Lake Washington and Northshore school districts? (Seattle, Bellevue: homes, live in, zoned)

[thedogatemyhomework]

Hi there,
I'm moving to Seattle in a couple of weeks and doing research on the Woodinville area. I've noticed that homes in the SW area feed into Lake Washington school district and the rest of Woodinville feeds into Northshore. I'm just wondering what the difference between the two is and if one is better/worse than the other.

Most of the homes we liked were in the Northshore district - can anyone speak to the 'vibe' of the schools? High-powered, high test or more laid back?

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks!

[limeyx]

I dont have kids, but I do live in Woodinville, so take this with a pinch of what its worth.

When we were moving to Woodinville most people said to make sure we lived somewhere in the Northshore district.

A friend our ours is also moving to Bothell/Woodinville; his wife is a teacher in LA, but she said exactly the same thing.

I am not sure if thats based purely on test results, vibe or school programs offered etc.

[BellevueNative]

I'd say those districts are known for being pretty equal, and solid. I'm not sure about the vibe or teaching style in each, though, so I'll leave that up to others. I do think it's worth it to point out that these are a couple of the few districts in Western Washington with junior high schools, still, instead of middle schools. Elementary schools K-6, Jr High 7-9, HS 10-12. The other districts on the Eastside and in the Seattle area have been K-5, M 6-8, HS 9-12 since the 80s or so.

ETA: Both districts have some stand-out schools (Inglemoor HS, Woodinville HS, Eastlake HS) and average schools.

[thedogatemyhomework]

Originally Posted by limeyx

I dont have kids, but I do live in Woodinville, so take this with a pinch of what its worth.

When we were moving to Woodinville most people said to make sure we lived somewhere in the Northshore district.

A friend our ours is also moving to Bothell/Woodinville; his wife is a teacher in LA, but she said exactly the same thing.

I am not sure if thats based purely on test results, vibe or school programs offered etc.

interesting - thanks for passing on. those little asides tend to hold a lot more water than school report cards and rankings.

[thedogatemyhomework]

Originally Posted by BellevueNative

I'd say those districts are known for being pretty equal, and solid. I'm not sure about the vibe or teaching style in each, though, so I'll leave that up to others. I do think it's worth it to point out that these are a couple of the few districts in Western Washington with junior high schools, still, instead of middle schools. Elementary schools K-6, Jr High 7-9, HS 10-12. The other districts on the Eastside and in the Seattle area have been K-5, M 6-8, HS 9-12 since the 80s or so.

at the risk of dating myself, when i was in school it was K-8;-)

thanks for the info

[carroll4628]

2 years later ~ Any additional comments. I really like the concept of the "Choice Schools" (or Lottery/Magnet Schools) that Lake Washington offers. I understand Lake Washington has some redistricting happening this year and Northshore is moving to the K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 model in 2017 (along with redistricting for it's new high school). Any further insight?

[gingerbreadlatte]

I heard that the new high school in Northshore will be a STEM high school so it's probably not a bad idea to get a place zoned to the new high school.

We live in LWSD. We're happy with the schools. It's very competitive, much more so than in Texas and we were in a good school district there too. The teachers are very caring. Lots of extracurriculars for kids though you have to pay for them. I love the idea of Choice schools too though it's really the luck of the draw if you get in.

[RVD90277]

I think that LWSD has a bigger range of good and not-as-good schools. When we lived in Kirkland, our school was ok but the school that my sons attends now in Northshore is much better (better STEM program, better quality of teachers, better students, more organized PTA, etc.).

[homesinseattle]

I think you will be very happy in the Northshore school system. Most of my clients who have moved there are.

[Clydebailey]

Both my sons went to Inglemoor HS /Northshore SD -they have (or had?)an International baccalaureate study program. It's another way for kids to thrive.
I can't speak to how the HS is now - it's been 10 years since our boys graduated from there.