Looking in Bothell - Northshore vs. Everett schools (Seattle, Bellevue: real estate, 2014)

[cicely]

Greetings from the East Coast! Our family of 4 just got back from an amazing visit to the Seattle East side in hopes of a relocation to the area. We have based our search on schools, with a rising 4th grader and 7th grader.

After a lot of looking, we are narrowing in around Bothell. We looked a great deal along 35th Ave SE and saw MANY new communities. There is the 180th St SE line which pushes you over into the Everett School district, with placement at Cedar Wood ES, Gateway MS, and Henry M. Jackson High. The Northshore schools in the area are obviously good so I have no concerns there. We found a house we love, but it happens to fall on the Everett side.

I've done a lot of research and know there is a lot more to tell about a school than just test scores. Does anyone have insight into the current environment at Jackson and what the future may hold there? I am guessing the population growth in the area may change the school landscape. I want to make sure in a couple of years our daughter moves into a high school with a lot of parent support and adequate funding. She is in a lot of AP courses, so I want to make sure she'll continue to have opportunities to be challenged.

I know I'm asking for people to look into a crystal ball, but hoping to hear real opinions to help add to the stats I'm finding online. Thanks!

[homesinseattle]

Greetings on the east coast and welcome (almost) to Puget Sound! Everett school district is getting better but just can't be compared to Northshore. My opinion: suck it up, get a home that is perhaps a bit less than your dream place, stay in Northshore. Here is the link to Jackson, I'm sure you have seen it. The reviews, as I have seen before, are mixed: http://www.greatschools.org/washingt...n-High-School/. I just think especially with her AP focus, you would just find a better fit.

[Seacove]

I can't tell you about Everett schools but Jackson is in Mill Creek and Mill Creek is probably the nicest area of the Everett Schools.

For Northshore - The new North Creek High School will open in the Fall of 2017. This will impact the Northshore school boundaries:

Northshore to Implement Boundary Adjustments in Fall of 2017
Changes will be implemented in fall 2017 to provide positive outcomes for students through the opening of North Creek High School, grade reconfiguration (K-5 elementary, 6-8 middle and 9-12 high schools) and boundary adjustments that will create a service area for North Creek High School and help to balance student enrollment districtwide.
2017 Boundary Adjustments / 2017 Boundary Adjustment Planning

This is why this might matter to you:

North Creek High School is slated to open in the fall of 2017. The 9-12 high school will be built on a 66-acre parcel of land located off 35th Avenue between 188th and 192nd Streets S.E., directly north and northwest of Fernwood Elementary School. Site work is under way.
North Creek High School Planning / Welcome: North Creek High School Planning

As you noticed, there are a lot of new housing developments all around 35th and 228th. Bothell and the Northshore School District are building new schools to address that, with a new elementary being discussed as well. So take a look at the maps and you might have an idea if that will impact the house you are looking at or any other houses you might consider over there.

This change impacts every grade level because with the opening of the North Creek High School, they are reconfiguring the grades. Instead of K-6, it will then be K-5. Instead of 7-9, it will then be 6-8. Instead of 10-12, it will then be 9-12. I'll put the current and proposed boundary maps below. They have had many parent meetings on this and if you have any questions, just call the Northshore School District at nsd.org.

Here are the current and proposed high school boundaries:

http://wwwnew.nsd.org/cms/lib08/WA01...deLevelMap.pdf

Here are the current and proposed middle school boundaries:

http://wwwnew.nsd.org/cms/lib08/WA01...deLevelMap.pdf

Here are the current and proposed elementary school boundaries:

http://wwwnew.nsd.org/cms/lib08/WA01...deLevelMap.pdf

[BellevueNative]

As a real estate broker I can't really comment too much on schools, but I would encourage you strongly to research the Everett SD schools you mentioned. I disagree with what "homesinseattle" said above when it comes to the southern schools in the Everett SD in comparison to Northshore, and in fact have had clients who will only look north of 180th now.

I will tell you that the Everett SD is pretty forward thinking when it comes to growth, and they have been looking at enrollment patterns intensely and making adjustments to boundaries when necessary. They also are hoping to build a new high school in the southern boundary area, actually very close to the new Northshore high school.

I live in Mill Creek, and my husband (an engineer) and I researched these things thoroughly before moving there.

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by BellevueNative

I live in Mill Creek, and my husband (an engineer) and I researched these things thoroughly before moving there.

It sounds a little like you're concerned about a decrease in your perceived home value. I have never heard anyone say the Everett School District is preferable to - any school district. Not saying it's bad, just not saying it's preferable. I do think schools in the Mill Creek area would be better than the Everett School District overall but it takes a long time to get the approval and money to build a high school. If they "hope" to build one, they are a long way off.

I don't live in that area so no vested interest at all. I like Mill Creek, just not crazy about the commute.

[homesinseattle]

Interesting BellevueNative. I would say that 90 percent of my clients who are looking in that area are quite clear that they want Northshore schools. I have always had the feeling that buying in a district with well-known high performing schools is probably better as a real estate investment as well. Statistics say that all buyers will sell someday. When my client calls me someday to list their home, I believe it will be helpful to the successful and profitable marketing of their property.

[GRF206]

I've lived in the Seattle area for many years, and graduated from Inglemoor (Northshore). The Northshore district has always been one of the best.... but... I have friends that went to school in the Everett school district, it is also good. Doesn't have the same rep, but my friends that were on the college track, all got into the same good colleges as my Northshore (or Bellevue) friends that were on the college track. In my opinion, when comparing the above average districts around Seattle -- it is more about the parents and the home life, than it is about the school.

[BellevueNative]

I encourage people to research the school pyramid for the homes they're considering, not the district as a whole. As with the Seattle Public Schools, Everett SD is a huge district and it has great schools and not-so-great.

Of course, I also think it's ridiculous to judge a school based solely on testing, which is what a lot of people do. But if you want to do that, you'll find that some schools in the Everett SD outperform some schools in the Northshore SD. The word-of-mouth for Northshore is a pretty new phenomenon, too, as a result of people simply moving further north for more affordable housing. Not saying it's not a great district - it is - but if you're willing to move all the way up to 180th in unincorporated Bothell, you owe it to yourself (for price point comparison) to look at the neighborhoods just north of 180th, too, and their schools...and don't just rely on word of mouth. That's all I'm saying.

As for plans to build, the district has already started presenting the plans to the voters, and they've owned the land for a long time. They're tweaking bond measures now. It also includes rebuilding and remodels of other schools in the southern area of the district.

The Puget Sound region's top 10 neighborhoods ranked by school performance - Puget Sound Business Journal

[BellevueNative]

Originally Posted by GRF206

I've lived in the Seattle area for many years, and graduated from Inglemoor (Northshore). The Northshore district has always been one of the best.... but... I have friends that went to school in the Everett school district, it is also good. Doesn't have the same rep, but my friends that were on the college track, all got into the same good colleges as my Northshore (or Bellevue) friends that were on the college track. In my opinion, when comparing the above average districts around Seattle -- it is more about the parents and the home life, than it is about the school.

I agree with this, and the data supports it, too. High performers will do well regardless of which school they're in, and home life and support for education in the home are the biggest influences for academic success.

This topic has been discussed at length on this board, and I always end up saying the same thing: we're splitting hairs when it comes to comparing most of the districts in the Seattle area. We have great schools compared to most large metro areas of the country, because we value education in the Puget Sound. One of the most educated metros in the country.

[jm31828]

Originally Posted by Seacove

It sounds a little like you're concerned about a decrease in your perceived home value. I have never heard anyone say the Everett School District is preferable to - any school district. Not saying it's bad, just not saying it's preferable. I do think schools in the Mill Creek area would be better than the Everett School District overall but it takes a long time to get the approval and money to build a high school. If they "hope" to build one, they are a long way off.

I don't live in that area so no vested interest at all. I like Mill Creek, just not crazy about the commute.

True. The Everett school district schools that are in the Mill Creek area are good- some of he best in that district- but the vast majority of people still prefer to be in the North Shore school district. It's why so many people desire homes south of 180th if they are looking at the 35th ave. corridor- it's why developers advertise in big bold letters in those areas south of 180th that their new developments are in the North Shore district. It's why those homes carry a premium price compared to similar homes north of 180th.