Bellevue (Interlake High) vs. Mercer Island ~Rentals, Schools, Best for families (Seattle: real estate market, apartments)

[72470]

We are relocating to the Bellevue area with two very academically driven kids. Both also love to be involved in school activities and sports. Just like every other parent we want the best schools for our kids, it's our top priority. As well as making friends and getting comfortable quickly.

Right now we are considering Bellevue or Mercer Island. Our oldest is in the IB program in high school and also in gifted. We would like the same type of academics.
Because Interlake High School in Bellevue offers the IB program and gifted we are strongly considering this area. We were told that although our oldest has been in gifted 9 years now, their test score are outdated and even at the high school level they would have to retest for gifted over the summer.
We are confident the results will come back fine but we are worried that since the kids in Bellevue move from school to school (because of various programs like gifted) it could make it hard for our kids to have a sense of community. I have heard from parents that in Bellevue only half of the kids actually go to their neighborhood schools. I also heard that because of this friendships outside of school are hard due to the fact that the kids are so spread out.

For this reason we are also considering Mercer island. The schools look great and although they don't offer a gifted/IB program they have plenty of AP courses which are fine. Our main concern is we have heard so many negative comments about the kids in the high school. It seems most of them involve heavy drug use/drinking/partying. We were also told by kids themselves they find Mercer island "boring" and have to go to Bellevue or Seattle for movies, malls etc. I know Mercer Island is highly rated, but is it all hype? Do people jut assume it's the best place to live because it's a wealthier area?

Has anyone chosen one over the other and what experiences can you share?

We are finding it almost impossible to secure a rental home in either areas. It seems no one is willing to rent to a family they haven't met, and we have already had 3 homes pulled out from underneath us because of this. So for the time being we are considering an apartment so that we can look around more. Although both areas lack many 3 bedroom apartment options.

Please share your opinions of Interlake High School (Bellevue) and Mercer island.

[Jalhop]

Originally Posted by 72470

It seems no one is willing to rent to a family they haven't met...

Maybe one parent should meet the prospective landlord in person, or at least on Skype.

Of those 2 schools, I'd choose Interlake. Mercer Island is boring, which would be exacerbated for kids. I think the Interlake area is better for the parents too. It's just a more convenient area unless you must often go to Seattle.

[Ruth4Truth]

I'd stick with Bellevue HS. It has a high reputation and great teachers, plus it has the programs you want.

[beautifulseattlehomes]

Mercer Island can feel really isolated for kids (and grownups)...one way off and one way on! I would go with Interlake because it will meet your kids at the same academic level they have been performing and is seen around our area as the more academically rigorous school....friends will come from their activities, church, temple, neighborhood etc....the real estate market in Seattle is incredibly competitive right now in all areas...rental and purchase. There are so many people here on the ground for them to rent to that they generally don't have to consider someone they haven't met. Some people fly out for a day or two to try to lock something down and so that they can have the face to face.

[LaylaM]

Our oldest daughter was a gifted student, from grade school on up. Several of her closest friends tested into the program (s), as well. Interlake is our neighborhood high school, and she thrived there, both academically and socially. Interlake is a very diverse school with kids from extremely modest to high income families, and many different cultural backgrounds. This makes for an interesting mix and some good world exposure for kids who might, otherwise, experience a suburban cocoon in a more homogenous school environment.

Interlake is a relatively small school, so there is a greater sense of intimacy between the administration, students and families than some of the larger high schools in Bellevue. Most importantly, our daughter found enough academic stimulation to keep her focused, which can be a challenge for kids at that end of the learning spectrum.

As far as community building and social connection, you will find a substantial number of open-enrolled students at Interlake due to the IB program. This is a good thing, as it adds to the vitality of the school.

As far as building a friendship base, our children maintained some long-standing friendships from our neighborhood and cultivated new ones as their interests and involvements expanded. I would not worry too much about your kids making friends with kids who have floated around from different schools. Most of the kids they end up hanging with will attend their current school, play on local sports teams, etc. Nothing is that far away and they seem to meet up with one another just fine.

Regarding Mercer Island High, unless you have an interest in living on the Island, I really don't see why you would choose that school when there are plenty of high achieving schools or AP level pathways to choose from all around the Eastside. Additionally, teens on MI spend lots more time driving on the freeway going to Bellevue for fun. Also, since most of the kids at MI High have been together forever on that little Island oasis, it might be a bit more challenging to break in socially...

Regarding a apartment/house rental, due to the constant influx of Microsoft transferees, our community is transient in nature and very international in character. Because of this, it may be challenging to secure a rental long-distance. Rental agents/landlords are very cautious, they perform stringent credit/ background checks and require hefty deposits. In person, this is rarely a problem, and rental inventory is fairly strong, depending on your housing preferences.

Best of luck and happy to answer additional questions.

[Hemlock140]

There is not much difference between Mercer Island, Bellevue, Issaquah and Sammamish High Schools. You really can't go wrong with any of them academically. The subtle differences are in things like diversity, sports, and special programs.

Rather than depend on the opinions of people who have all been happy with their local school, I suggest attending school board meetings, and visiting principals or even superintendents, as we did before moving up here. Most district websites have links to the individual school websites with information about advanced programs and classes. There are homes in Bellevue, Sammamish and even Issaquah that cost more than some homes in Mercer Island, all of the Eastside within a reasonable commute to Seattle have high rent/home prices. Generally Mercer Island is higher because it cuts the commute in half. Three bedroom apartments are rare, because these are high ownership areas and people with 2-3 kids most often buy. There will be some in Bellevue and Issaquah, and a few in Sammamish, though availability may be tight.

Overlook at Lakemont, The Apartments For Rent in Bellevue, Washington - Apartment Rental and Community Details - ForRent.com

The Timbers At Issaquah Ridge Apartments For Rent in Issaquah, Washington - Apartment Rental and Community Details - ForRent.com

Madison Sammamish Apartments For Rent in Sammamish, Washington - Apartment Rental and Community Details - ForRent.com

[72470]

Thank you everyone! These comments have been very helpful.

[Inkpoe]

OP, there's one other factor you haven't yet consider and I think it's a very good one to consider. I did this even though I attended Newport HS (which is the #1 HS in Bellevue SD) and came out better for it. When I graduated HS, I only had less than 2 years to college to finish.

Running Start

[LaylaM]

Just a few additional suggestions. If you do want to meet up with a school principal, they are generally on campus until the first week of July, then off until the second or third week of August. Don't know your time frame for moving, but most principals or vice principals will also be happy to walk you through the school while in session and let you sit in on a class to observe.

You might also enjoy meeting with an IB teacher. He/she can give you some very valuable info on the curriculum, student population and classroom expectations.

Also, if you need 3 bedrooms, you are much better off renting a house and your monthly payments won't be that much higher, depending on what neighborhood you choose. Keep in mind that a 3 bedroom apartment around here is very small for a family.

[72470]

LaylaM,

We have already finished a year of IB here at our local high school and it has been a great program for my son. Although for the gifted population at Interlake, I heard the program is run a bit different. So we will need to look into that.

As for renting a home, we have tried. We are coming from a 4 bedroom/4 bath 3,000sq ft home and I am certain we won't find that in Bellevue at our current price point.
We have tried renting a home but the market is so tough right now. Some of the properties we contacted and were told they already had 25-30+ interested tenants and they would prefer to choose from those candidates rather than choose someone moving from across the country.

We have contacted a realtor and she told us that even if we were there, dedicating a good amount of time in person to looking, it's still a very tight market.
A few of the rental homes even told us they received so many interested parties that they were pulling their ad down and putting it back up at a higher price.
We have looked at dozens of possible homes, called, offered to skype and even looked at a couple in person. At least half of them agreed to hold the home for us for 48-72 hours until we could overnight them the required deposits. Then they rented to someone who met them in person before our check even reached them. (one even rented the home 5 hours later) This is also after we paid for background checks on two of them and were told by the potential landlord that everything was perfect, the property was being held and they were looking forward to meeting us in person, etc.

I'd like to think that not every rental situation is this cut throat.

Our thought was to rent an apartment month to month, then look in person when the summer rush passes. Quite a few of the rental homes we have seen need a lot of updating and we don't know the areas well. So I think even if it means downsizing for a few months or even a year the flexibility of an apartment might work better for us until we either purchase or find a more suitable rental. We don't mind downsizing as we never use all of the space we have now. Also, we have lived in NYC apartments just over 1,000 sq ft and somehow the space fit everything we needed.