Eastside Community School has been such a gift to our family. The teachers are not only deeply…read moreknowledgeable and grounded, but they bring a calm, centered presence that creates a truly nurturing environment for the children. The setting itself is peaceful and never overwhelming--exactly what we hoped for in a learning space. What has surprised and delighted us the most is the sense of community. The other families have become more than just school connections--they've become chosen family. The level of support, care, and shared values among the parents is rare and beautiful. If you're looking for a school where your child can truly thrive--emotionally, socially, and intellectually--while being part of a heart-centered, thoughtful community, Eastside Community School is it. We couldn't be happier.

We love this school…read more They educate with intention. Most of my class parents say they wish they went to school like this one :) We found this school at perfect timing when my daughter was in 3rd grade. The admission process is unique & experiential. I attended the open house with my daughter who made an instant connection with her class teacher and was happily engaged without me. At this point, I had toured another school in Seattle, and seeing my daughter's comfort and confidence blossom we knew this was the right place for our family. The part I found most significant in Waldorf admission, my daughter has 3 day visit where she could experience how it is for be in new classmates and teacher. I think respecting school policy as stated on the website is a no brainer to me. In my opinion, to fully enjoy your child's milestones, it's beneficial for adults to orient themselves to Waldorf education. The teachers are amazing. They deeply listen to your challenges, and partner with you to raise a well-rounded child. If you know a student here, do check out their handwork, main lesson books. As a parent, I feel centered in this environment given the busyness of work and day. I find strength to keep going with perspective our teachers provide, events like the Winter Spiral, Crafts & Tea. It takes a village, and I found a like-minded community, and people I can lean on, fostered a thriving academic journey for my middle schooler. The highly trained teachers and wonderful staff work tirelessly to create a learning environment that emphasizes connection with nature, a robust curriculum, handwork, and the art and play block. No tech has provided a foundation for mindful screen use and fostering focus in early years for us. Check out the instagram page!! Good luck!

This school is so good! We have been with this school since 2016, and might I say, it is so good. I…read morelove how not only to they teach the kids to strive in academics, but they also encourage leadership using the 8 habits. I also love the staff, who teach and encourage the students daily. This year, my fifth grade daughter is graduating, and we are so sad to leave! Last of all, thank you to the Head of School, who made their Washington D.C trip so fun!

The school has an excellent teaching staff, and the teachers have a great relationship with the…read morechildren. My child enjoys going to school very much

As a fellow early childhood educator who has run a childcare program before, when I was looking for…read morea preschool for my son, I knew I wanted a play-based program where my child would have plenty of opportunities to explore and simply have a great time. We came across The Farmhouse School, and I was so excited. The philosophy is exactly what I hoped to find- Play-based, a focus on social emotional wellbeing, open-ended exploration, and great family support. My son had only been with me for his first three years of life, and I wasn't sure how he would take to being away from me, but he's done amazingly well so far. He is excited to go, and even asks to go on the weekend. He always has a big smile on his face while we head to school, and he tells me about how he plays with his friends at pickup. The teachers are all lovely and warm, and are very compassionate. They understand how to work with children and families to ensure the transition from home to school goes well. I can't say enough about the school. It's great, and I wish there were more schools like this in the area so more children could experience what best practices are for this age group!

The Farmhouse School is a charming and wonderful school. The teachers are very patient, kind, and…read morecontinuously ask the students great questions. Some favorite components of the school for my daughter was the rotation of exploratory areas and touch areas. For example, some weeks they have a big bin of leaves and other weeks they have interesting beads, or water play. Some weeks there are tables with writing with interesting things or ways to write your name or guess the smell in the cup. There is even a quaint writing center and student mailboxes for sharing letters. An important component is outside play everday no matter the weather. They have a wonderful outdoor play space complete with garden and live chickens. One of the most important aspects of the school is the teacher interation with the students. For ex: When students are telling a story, the teacher is writing down what they are saying or writes down titles or explanations of the artwork created by the students. The preschoolers feel respected and love that their ideas are seen as important. Last year the students were interested in collectively creating a bug hotel, they worked on this project all year. The teachers helped the students generate lists of what the hotel needed and they were continually creating collaboratively. For a few weeks the students were interested in doing a play so the teachers started writing down their script ideas and in a few days at pick up all the parents got to watch a very charming preschool production on the back porch. When you are thinking about a place to start your child's education, Farm house is a wonderful, creative, and kind place to start.

Football games are fun to watch! school has good education. although 30,000$ kinda pricey nglread more

A hidden gem! This school is both academically challenging, yet meets each student where they are…read moreat, so each student will grow within themselves. Each student is recognized for his/her accomplishments and not compared with another. They believe in the whole student approach. Kids can have successes with class work, homework, sports, clubs, drama, music. Each students supports other whether they are like them or not. Nurturing community.

Evergreen is an excellent school, my daughter has learned so much here. They provide wonderful…read moreenrichment programs and the teachers are very talented. My daughter was on a 504 plan and it was very well executed and handled.

Evergreen Academy Montessori has been such a gift for our family. From the start, we felt welcomed…read moreinto a warm, thoughtful environment where children are encouraged to be confident, independent, and kind. My son's teacher, Leslie West, has been truly extraordinary. She listens to the kids with real interest, respects them as individuals, and creates a classroom culture that is both joyful and caring. With her guidance, my son has grown in so many ways; he takes pride in caring for himself, loves to help others, and feels capable of learning and doing things on his own. The school clearly values educators who nurture the whole child, and that shines through in everything they do. We're so grateful for Evergreen Academy and can't recommend it highly enough.

We've been at Brighton for five years after coming from public school, and our experience has been…read morewonderful. With 3 kids who have spanned the range if preschool, elementary, and middle school, I can say the middle school especially has exceeded expectations. Initially, I was nervous because of its smaller size, but it's been fabulous, the teachers embrace the middle school years while preparing students for real-world situations. We've had the honor of having both Ms. Shippers and Ms. Savage twice. Ms. Shippers has years of experience yet brings fresh enthusiasm every day, and Ms. Savage's connection with the kids is remarkable. Brighton truly offers a nurturing, dynamic environment we're so grateful for!

Brighton School is wonderful and we love it!!!!!…read more I've had my kids at Brighton for at least eleven years? I've lose count. My son attended Brighton from first through eighth grade and my daughter started in preschool and is now in sixth grade. My kids are completely different and they have both absolutely thrived at Brighton. Brighton does an awesome job of providing an excellent well-rounded education for many different types of learners and kids. Brighton offers an excellent academic program, but also offers an amazing drama program with Mr. DC, some great sports programs, after school extracurriculars, yearly overnight field trips that get longer with each grade level and culminate in a 10 day East Coast trip for the 8th graders, etc. The greatest asset to Brighton is its staff. Brighton attracts some truly talented, caring and highly invested staff and teachers. There are teachers at Brighton who have truly changed the course of my childrens' lives. Ms. (formerly Gabriel) Savage is my daughter's idol. Ms. Savage is the perfect role model for my child, as she is strong, confident, smart, kind and encouraging. My daughter is a gymnast and she has talked to my daughter about mental blocks. She is a great teacher but she clearly cares about her students in a way that goes beyond what her job requires. Her assistant Ms. Carrie is also so caring, patient and kind. Ms. Durbin is another teacher that made a real difference in my daughter's life. Ms. Durbin was like a second mother to my daughter, or my daughter's stand-in mother at school. My daughter has always had a ton of anxiety about overnight field trips, but knowing that Ms. Durbin would be on the field trip always made her feel better. Ms. Durbin knew when to be serious and get the class under control but could also be so silly and have fun with the class. Mr. DiLorenzo is another incredible asset to the Brighton community. Mr. D. was my child's third grade teacher, and he was an incredibly gifted educator then, and now he is the head of the middle school. Mr. D. can be so fun and silly with the kids, but he also knows when to be serious and address serious issues. My son had an awesome middle school experience at Brighton and during his years there built up a community of friends who carried over into the same high school. Ms. Livingston has been serving the Brighton middle school for years in various capacities and she is AMAZING!!!! She is currently teaching math and she is an awesome math teacher, but she also handles a lot of the administrative stuff for the middle school. She's very friendly, great with the kids, great with the parents, and easy to get along with. Ms. Bodnar, according to my 17 year old son, is "the GOAT" (greatest of all time). Ms. Bodnar teachers study skills and math (I think) but she connects with the kids in a way that few others do. My son emphatically thinks that she is the best teacher at Brighton. Ms. Thaler is also a great language arts teacher. She definitely knows what she is doing and I appreciate that she actually challenges the kids. This is Ms. Parks Lobbs' first year as Head of School, but she has been involved with other parts of the school for years and she appears to be 100% in charge of what is happening and in control of things. As a very long-time parent of Brighton who has observed three separate Heads of School, I think Ms. Parks Lobb is doing a great job. There are a lot of other amazing staff members at Brighton who I am going to forget to mention. We love Coach Matt, who is the kindest, funniest guy to have around. He always greets my daughter in the morning with the biggest smile and it makes me feel so good about dropping her off. He also love Coach Brandon, who has been there for years and is super well loved by all the kids. He made the summer camp a blast for my daughter. We really loved Ms. Becca, who is a former aide who is no longer there. We wish the school brought her back. My son had Ms. Schippers for both hers and his first year at Brighton (first grade) and she made him feel super welcome and safe. I don't remember the full names of my daughter's pre-K teacher and aide (the aide was Sarah) but they were both so amazing! Oh yeah, the parents, kids and community at Brighton are also awesome. Both my kids have made amazing friends and we have done all the playdates, the sleepovers, the skate nights (thanks, PTO!), all of it. My son has friends he literally made in FIRST GRADE and now are JUNIORS in high school and they are part of the same friend group and in some of the same advanced classes. My daughter and her best friends met years ago, some as far back as preschool. I've known those parents just as long. The parents are great and the PTO is currently thriving. I've never been involved in the PTO, but I am very, very grateful for the amazing parents who run it and all that they do. Best money we ever spent!

My daughter was treated kindly and as though she was highly valued as an incoming 6th grader during…read moreour school tours. We felt that our daughter would have been given small classes, individual attention, and a unique all girls perspective at Forest Ridge. The administration and teachers were teaching innovative things that my husband recently had emphasized in the corporate world. Each time my daughter had an experience with one of the FR students, she felt very happy and excited to attend this school. We ultimately are not able to send her to the school because of potentially moving closer to family due to health reasons but feel this would have been the perfect school had it not been for these circumstances.

Forest Ridge is a school where people look at the ground as they pass by someone in the hall…read more Students are throwing up, CRYING or having panic attacks in the bathroom. Teachers don't last more than a few years, max. Administration doesn't care if a students are so stressed that they end up causing HARM to themselves. The thing to be happy about? Graduation. The academics are AMAZING, I can't deny that. And most teachers are pretty incredible, some of the best in the country. But mental health care is non existent, and without healthy students things such as academics and teachers cannot be enjoyed or be helpful to students in the way they should. Being a recent student at Forest Ridge in Bellevue WA, I cannot emphasize enough how much I REGRET my decision going here for High School. When I entered as a freshman, I was a happy, cheerful, friendly, hardworking girl. When I left as a senior I was still a hardworking girl but I was also sad, depressed, reserved, anxious, distrustful and tired. For many people, everywhere, the high school experience is less than ideal. However, my experience as well as my classmates experiences were horrendous. The amount of emotional damage we sustained was simply unacceptable, and even now the school denies there is a problem. So many students were so miserable and mentally challenged that I would have to worry about my peers' physical safety and lives. This is NOT a normal thing. Forest Ridge administration consistently responded/responds to mental health concerns with dismissal. The safety and lives of students are NEVER a priority. What is a priority? GRADES, GRADES, GRADES and academic achievement, success and competition. Forest Ridge makes success out as being smarter than everyone else and getting the best grades, with no regard for emotional well-being or mental health. There are a few ways you can have an okay to good experience at Forest Ridge: A) Be a favorite. There are a few special students favored and adored by the school who are used as the public face of the school wether it be for admissions pro-forest ridge speeches (which are, by the way, completely ingenuine) or college acceptance advertising. (FUN FACT: you probably have a much better chance of getting into a prestigious college at a public school anyway). Pretend to love the school and never object to anything, be the top of your class, don't tell anyone how you feel or use your voice, and you might have a shot at this special status. You'll get rewarded with good grades and a full-time teacher's pet status. B) You have the pushy parents. If your parents yell enough at teachers, or perhaps threaten administration that they will pull you out and therefore your $$ might not be going to FR next year, watch your C's magically turn to A's. Or you can go the route of hiring an outside specialist and paying them to have Forest Ridge make your workload and academics easier without the situation on record. Another interesting note-- the campus "counselor" doubles as a college counselor and does not divide or separate the two programs properly. She is not qualified to be helping teens with psychological issues, and she does not appear to care about helping them either. The administration is no better, and is likely the root of the problem. In general, the teachers care about the well being of students but are so scared of loosing their jobs or being PUNISHED that they will not speak out about the situation. Honestly, I feel bad for the teachers. The majority of the teachers are GOOD people who could run the school a whole lot better than the recent administration ever did. I think it is also important to note that Forest Ridge was not always like this. My middle school experience was FABULOUS. But, today, the environment and atmosphere is truly toxic. Until there is a significant amount of change at Forest Ridge, I would highly advise parents and potential students to think hard before choosing to attend Forest Ridge. A place for youth that doesn't care if students are SAFE or HAPPY is not a place anyone should have to endure spending 40 hours a week at. Someday, the school will HAVE to make a change, or the place will simply FALL APART. At the rate teachers, administration and students are leaving, it won't be long. And the way mental health is handled, there will be a lawsuit any day. I hope parents take this warning seriously and continue to search for the TRUTH. Current students, life DOES get better after, and the rest of the world does NOT operate like Forest Ridge--don't worry. What you are told is normal...is not normal outside of that campus and community. And teachers- thank you for sticking with us. We know its not easy at FR for you either and we appreciate your willingness to stay and try to make things better. However, we don't blame you at all if you leave. We get it.

This unique school has all ages of children in the schoolhouse. My son likes mingling with the…read moreolder kids and the teachers are all very patient. The kids learn independence and how to pickup after themselves. The only downside is parking can get tight at drop off time.

From the owner: Montessori Excellence Since 1995. The Village Schoolhouse…read morecombines both Montessori and Reggio Emilia in one classroom! We follow the child’s innate curiosity to spark a lifelong love of learning. At VSH your child will be taught by Master Teachers who have a passion for what they do. Our gorgeous, home-like setting is the perfect backdrop for a wonderfully warm classroom filled with the Montessori and Reggio materials to capture your child’s interest and make learning both purposeful and fun. Our children thrive! Our large natural outdoor space has plenty of room to run and follow the imagination! We are downtown Issaquah’s most established preschool and kindergarten!