Madrona area schools? (and Madrona in general) (Seattle, Kirkland: houses, neighborhoods) - Washington (WA) -Seattle and King County Suburbs - City-Data Forum

seattleskier · 03-02-2013, 12:34 AM

I've gleaned some useful comments about the area from past posts on this forum, but I am wondering if anyone has kids in this school district and could share some info about it.

My partner and I have lived in Seattle for 2 and 1/2 years now and really love it. We currently live in Greenwood which we like very much, and are looking to purchase our first home. The Madrona / Madison Valley and Arboretum areas are very appealing because she works on First Hill and I work in Kirkland. I checked out some beautiful older homes today a few blocks east of MLK and north of Union. The streets were quiet with lots of nicely maintained homes. It seems like a great residential area. The one thing I find a little hard to wrap my head around is how to evaluate the public schools. We will be starting a family, but not for a few more years so having school-age kids is quite a long way off. Still, the data I see on the internet for some of the Madrona schools (namely the elementary and high school) do not look good and that gives me pause when thinking about a long-term purchase like a house. Then again, things like public schools can change a lot in 10-15 years.

If anyone who lives in the area can offer any useful advice, I would really appreciate it!

Ira500 · 03-02-2013, 03:54 PM

I used to live just south of Madrona and know it well. It's got some of the prettiest old houses in Seattle, and some very expensive ones. The same is true of the nearby Leschi and Mt. Baker neighborhoods. All of these neighborhoods have bad to mediocre schools. Why? The school sending area is anything east of 23rd, from Cherry up to Denny. Between 23rd and Martin Luther King there still is a fair amount of poverty, and they go to the school in much greater numbers than the wealthier folks who live a few blocks east of MLK and north of Union. Those folks either send their kids to private schools, or to the nearest option school. In the case of Madrona, the nearest option school is TOPS, off of Eastlake. My son went there( a long time ago) but it's a school that has a lot of parent involvement, good teachers, and enthusiastic kids. If you can get your child registered to go to Kindergarten there earlier than anybody else, you're golden.
Also, the boundary for Madrona K-8 is Denny Way, just a few blocks north of the heart of Madrona. North of there, and the elementary is McGilvira, one of the highest rated in the city.
Garfield HS is a mixed bag. If your child is smart, Garfield has the APP program, and the highest number of national merit scholars from any school in Seattle. If your child does not test highly and is ineligible for the APP, Garfield is much more mediocre.
And yes, schools can and do get better and worse. When I lived in Leschi, Madrona School was considered pretty good but Leschi was horrible. Supposedly right now Leschi has gotten better but Madrona's declined. And McGilvira has always been really good.

seattleskier · 03-02-2013, 04:35 PM

Thank you so much for the info! Could you recommend any resources from learning about option schools (I don't know how this system works) or the Seattle school system in general? I think like many young two-income couples in Seattle, living in a more expensive neighborhood like Madrona may be affordable to us, but that plus private school for a kid or two might not be. I myself went to a pretty decent public school while my partner went to a private high school so we know both sides of the coin.

benleis · 03-02-2013, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seattleskier

Thank you so much for the info! Could you recommend any resources from learning about option schools (I don't know how this system works) or the Seattle school system in general? I think like many young two-income couples in Seattle, living in a more expensive neighborhood like Madrona may be affordable to us, but that plus private school for a kid or two might not be. I myself went to a pretty decent public school while my partner went to a private high school so we know both sides of the coin.

Go to the following link:

Seattle Public Schools - Enrollment FAQ

Half way down there is a discussion about the option schools. Something to consider is that entrance into an option school is based on a lottery and as enrollment continues to rise in the district your chance of getting into any of them is becoming smaller. On the other hand I think you can take advantage of provisions in the NCLB law currently if assigned to Madrona K-8 (because its classified as failing) and request assignment to another neighborhood school.

Ben

Ira500 · 03-02-2013, 07:22 PM

The way I read the SPS website about option programs, if there are more applicants than spaces, the first preference will be if you have a sibling attending that school, then preference will be to those in the attendance area, then by lottery.
If it's a K-5 like TOPS, there will be very few openings beyond Kindergarten. Some kids move or change schools, but it won't amount to more than a few spots. But Kindergarten will have lots of spots. Some of those will go to those with siblings in the school. But wouldn't the chances be much higher for your Kindergartner if your application was one of the first, and you lived in the attendance area?

seattleskier · 03-02-2013, 09:18 PM

Thanks again. I looked through a lot of the information on the SPS website to familiarize myself with the system. It looks like options schools are a possibility, but the only schools you can bet on are the ones within your area. For what it's worth, TOPS is now listed as a K-8 school.

benleis · 03-03-2013, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ira500

The way I read the SPS website about option programs, if there are more applicants than spaces, the first preference will be if you have a sibling attending that school, then preference will be to those in the attendance area, then by lottery.
If it's a K-5 like TOPS, there will be very few openings beyond Kindergarten. Some kids move or change schools, but it won't amount to more than a few spots. But Kindergarten will have lots of spots. Some of those will go to those with siblings in the school. But wouldn't the chances be much higher for your Kindergartner if your application was one of the first, and you lived in the attendance area?

The system is a pure lottery. So it doesn't matter if your application is first or not, just that its in by the end of open enrollment. At this point not everyone can get into Kindergarten at the popular option schools. To put some of this into context. Currently, enrollment is rising by ~1000 kids each year in the district. That's putting a great deal of strain on the system just making sure there is a seat available for all the children.

Ben

Ira500 · 03-03-2013, 06:00 PM

Thanks. Things have sure changed. They're gaining 1000 kids a year, yet the Madrona School is losing enrollment. People aren't leaving the neighborhood. They're just leaving the school.

Quote:

Originally Posted by benleis

The system is a pure lottery. So it doesn't matter if your application is first or not, just that its in by the end of open enrollment. At this point not everyone can get into Kindergarten at the popular option schools. To put some of this into context. Currently, enrollment is rising by ~1000 kids each year in the district. That's putting a great deal of strain on the system just making sure there is a seat available for all the children.

Ben

tobester · 03-03-2013, 06:35 PM

I know it's private and don't know much about it, but St. Therese in Madrona (once a great school, then not so much) has just got a big influx of cash from the Gates:

Saint Therese School - Igniting Minds, Dreams and Faith - Catholic School Seattle Washington

angelenogirl · 03-03-2013, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ira500

Thanks. Things have sure changed. They're gaining 1000 kids a year, yet the Madrona School is losing enrollment. People aren't leaving the neighborhood. They're just leaving the school.

The anecdotal tidbits you read online about the schools in Madrona/Leschi make them sound horrible. Sad, because I would buy a house in one of those neighborhoods tomorrow. But for what you pay, you would hope that the neighborhood schools would offer more.

From what I understand, though, now that the redistricting stuff happened and kids are going to their neighborhood schools again (instead of being bussed all over), maybe the underperforming neighborhood schools in great areas will improve.