Family Moving to Washington need school advice please (Seattle, Bellevue: for sale, real estate)

[tinkerbellkid65]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum and my family will be moving to WA from San Diego, CA, if my husband accepts a new position in Seattle. I have two girls in 7th and 8th grade and our main priority is a great schools for them without going private, so I'm looking into the Middle and High Schools. I have heard from realtors that the best schools in WA are on Bainbridge Island. Can someone comment on that? Also, if we lived on Bainbridge, would the commute to Seattle actually be doable for my husband or would that depend on where in Bainbridge we lived? The Seattle office where he would be working is fairly close to the Bainbridge ferry. Any other ideas would be appreciated as well as we have considered living in Edmonds or Mukilteo and his driving south to Seattle for work. I don't know anything about the schools in that area or how bad that commute might be for my husband. We will be visiting the areas in Sept. for a look-see and to find a home somewhere! Thanks all!

[CityGirl72]

Are you sure he said Bainbridge? Did he say MERCER Island? I think that's where the best school closest to Seattle is. And a short commute anywhere. But the houses are quite expensive

I am from Calif (Santa Monica, and NorCal) and lived in Seattle for 5 years, I just moved back to California recently. I also have children, and I guess it will depend on what kind of house and how much can afford is. Are you looking for suburbs? Urban? or more remote?

I'd Reccomend: Mercer Island, Bellevue/Redmond or Issaquah for good schools. As with any place - the suburbs will have a better public school system.

Seattle Unified is a low grade school district - and we lived there! I had my son in the best elementary school in the district and it was still sub-par to the suburbian schools

[jenlion]

One thing I wonder is whether it makes sense to buy an expensive house for the school system. The homes in the "good schools" are so expensive here that I wonder if private school tuition plus a cheaper mortgage might be cheaper in total. Your neighborhood might not be ideal, but seriously, I do wonder.

Traffic here is really, really bad. You're not going to get a good public school and a good commute during regular biz hours to that part of Seattle. You'll have to compromise on either the commute or the schools!

I know there are people that do commute on the ferry. If your husband can ride a bike to the ferry dock it might expand your area on Bainbridge. But I hear those homes are pretty expensive too. Watch for Ira to weigh in, he's the local real estate expert!

[VeronikaW]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

I'd Recommend: Mercer Island, Bellevue/Redmond or Issaquah for good schools. As with any place - the suburbs will have a better public school system.

I second this. I moved from San Diego, as well (we were in the Poway School District), and I chose Issaquah for the great schools (even though my kids aren't school aged just yet).

I find that the commute East to West is much better than the North to South commute here in WA. I'd say the N to S traffic on the 5 is comparable to CA traffic, while the E to W commute on I-90 isn't that terrible.

Good luck!

V. =)

[AzDreamer]

Both Bainbridge Island and Mercer Schools are good. You can go to this site and compare. Select the district you are interested in and click go. The biggest difference for 10th grade seems to be science where Mercer Island is much better.

Washington State Report Card

I would not want to make the ferry commute to Seattle but others are willing to do that and maybe you'll get used to it too.

[tinkerbellkid65]

Thanks everyone who responded (hopefully IRA will post too . Yes the Realtor said Bainbridge as the best schools in WA (I'm sure that could be subjective or motivated by selling real estate), however he did mention Mercer Island as well as Silverdale (?). Silverdale seems way too far for the Seattle work commute though. We are open right now to possiblities, but as my husband is 60 years old we are also looking for a home to retire in. He is also a 30 year retired Navy pilot and we are tired of moving! Prices even in Bainbridge are reasonable compared to Coronado where we live (North Island just off of San Diego). So spending a little more for a house that we love, that is in a great area with good schools will serve a number of criteria. Where we live now, Coronado Island, CA, has homes packed close on top of one another so we are looking for something completely opposite - semi secluded as opposed to a developed community with many homes in a small area. To complicate things we also have a daughter that has special medical needs and we will be utilizing Seattle Children's Hospital from time to time (hopefully infrequently). VeronikaW: do you think the Issaquah schools are better than Bainbridge overall or just the best in relation to Seattle (as I know Bainbridge is not considered Seattle suburbs) and where do you learn about the school systems, it seems hard to tell from just grades on the district websites if a school system is good or not... I will start checking out homes on Mercer Island and Issaquah, thanks again everyone I appreciate everyone chiming in and "training up" this SoCal gal!

[CityGirl72]

GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community

[AzDreamer]

redfin.com is a good site for checking prices. You set up the map to cover the area you're interested in, enter some search criteria and it shows all the houses for sale that meet the criteria.

[Ira500]

Here I am! While Bainbridge is considered a very good school district, I'd put money on the realtor saying that because he just happens to sell real estate on Bainbridge Island. Overall, I think Mercer Island's schools are considered the best in the state....Lots of people commute from Bainbridge to Seattle...the ride is about 35 minutes, and can be delayed due to fog, which is not infrequent in the late fall....Mercer Island is a ten minute drive from downtown Seattle, and although it's closer in than Bainbridge, many parts of it do have that semi secluded feel that Bainbridge also has.
Parts of Edmonds are awfully nice, and the Sounder commuter train now runs into downtown Seattle. Downtown Edmonds is awfully charming, more so than downtown Winslow ( Bainbridge) or downtown Mercer Island....Bellevue also has very good schools, but is more of a city than the other places mentioned, although there are parts that seem pretty rural. West Bellevue is awfully nice, with some great views, woodsy, and pretty.
But I've got nothing against Bainbridge. I just know that the regular ferry commuters complain about the commute, and some non Bainbridgers complain about the snobbishness of the Bainbridge folk, but I've spent a lot of time with Bainbridge people, and never really found that to be true...I read a lot of real estate blogs, and one of them is written by a Bainbridge resident, called something like Clearcut Bainbridge, and predicts large home price declines for Bainbridge..I don't know if I agree with it, but the average house price there is waaay out of whack with the average household income ...Another place you might consider is Vashon Island...the passenger only ferry to downtown is 15-20 minutes, and it is definitely the most rural of the places mentioned. It also has good schools..For the most part, Vashon has something of an artsy feel, and a live and let live lifestyle.

[tinkerbellkid65]

Wow thanks everyone! The Great Schools website looks very helpful and I will get on redfin.com to check out areas. Ira you have given me A Lot to think about and a few more areas to check out - the realtor actually had suggested Edmonds, but my husband had heard from friends that had lived around Seattel that the commute was a nightmare, (at least on the ferry you can get some work done), however I was not aware of the commuter train. I will also try to find the Clearcut Bainbridge blog. I had not considered Vashon Island as I had not heard anything about the schools, I agree from my preliminary research in regards to schools at least in grades, Mercer Island appears to be tops. What do you think about the schools in the Edmonds area, or would you suggest private? So you've given me my homework for a few days, thanks again!