Does anybody want to talk Eastside High Schools (Redmond, Sammamish: fit in, transplants)

[Wintermomma]

I am wondering what the reputations are of all of these "highly-rated" high schools? Specifically I am eyeing homes (online) assigned to Redmond HS, Eastlake HS, Woodinville HS, Skyline HS, Cedarcrest HS, Mount Si HS. I am trying to find a way to narrow an area of focus. Houses come and go in all of these areas checking some of our boxes.

All of these schools have these 8 or 9 ratings on greatschools, but how are they really? What are they known for?

About Us...
Daughter = comes from a very small private school, but wishing for a bigger school. Good student. Interests and background in dance & theatre. Has no clue what a typical large school would be like, but romanticizes it.

Mom = attended a bigger HS as a student and was simply an anonymous #, wishing something different for daughter like the personal touches of a smaller school. Worries: high-pressure atmosphere pushing every typically achieving student in APs, pushing college talk starting as freshman, child just being another #, safety (assaults, drugs, gangs). Wanting a well-rounded education that values the type of person they are molding, not just someone who can quickly absorb and regurgitate facts. Would love a community that offers involvement opportunities for parents (okay, not IN the classrooms, LOL, they are teenagers).

Do any of these schools sound like a better fit than others?

Thanks.

[flyingsaucermom]

No. I really don't want to talk about Eastside HS.

But what I can tell you is that you sound like a typical Eastside parent with the typical Eastside parental concerns and the two of you might fit in just fine, or.. you might not.

What I have seen, and maybe it's as much about the time as it is about the place, is that parents have and utilize the power of choice when it comes to their kids' education. They figure it out somehow. They supplement with additional programs, they try out different schools... put one kid in public, another in private, maybe choose to do online school for a year or two or longer, just to have all their students finish up under the public school banner by their junior or senior years.

Now that we have applied the concept of consumer mindset to mainstream education you can no longer make many generalizations about "fit" when talking schools. It comes down to a set of expectations as well as luck.. the actual academic experiences are more or less the same with most, if not, all the schools you mentioned so in larger part it will come down your child's initial reactions to the particular peers and staff she encounters and the general public school routines.

I have 11th and 8th graders in the Issaquah school system and I live in a very dense area of Issaquah full of families. Our community sends most kids to Issaquah HS, but we have an impressive number attending private schools and/or are home schooled. Many of the private school kids go to Eastside Catholic in Sammamish. There is even a bus for them that stops in the neighborhood... We considered it ourselves, but both my kids are doing just fine in the public schools.

With so many of the tech workers and higher compensated white collar professionals concentrated here you can bet your bottom dollar that there is extreme academic pressures... for some. I'll be frank and say, it's probably a big problem for the Asian students, whom I see starting their academic careers as 3 year olds at Kumon.

With these big schools you can be "just another number", but on the flip side, you have more, again.. choice. My older student did robotics his first year and realized since he's not already an apprenticed engineer (as many on the robotics teams seem to be.. what else would you expect when "dad" retired early from Boeing or Microsoft???) he was left without a role in the organization. So this last year he did swim team and had a great time. So did I. Very different gang. Lot more Americans. A lot of goofballs. But also an accepting environment... like their star diver is technically incredible, but he's also FAB-U-LOUS and makes the best show of his dives while wearing the smallest of speedos. Hot pink speedos. He's awesome, but I also love how if a team member is lagging behind the whole group will cheer them on and clap to the end.

Next year my 11th grader will continue with swimming, but also add tennis. He's got good grades (mostly A's), but he's mostly taking regular classes. He took his first AP course this year (and did well!). He's on the autism spectrum, and has all the associated struggles of the autism spectrum, but he's got a social life and goes out with his friends and he's got some great school experiences that weren't offered when I was his age (like material sciences and carpentry).

My 8th grader will absolutely own and thrive with the large public high school experience. It's actually going to be quite a ride with him. He's very well-liked and popular. Now for him we have to supplement. He's a soccer player and the HS soccer programs don't cut it (none of them). He's good enough for Div 1 colleges, but like with other sports you get the recognition for those through private clubs and gyms. You might have to do the same for drama and dance. I know families that have their kids participate (a lot) with Village Theater here in Issaquah.

I will also say that my 8th grader is BSing his way through the academics. No doubt it's a disappointment for my husband who worked through a PhD and has a natural love for learning. Don't get me wrong, he's actually started talking colleges already.. but for soccer (I will use it to my advantage this summer because we will be checking out college campuses for my junior.. it will be nice not to have to repeat this in three years!), but I swear he is actually BSing and getting away with it.
And the crazy thing with that is he'll get away with it probably all the way through his college degree and end up with some sort of role that he hadn't really earned or doesn't deserve. Like many politicians. In fact his 5th grade class voted him "most likely to be a famous politician". He'll make his way through life with his connections.

So, that's our experiences.. Good luck to you mom!

[Seacove]

^^^ Good response.

I think a lot of school success depends on the parents. With the lockdown keeping kids and parents at home, we have many neighborhood parents that are creating curriculums for their kids at home. Yes, the schools are doing classes online but the parents, primarily tech, feel that is not challenging enough. We have neighbor group texts sharing study recommendations, resources, etc. Some might find that a little much. The parents are choosing good school districts but are not depending on the school district for the intellectual success of their children. They care enough to give personal time to their kid's education and they are open-minded enough to seek resources from other parents.

The OP is seeking what most parents want but any choice will involve a compromise. Small schools can result in the child having less exposure to people, personalities, cultures, etc. Large schools can indeed make a child feel like a number if the child does not proactively get involved. We have two boys that can be both introverted and extroverted depending on the setting.

It's hard to make a school choice remotely. Forums can be great but IMO the best way is to visit the schools and talk to parents. Find out what clubs the schools prioritize and what degrees their graduates pursue. While we are in Woodinville, I know a parent that chose private - Eastside Catholic - over Mount Si. Their kids have done very well, one just completed her Masters and the other is in finishing theirs.

[Wintermomma]

I don't know about Eastside Catholic, but I know the Catholic schools down here are Very Difficult to get into if you are not Catholic, and we are not. My friend (who has students at one of them) once told me, "the Catholic kids are regular good kids. The non-Catholic kids are *EXCEPTIONAL*" (i.e. that protege you spoke of taking Kumon at age 3 and they were probably also taking Suzuki lessons in the morning before kindergarten).

Overlake actually sounds like an excellent fit but in reading their acceptance rates and since we're out of admissions cycle, I'm not holding my breath. I will call them eventually though am facing that may not be what happens.

I had read an older thread which said something like "XYZ HS is known for excelling in the arts and ABC HS for their sports and JKL for academics," so that was what I was fishing a bit for; do they have well-known reputations for things. Like where I live, I don't know all the schools but if someone asked me I could say a bit about several of them.

Thanks both of you. Yes, this is definitely harder than usual and really poor timing in the school year realm.

[leastprime]

JMO, Just for transportation issues, I'd think a school closer to In would be more advantageous than a school further Out.

[Wintermomma]

Originally Posted by leastprime

JMO, Just for transportation issues, I'd think a school closer to In would be more advantageous than a school further Out.

That's my plan. I'm tired of sitting in rush hour traffic in the morning just to get my kids to school. That's why I'm trying to solve for school before housing.

[mayfair]

I think you'd be fine with any of them. It's not like there are any bad schools there, or an insular area where newcomers are rare (like some of the outlying small small towns) and lots of transplants come and go, so I don't think you can go wrong. Like others have said, there are so many choices now in ways to school, and there's running start- free college for high school juniors and seniors-- if they get tired of the high school scene. Good luck, and hope you find a nice place.

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by Wintermomma

I don't know about Eastside Catholic, but I know the Catholic schools down here are Very Difficult to get into if you are not Catholic, and we are not. My friend (who has students at one of them) once told me, "the Catholic kids are regular good kids. The non-Catholic kids are *EXCEPTIONAL*" (i.e. that protege you spoke of taking Kumon at age 3 and they were probably also taking Suzuki lessons in the morning before kindergarten).

Overlake actually sounds like an excellent fit but in reading their acceptance rates and since we're out of admissions cycle, I'm not holding my breath. I will call them eventually though am facing that may not be what happens.

I had read an older thread which said something like "XYZ HS is known for excelling in the arts and ABC HS for their sports and JKL for academics," so that was what I was fishing a bit for; do they have well-known reputations for things. Like where I live, I don't know all the schools but if someone asked me I could say a bit about several of them.

Thanks both of you. Yes, this is definitely harder than usual and really poor timing in the school year realm.

I don't think that's the case with this particular Catholic HS. I have a client who has a daughter that just started there. The daughter is biracial and her dad is Jewish. They do not attend Catholic services.

[Wintermomma]

Originally Posted by mayfair

I think you'd be fine with any of them. It's not like there are any bad schools there, or an insular area where newcomers are rare (like some of the outlying small small towns) and lots of transplants come and go, so I don't think you can go wrong. Like others have said, there are so many choices now in ways to school, and there's running start- free college for high school juniors and seniors-- if they get tired of the high school scene. Good luck, and hope you find a nice place.

Can you tell me more about this?

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by Wintermomma

Can you tell me more about this?

[url]https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/running-start/default.aspx[/url]