Family Moving to Washington need school advice please

[Ira500]

The Edmonds school district is well liked and has a good reputation. It might be not quite as good as Bellevue's or Mercer Island's, but it's still much better than the state average.....If you're thinking private schools, then you might as well consider living within the city of Seattle, which has some good elementary schools, but a miserably run administration, and troubling middle and high schools....and Seattle has some neighborhoods where you have no idea you're in a big city, full of trees, water, etc, and some gorgeous houses....Also, those neighborhoods fairly close to downtown have held their value more than outlying neighborhoods.

[texastrigirl]

You do need to consider the Issaquah School District as well. It is considered among the best in the state. The middle schools and high schools are all very good (Pine Lake Middle, Beaver Lake Middle, Issquah High School and Skyline HS are some names to check scores on the report card website) and it is a nice place to live as well. Issaquah was recently ranked as one of the best places to retire. It is a bit of a commute to downtown but totally doable. We live in South Sammamish in the ISD and it takes my husband 45-55 minutes to get downtown door to door but the bus options are very good to get there. In no traffic, we can get downtown fast and Issaquah has the best hiking in the area as well as lakes, etc. It is close to skiing as well. We looked at Bainbridge as well when we moved here two years ago but I felt like I was going to be isolated. It is beautiful there though. I think the commute door to door to downtown would be close to 45-50 minutes too.

[Seattle23]

I grew up in the Redmond/Woodinville area, and I loved it there. My father was a lawyer in Seattle and made the commute from the Eastside every morning. Honestly, anywhere you commute to and from Seattle isn't going to be a walk in the park. The traffic takes some getting used to, but if you're looking for a safe place to live with good schools, good restaurants, safe neighborhoods and still close to the big city (10-30 mins), I'd recommend Bellevue, Mercer Island, Redmond, Woodinville, Sammamish, or Kirkland. Bainbridge is nice as well, but I've only been there on our boat and I don't know much about actually living there. I went to Evergreen Junior High and then Redmond High School. They were both great schools, stay AWAY from Seattle public schools! They are horrible. The Lake Washington School District is really good. I think you will love Washington, it is very beautiful and the suburbs are very nice and safe. There's tons of family things to do, the people are friendly, and the weather will grow on you (just wait for Fall and Spring time). I hope this helps you! *By the way, if you do look into Redmond/Woodinville check out these neighborhoods: Tuscany, Bear Creek Country Club, Lake of the Woods, or the Hedges (I grew up living in Bear Creek and had tons of friends throughout all those neighborhoods) you'll love those neighborhoods!! The people are so great it's very easy to make long-lasting family friendships! My mom still hangs out with my friends mom's more than I do with their kids! Not to mention, there are tons of people from California from those areas as well that I met so if they liked it, you might! I also have family in Bellevue in the Clyde Hill area which is very nice, only a few miles from Bill Gates' estate! Just another good area. Goodluck

[xcalgal]

Hi,
If you want information on Bainbridge, you are welcome to join us for coffee with our newcomer group. They are always helpful and a group of really nice ladies from all over the country. Just let me know when you will be visiting the island. We came from Manhattan Beach in California where the schools are always rated as top notch. That said, our son did much better on Bainbridge for various reasons. There are definite cons to commuting on the ferry but the feeling of sailing away from the crowds is like non other.

[acarl]

Mukilteo schools and Bellevue schools are marked on the Top of our lists.
Mukilteo area is FAR cheaper in the housing market.