I was just telling some friends how great our school is. Then I saw a bummer of a review on here,…read morebased on a short transition period, so I'm writing this. The short story is - it's a very good school run by professionals. A wonderful environment for kids who are neurodivergent or similar and have struggled in a larger school setting. It is supportive and non-judgmental, and we've found it to be a great balance of a place to learn and grow and a place to be supported and accepted. We were worried that it wouldn't be academically rigorous but found that it exceeded our expectations when our child was ready to learn. They meet all children where they are at every step of the way. Also, they do so many fun educational field trips. Here's the long version if you're interested: Our family started at Academy in 2024. That year, the old school director retired. Yes, there were staff changes. Yes, there was an interim director. Yes, it was a time of change and changes is hard especially when you are emotionally invested. Some families were so attached to the old director they didn't come back. Two years later and we're still very happily there. We found gold. Is it fancy? No. Is it exactly like a larger school? No. In areas where a child needs more support, they have it. The policy of "walk to math/language arts/science" allows them to learn subjects at a level and in a group setting difficult to access in larger private or public schools in a supportive way, whether accelerated or at a slower pace. Curriculum is solid and classroom size is excellent. As to the information concern - no. Many kids are district placements. The oversight and regulation involved in that is significant. No public school would partner with them if they broke any laws about information handling and they have placements from many districts. In May of 2024 they had just interviewed candidates for a new permanent director. I hope people will consider that Spring 2024 was just one rare season in the school's administration and while the other review was from someone that felt upset by how that transition was going, the new school director who was hired at the end of that year is awesome. I think she will be there for years to come. I never post reviews, but I hate that that review might be pushing families away from a truly excellent option for kids. To whoever you were it sounds like you felt like your school family was being ripped apart and you were afraid the whole place would be ruined, which must have been awful. Maybe you lost your job, maybe you pulled your child from the school. Regardless, please know that it is still "the little school with a big heart" and from my perspective as a very aware parent, it's in responsible hands.

Academy Schools was a buoy for our family after several years of struggling to stay afloat. The…read morestaff are compassionate, patient, and deeply dedicated to providing an individualized education in an environment that allows many students to feel accepted and safe in school for the first time ever. I'll forever be grateful for the tools and community they provided for both my kid and myself.

This school suffered bad publicity due to public judgement without the complete details of the…read moresituation. There are many current staff members here who are openly gay and they are not fired nor condemned because they maintain respectful of their environment. This is a really good school and my kid thrives here. This is a welcoming environment and teaches love, service to the community and respect. In any other workplace, if you "sh-- where you eat," you will probably get fired no matter your sexual orientation. Keep it in your pants until you get out of school grounds and no one will care!

Best fit for my child, for curriculum and community. He's excited to head back for the new year. He…read moreappreciates that the teachers treat them with respect.

My daughter attended Evergreen Christian Montessori for 3 years. The teachers are committed to…read morefostering independent learners and the development of children who care about each other. The facilities are focused on the Montessori method of learning. The classrooms are well maintained. The children are involved in gardening. And, the playgrounds give them lots of freedom to play and explore. I am so thankful for evergreen montessori and for the faculty. My daughter will be prepared for kindergarten and has made special memories with her class.

My daughter has been attending ECM for 2 years now and she has progressed so much compared to when…read moreshe fist started. ECM uses traditional Montessori methods where everything is hands-on and the students are given the freedom to choose which work that interest them with the teachers' guidance. They note down what the students work on each day and keep track on their progress throughout the year. My daughter is now reading at between 2nd and 3rd grade level while doing double digit additions/subtractions, and have started learning multiplication at 5 years old. Her maturity level has also blossomed since they have multiple ages in a classroom, I have observed her helping the younger students. I highly recommend Evergreen Christian Montessori if you are looking for a high quality montessori preschool for your child!

My daughter attended Kindergarten and loved it. The staff was excellent and just to contradict the…read morenegative review, we were forgiven half of our tuition for the year when our financial situation changed and we were no longer to afford tuition. They cared enough about my daughter that they allowed here to finish out the year without cost and provided an excellent kindergarten experience and education. I thank God for the wonderful people there.

The community at FPCS - teachers, staff, students, parents - show support, encouragement, and love…read moreto all who attend. FPCS is truly more than a school - you feel part of a family. The education provided challenges the students and encourages them to be better people. If you are wondering if this school is for you, just visit, and you will see!

Incredible school grounds! We fell in love walking around during our first visit. They have farm…read moreanimals that live there! The children get to interact with the animals and learn about them during animal care. The outdoor education program is our favorite too (one of the main reasons we wanted our child to attend). My son absolutely adores all his teachers from his classroom (shout out to Mr. Jerry and Ms. Amanda!) including "the farmer" Ms.Chellas and outdoor ed teacher Mr. Alex. They are so kind and knowledgeable. Everyone is Montessori certified and the staff is all amazing. They truly care for the overall wellbeing of your children! We've attended the early childhood program and summer camp. Highly recommend both!

My child transitioned from a local public into the lower elementary classroom. He couldn't be…read morehappier. They take academic rigor very seriously, while also allowing the students time and space to process and learn. He loves it! Lots of outside time in nature. The school does an excellent job fostering the natural creativity, curiosity, and enthusiasm in children as part of each child's learning journey.

Fantastic school. My daughter attended from 6th to 10th…read more Great teachers led by a fantastic principal. As a single mom looking for the most caring and dedicated student centered environment I cannot praise them enough. 10 stars.

Beautiful auditorium. Our family is in Washington for my…read moresister's girlfriend's graduation, and I honestly expected to be under the sun (or rain, for that matter--because DUH, Seattle lol), but the graduation is being held at a beautiful fully air-conditioned auditorium with pretty comfortable seats. A lot more convenient and comfortable than I though, to be honest. Always awesome to be perfectly comfy

When my wife and I moved out of our last neighborhood, we were just starting the process of…read morebecoming foster to adopt parents of older kids. School quality was not our first thought when we chose our home, we just wanted a safer neighborhood. We loved Bible Park, I had lived in the area previously, we knew it was a perfect fit for us. It was the perfect place for us until we were placed with a 3rd and 6th grader in September of 2013. And it wasn't the place that was the problem, it was the schools. tWe immediately toured our local elementary school and middle school. When we toured the elementary school, there was a real fear that our son would be quickly grouped with other kids in the area who have lacked regular schooling, maybe had no parental involvement at home, and who were among the 25% of kids that changed schools every year. And if our youngest was assumed to be part of this group of kids, would the teachers invest the time and energy into him that we knew he would need? We then found an opening at a different magnet school in the area. We were excited about the possibility of our 3rd grader and 6th grader going to the same school while they endured such dramatic changes in their lives. And this school was amazing for our third grader. They specialized in English as a second language students who had large gaps in their education. And our third grader was taken under the wing of some good hearted teacher and he made some huge advances. But our 6th grader floundered. See our oldest is highly intelligent. But he had 11 years of using his intelligence just having to do just enough to exceed the average of his peers. And his peers were mostly struggling with poverty. His peers had not had expectations to succeed in school. And when he started at this school it became quickly evident that his peers had not changed much from his previous 6 years of education. What you may not understand about the dynamic of being a foster to adopt parent is that our kids absolutely do not trust that our expectations and rules for them are ever associated with our love, care, or best wishes for them. They are just another thing that is different and wrong about the life they are now forced to live. So if their friends don't have rules, if their friends don't have to get high grades, if their friends don't have to do their homework, it reinforces their already held belief that their new parents are unfair, and don't get what they are going through. And our version of love is a language that they have no interest in learning. When we tried to be proactive regarding the education of our 6th grader, requesting regular status updates, we were assured that it would happen. But routinely we were surprised with disappointing grades, and the progress in our oldest's education seemed stalled throughout 7th grade as well. We could not trust him to be supervised if he hung out with friends. When requesting effort from our oldest, we were legitimately confronted with the fact that most of his peers were not expected to put effort into their education at school or at home. Our youngest had made good progress in this school in 3rd and 4th grade but we were scared he would face the same middle school future at this school. We knew it would be hard for a seventh grader to switch schools but we were determined to salvage his last year before high school. We did not expect that we would get into Highline. It was a long shot, and we were thrilled when we got in. The differences in this school were much more than we even expected. It starts with the front desk. Every other school we had encountered, the front dest was like the DMV. But the front desk at Highline was eager to facilitate any needs. The 5th grade team with Ms. Chandlier has taken our 5th grader under their wing as I see them doing with a number of kids. His academic progress is astounding. He was doing sight words and muddling his way through the occasional Dr. Seus book midway through 3rd grade, not registering on any reading ability scales. This year Ms. Chandlier and him set the high goal of reading Harry Potter books by the end of the year. This is a goal that has already been reached. And for all of our youngest's success I am just as grateful for what Highline has given our 8th grader. After 8 years of just getting by, after 8 years of just staying off the radar, our oldest has made tremendous progress in doing more than just using his high intelligence to be lazy. He has become an active partner in his education. He has made choices to try to be a successful student thanks to the partnership we have with his teachers. And his chances of high school success are much more than I could have hoped for when he entered Highline Academy. I am so jealous of all of these kids who have had this amazing experience for 9 years. All of this success does not just happen. It is a result of a team and community that that are all working towards the same goal.