So our son went to this school for 5 months. Kids push each other around and horse play in the line…read moreoutside every morning before school on the playground. One kid punched my son while he stood with his Mom. No one even bothered to tell his father who was surprised to hear it from me. Counselor baits my son in to writing down his feelings while he is upset then is surprised when he writes angry words. Principle sits in his office writing platitudes amongst all the chaos. Great teachers, horrible leadership, bad atmosphere.

This is our 4th year at Our Lady of the Lake. Currently, our son is in 3rd grade and our daughter…read moreis in Pre-K. We love the warm, welcoming, inclusive community from the parents to the teachers to the staff. Classes are a great size, only 1 class per grade, with 2 teachers per class pre-school through 2nd grade. We are so fortunate for the before and after care program (called xcare), which also hosts full day summer camp. For 2 full time working parents, we wouldn't be able to make it work without xcare. The academic curriculum is top notch and well rounded from the Slingerland reading program to their math and science courses to a focus on the Arts (language, visual, music). Our Spanish program makes it fun for the kids to learn. The full time counselor focuses on the kids social and emotional growth, while there is a focus on bringing Catholic social teaching to life via numerous volunteering opportunities. Our Lady of the Lake is not just our school, it's our family!

Coming back to stay I still love this school! Our family has been at University Cooperative School…read morefor 10yrs - my 15yr old attended K-5th grade, and I currently have a 4th grader and my youngest is in PreK. We are incredibly grateful for this school, the holistic education it's provided our children and the community that has been the anchor for our family life. The teachers are excited about what they teach, care deeply for the students. With enthusiasm for their subjects and the freedom and support they need to follow that enthusiasm they make engaging, responsive, project based learning the norm all through the program. The kids stay excited about learning, comfortable asking questions and learn to ask for what they need as a learner. Our modern lives are designed in a way that is isolating and can wearus down with the load of demands of parenting- but the model of cooperative school (that's very flexible/understands we work too!) means that you can build real relationships and community in a society where that can be incredibly hard. At U co-op our children end up with so many loving adults who know and care for them - I can't overstate how valuable that is. Especially when life brings rough seasons or crisis. We know each other's kids and support each other through this parenting journey. The nurturing, adventurous environment helps kids be comfortable and confident in themselves -quirks and struggles included. My kids love going to school and I love the joyful childhood it has given them.

We have loved this place…read more We've been with U Co-op for the last two years, with almost a year and a half of that during the pandemic. I can't express how incredible the school has been. The most extraordinarily compassionate teachers and staff, and a parent community that has been supportive, resourceful, kind and caring. There is a warmth to the building (which we are thankfully back in - and masked) that we fell in love with from the first tour. It didn't feel cold or modern; it felt like creativity and childhood. There are nooks for reading, spaces for found art, paintings up everywhere. The teachers allow the children to follow their curiosity and even adjust the lessons to be relevant to the things that interest them. The kids are learning just as much as peers at other schools, but in a way that focuses on their self development and self esteem. This school has been a great find and has helped carry us through this difficult stretch.

Eckstein was easily one of the most inspirational schools that I have attended. What I learned…read morethere reverberated well into adulthood. Before I became middle school age they provided Summer Music School classes for elementary students. These shorter half days both gave me a head-start and provided cherished memories of letting kids play out on the field between lessons. It gave some structure to Summers while still having time to vacation. As for the formal school year a few of my favorite assignments from class included reflecting on unsung heroes, researching family history as a collaboration project with the rest of my extended family, making person shaped cutout posters that explained the parts of ourselves that we found important and going on science field-trips. I watched a video from the current librarian at the school and one book she recommended was on learning graphic design skills. This field is what I now do as my chosen line of work so I would have loved to have done some training on that early in middle school. I've found that having a multitude of related skills will allow you to go further over just being very focused on one or two areas. Collaborating with others can be great but for some jobs I've found I had to connect several skills together on my own to get a job done the way it needed to be. I liked the level of writing I was at when I went to Eckstein but it would have been awesome to couple it together with some basic design and drawing skills. In my own career path I would have used some basic design skills more than high math. I'm not trying to say that high math is not important, only that it is specific to a subset of fields while basic math is used by everyone. In high school I took a class called "Applied Math" and now I use what I learn in that class all the time. I can give an example of that when it came to a financial issue that the PTSA was dealing with at the end of the school year. They had sent out a request to the general community on what they should do about the building of new pickle-ball courts whose price started to inflate to $200,000 and they also struggled to find someone that could commit to the project long enough to complete. I noticed that there were lacrosse teams that played on the weekend so I researched what it would cost to buy a set for a whole team and calculated that this would come out to $15,000 total. I told them about my findings and they chose to go through with the sport for the time being. This overall education is what is great about schools like Eckstein. Their programs keep improving over time. I just went to some of their current concerts and noticed that the music program played very advanced pieces and that was similar to when I went there. One of the differences now is that they put on a whole musical that goes far beyond anything we had at the time! That to me is a goal of a great school. They always push forward and look for ways to surpass the previous achievements that had been performed at this grade level.

Eckstein is very good and i recommend it as a former student, but i would prefer not to have to use…read morecomputers everyday at school and do the work on paper. Some teachers even assign homework over the weekends! and there's no recess.. The best teachers and Ms Kong, Ms Bargfrede and Ms Kazala.

We had a wonderful experience with Spring!…read more The individualized teaching truly helped my child learn in a way that was meaningful and attainable. He graduated with a sense of himself as capable. Andy, the principal, and all the teachers showed up for my son and our family through the good and challenging times - and everything in-between. It meant so much to all of us to know that school was a safe, accepting, caring, affirming and happy place. To be seen and appreciated for who you are is no small thing.

I graduated from Spring Academy in 2017 and had a wonderful experience there that made a lasting…read moreimpact on me. I struggled in public high school with anxiety, and this had a negative impact on my confidence in my ability to learn. At Spring, I got to take control of my learning and felt comfortable asking questions. The teachers were so understanding and supportive that school became something I looked forward to rather than something I dreaded. This environment helped me build confidence in school and enjoy learning again. Now, almost 10 years later, I'm graduating with my master's degree and applying for PhD programs. If you are considering Spring for your child because they are having a hard time fitting into a regular school environment, I would highly recommend Spring Academy.

I went to Roosevelt and made many friends there. They have an amazing Jazz and Theatre program…read more However, their Choir teacher Mrs Kent was the worst teacher I ever had. She told me to stand up in front of my entire class to show them "how not to sing" knowing I had my wisdom teeth removed the day before. She was misogynistic, picked favorites and singled out the girls for laughing with each other before class. she said, "why would we expect men to respect us and not see us as objects when we act like that." Other than MRS KENT... Roosevelt was an amazing school.

This school has a great track and field that is open on the weekends. The parking wasn't an issue…read morefor me either. I would very much recommend this track to other runners.

Thank you to Billings for letting me be myself for three years. This will always be my favorite…read moreschool I went to. The teachers are so kind and everyone is just a weirdo as we all are during middle school. I wish they had a high school because most high schools are terrible places.

Billings is a very special place where middle schoolers are seen and respected for their unique…read morepersonalities. My child loves going to school every day and loves her teachers and classmates.

I can't say enough positive things about our family's experience at The Perkins School in Seattle…read more Our son joined as a 4th grader, and from day one it was clear he was genuinely known, supported, and cared for. I asked him recently what he liked most about Perkins, and he said, "the community -- I really liked the teachers and the kids." His teachers prioritized getting to know him; at our first parent-teacher conference, we were amazed when his teacher described details of his strengths and weaknesses the same way we would have. We watched his confidence grow as he was challenged in ways that felt supportive. That foundation has truly paid off--he's thriving in middle school, both academically and socially. We are forever grateful for the love and care the entire Perkins community showed our son and our family.

Our kids have loved their experience at Perkins! We've been at Perkins for five years now, and…read moreregularly make the 30-minute drive (one way) to school because it's such a wonderful place for our kids! Unlike many other independent schools, Perkins places a very high level of importance on building community within the school, and on the social and emotional health of each child. Perkins has a down-to-earth, kind and loving feel that runs through the faculty, staff, parent community and the kids. It's such a rare find! In addition to building a strong academic foundation for success, every Perkins student enjoys the experience of being truly known by every teacher, and most of the students know each other. This creates a truly "small town" community feel and one that is overwhelmingly positive! This school does differentiate for ability in the core subjects, and also provides enriching "specialist" subjects for a well-rounded overall education. We can't imagine our kids being anywhere else!