I highly recommend the Russian School of Mathematics. It has made a huge difference for my daughter. She was struggling with math at school at first, but now she's the top student in her class and is performing well above grade level. She even says that math is easy and fun now! The online classes are also very convenient, making it easy to fit them into our schedule. read more

My son has been enrolled in RSM Bellevue since 2018 (7 years). He was getting bored with math in Seattle Public Schools, and found that the math taught at RSM was much more intellectually stimulating-- the classes moved faster, the teachers went deeper into the subjects, and there was an emphasis on problem-solving. I felt that the teachers and principles saw my son as a person and sincerely tried to advise the best for him when it came to class sequencing. They were responsive to my questions and always got back to me. One year, when we were trying to decide which classes to take, one of the teachers even created a powerpoint specific to my son and scheduled a zoom conference so that the three of us could go over it together. I am grateful to RSM for making math fun for my son, when the public schools were not. Also, as a side note, there are some very excellent Chinese restaurants and a Mercury's coffee to eat at while waiting for your child during their math class! read more

We decided not to enroll in RSM at this time due to time commitment. However I was very impressed by Ms. Vera during and after the evaluation. She has got a very nice demeanor, very patient and understanding, and seems to genuinely want to help my child to succeed. I would definitely consider RSM in the future should circumstances allow. read more

Horrible. The teachers are horrible at teaching and cannot write down defenitions for the life of them. For someone who is thinking of sending their kid there, please don't. Its less of a class and more of a grinding session where nothing is properly expained and they expect you to get it on the first try, and if you dont the teacher will pick on you and poke fun of you and try to humiliate you in front of the rest of the class. On top of that, do to the fact that teachers lack of teaching skills, homework is brutal and normally takes around 2-3 hours. Also, they have a strict no food policy but if you take 2 classes a day it adds up to around 5-6 hours? Thats horrible for your childs development and if they catch you they will make you throw it away. Yea. not PUT it away, THROW it away. The way they teach there makes 0 sense and beause of it I went from loving math and having it as my favorite subject, to dreading it. read more

Honestly, we've had mixed experiences here. They present math in interesting and complicated ways that introduce kids to mathematical concepts at a much earlier age, and in a more fun way, than the kids receive in a typical school curriculum. Some of it has been a great supplement. But I do think they are math teachers first, and being kid people is further down on the list. In terms of social-emotional support for kids and families, I definitely have felt the lack, and I have friends who have had better experiences at places like Mathnasium or Abacus West. read more

horrible Never send your kid here. The teachers are mean and yell at you if you get an answer wrong. I went from absolutely LOVING math to being bored in my math class at school, resenting math, and started not giving a crap on my homework. It may be a good idea in theory but they way iy is pulled off is horrible. I truly hope they shut down. read more

I applied through their site, to evaluate my son. A week after, when I didn't hear back, I wrote an email. I have never received a reply, but started receiving their SPAM emails. Seriously?! Told a friend of mine about it, she said that few years ago, she contacted them, heard back three months later, saying they have no spots available. I guess they might be good in math, but really bad in customer communication. read more

We were very disappointed with our experience this summer at the school. We were a little concerned about doing a math course, especially when reading an article in the Boston Globe that questions whether after school math centers (this chain was given as an example) truly help. Our daughter sometimes would get bored in the subject at school thought it would be good for her to take a class to enjoy the subject more. We met the principal who seemed decent and was teaching the class during the summer. She tested our daughter for the same level that she took during the school year despite our daughter testing a grade level above that level and doing well in math. Our daughter's school teacher had given guidance on areas to work on and I reached out to make sure that would be covered in what we had signed up for and the principal assured us it would be (I later realized this would only be covered in the next level's class). The class began and my daughter didn't find the work challenging and was really bored. There were other classmates from her same school that were a year behind her so they seemed to be enjoying the material with it being new to them. A week in my daughter was begging me to skip so I reached out to the teacher asking if we could adjust her level. With all other classes full, the only alternative suggested was one mid-day which with most parents is difficult to juggle [although the principal said it isn't her fault my schedule wouldn't work to accommodate the fix]. Given I had already paid the $500 fee upfront, my daughter continued to go but she mentioned that there were two of them that would always volunteer to respond and the teacher often would ignore them and instead ask if there were any other students that knew the answer beyond my daughter and the other child. Eventually, even though there were eight classes left in the session we opted to stop taking her. My sense was that since we were honest up front that we didn't intend on enrolling our daughter during the school year vs. other parents is that we were treated differently vs her other classmates who were fully committed for the year ahead. I would not recommend trying this school if you're only committed for the summer and your child is doing decent in the subject. This school took my child who was partly enjoying math and doing decently to being thoroughly bored of it. read more

2 years into the pandemic, switches between online and in-person learning are wearing down my family. No choice for parents. :-(

RSM is widely recognized in Mass. and NorCal so as parents we were already aware of their success and how RSM is different from most math enrichment programs. Neither parents are uber math-nerds so we didn't feel math circles were a good fit for us. We wanted something fun but also substantial and structured at the same time. This fit the bill. This is our third year of weekly math classes at RSM Bellevue for two of my girls, both in public elementary school. They were just average students before, but every year since starting RSM they have grown in their math achievement and (more importantly) in enthusiasm. Anyhow, what I appreciate about RSM are the following: 1. Their unwavering focus on advocating for and mentoring each of their students. 2. RSM leadership is saavy in how their curriculum works together with what most students are learning at school/home. That is, they focus on *problem solving* first, math concepts second. So whether you want your son / daughter to be a little more confident at school, apply to Hopkins CTY or to prep for math camps in middle school, RSM can help your child. 3. The school tries to keep your child with the same group of students (if you want). 4. Very low staff turnover. 5. No judgements even if you are a math-tard parent (guilty!) and other parents are math geniuses. (We might be the only family not associated with Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Valve, or another tech company.) Anyhow, at this rate we hope to put our three kids at RSM through their entire math sequence. Two thumbs up. read more

RSM Bellevue was absolutely amazing for the 7 years that our son took classes there, starting in 2nd grade. Once he reached ninth grade, our son was in AP Calculus, which was the end of their curriculum. The teachers, and administrative staff (starting with Darena, who administered my son's placement interview), cherish every child that walks through their door, to a degree which few schools match. Their curriculum and teaching approach is what I wish all math classes were. I have a bachelor's degree, and a graduate minor in math, so I've been doing this awhile. They focus lots of attention on the concepts and deeper understanding, rather than just focusing on computation. But even more important than that, is their deep approach towards helping their students: Our son was very advanced from a very young age, and its been impossible to find a regular school (even ones for gifted students), which could consistently meet him where he stood. What I mean by this, is that from the moment he walked in RSM's door, the conversation was always about "how can we make a challenging situation for him that works?". He was with students that were 2-3 years older than him, and in 2nd grade, that's a huge behavior and class expectation gap. Nevertheless, they realized that from an intellectual and knowledge perspective, this was the right placement, and they made it work. While other schools were, at times, able to meet him where he stood, it was sporadic, and done as a "one off", rather than a thought out long term plan. As a result, our son has learned most of the math he knows at RSM, and he would never have been taking Calculus in 9th grade, if not for RSM. For advanced students like him, there are also opportunities to participate in competition oriented math, which has been a lot of fun for him. All the teachers at RSM love math, and love teaching it. This bubbles over into their students, who gain a real appreciation for mathematical thinking, and not just how to solve the same problem over and over with different constants! RSM is a lovely place for our children to learn math, and has had a huge positive influence on our son's life. Thank you to all the caring teachers and administrators at RSM :) read more

I have two children who have been attending RSM for several years now. We have looked for other local and online math programs but none have been as impressive as RSM. They offer a rigorous, well-planned curriculum that emphasizes problem solving rather than repetitive practice exercises. Class sizes are small and the teachers are well experienced, dedicated and invested in their learning. The principal, Darena, has worked with us to accommodate our busy schedules and has always been very responsive to our needs. Both children feel proficient and confident in their math skills at school and are doing very well. Our experience with RSM has been excellent. read more

My now 10 y.o. daughter started at RSM Bellevue during Summer 2015. It was an amazing experience. She gained so much courage, comfort with math and ability to feel confidence in herself. We absolutely love this program and my son (who is now 7) started last year as well. Both of my children love their teachers, enjoy the homework, and look forward to going to RSM every week. We have since recommended 5 other families (!) and they have all signed up for Fall 2016. We wholehartedly recommend this school, and in particular we love teachers Darena and Sorina. read more

We want to thank the administrative and teaching team at RSM Bellevue for providing an excellent math education to our son for more than 4 years. Because the program in the RSM branch in Boston was highly praised by friends, we enrolled in the newly opened branch in Bellevue immediatelly after its opening. We were looking for rigourous, well-crafted math program in Algebra and Geometry that was also flexible to accommodate different learning abilities. Our family is very happy with the progress our son is showing in his regular shool thanks to RSM program. We believe that our investment in terms of money and time is well worth it. One of the reasons our son continues his study there, year after year, is that he really liked the teaching approach of the principal of the school Darena Gateva. She is an extremely responsible teacher and school administrator and her energy and friendliness facilitates easy and constructructive communication with parents and students. Thank you Darena! read more

We have been very disappointed with the school and it's programming and staff. We have been attending for a few years now, and the quality has clearly deteriorated. I felt that it was quite good in the beginning, but now it is shameful. The lead/head woman is quite rude. Admittedly, she has a lot on her plate with the number of students, but I don't think that is any excuse to be rude. She seems to be very concerned about payment and feigns a desire to help your child, but it's not about helping your child, it's a business. If she is so miserable and can't handle things then they need to find someone else to take over. The actual teachers my daughter has had have been fine, but again, I never felt that they were truly invested in helping my child. Also, some of the children that attend this school are so misbehaved and disrespectful. I hope that they can somehow have better control over how overwhelmed and disorganized they are and help the school to become better. If they do not improve things soon, they will lose the majority of their students. We will be looking elsewhere for the fall. Someone suggested Mathnasium, so we will be looking into that. read more

Two of my children have attended the RSM for the last couple of years. The school and the teachers have been extremely valuable for my children's education and math skills. The teachers are very nice and very experienced and lead the kids through a deep learning with hard work in class and for homework. As a result my children are top of their class in public school. I would strongly recommend RSM to anyone who wants solid math education for their children. read more

Both of my sons have been going to Bellevue RSM since its inception and Darena, or Mrs. D as we have come to known her, has been patient and helpful from day one. First and foremost, she was a great teacher. My kids love being in her class and learned a great deal from her. As the Principal of the Bellevue school, she was tireless in making sure the kids get placed at the right level in the right class, and answering questions even though it meant she had to answer emails late at night. The school thrived under her leadership. Thanks to her and RSM, the kids in Seattle/Bellevue area have a place to go to build a good foundation for learning higher math. RSM may not be for everyone. As a parent, you need to know your child's learning style and preference. But for us, this is the right place and we are thankful that RSM has a branch in Seattle/Bellevue! read more

My children have attended The Russian School of Mathematics for the past four years. We have found it to be an extremely beneficial program both for the summer session and the year long program. The proof is in how quickly enrollment fills up when a new session starts! The teachers are very dedicated and hard working. Class size is strictly enforced even if it means turning people away. In this way, they maintain a healthy teacher-student ratio. Darena, the principle, also known as Mrs D, is motivated and deeply interested in the well being of each student. She goes out of her way to ensure that the students fit well within their grade level and is always striving to improve the program. My children improved greatly in their Math levels because of the instruction they receive from different teachers at RSM. There is homework but my children have come to understand that they need plenty of practice with Math for the concepts to be crystal clear. The summer program gives students a head start in Math in the Fall ~ which in turn positively impacts their confidence level. In short, RSM rocks! We moved from WA state just a few weeks ago, and are bemoaning the fact that there isn't an RSM center close by! Well done, Darena and team! We sure miss you! read more