positive.

[seamama]

drewba- Thanks for your reply. I am really bummed to read it though! "On paper", i.e., when you look at test scores, Ridgewood seems to be the best of the 4 elementary schools we've targeted. In fact, if I remember right, their science score is much better than the others so it's interesting you noted an issue w/ their science program. Sounds like they're doing a good job of teaching to the test (hence the good scores) but lacking that extra something, maybe inspiration? Just curious- was your son's bad teacher for Kindergarten? I know someone who has a child there but I'm not sure what grade and she said he had a terrible Kindergarten teacher who isn't there anymore.

I'm concerned to hear you don't have a good impression of Kentridge. It seems pretty on par w/ Liberty as far as test scores go (we're alternatively thinking of moving to areas of Renton that would put us in Issaquah schols). I've heard Kentwood is to be avoided but Kentridge is good. Of course I haven't actually gotten specifics when people say that so I'm hoping to get more details here.

This whole school thing has me really stressed out and my kid is only in preschool! We're aren't prepared for private school tuition (and I'm not convinced it's necessarily all that much better anyway) but we're also limited by where we can afford to buy a home so we're trying to get into the "best" public schools we can. I suppose many people are dealing w/ this but it seems to suddenly have become my obsession now that our son starts Kindergarten in the fall. Thanks for your time.

[drewba]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to this...

Yes, the kindergarten teacher was the one who left. I know at least one of the current kindergarten teachers is highly regarded and I'm not familiar with the others. As I mentioned previously, my son had a wonderful teacher last year and his 2nd grade teacher is great as well. I think that my frustration stems more from the district's philosophy than it does with the actual teachers. When I hear what friends children are doing in the Issaquah or Tahoma districts, Kent just doesn't measure up.

Unfortunately, I can't give you any details on Kentridge. I've only heard 3rd hand stories, so it probably isn't even fair to repeat them. I believe Kentridge is considered the best in the district, but that still probably doesn't put it in the league of the Bellevue or Issaquah high schools.

[seamama]

Thanks, drewba. Well Issaquah schools are not out of the question for us but the only way for us to get in would be to find a decent house we could afford in Renton that is served by Issauquah schools. Unfortunately, not a lot are coming up that would work for us right now. Issaquah proper is beyond our budget. I've seen houses in our price range in some parts of Bellevue but they're all very small and need a lot of work. So a Renton address w/ Kent schools is our next best option. Thanks for your insights- would love to hear more from others too...