at my previous school, I was bullied, depressed and hated learning. none of the teachers were nice…read morebut, hillside is the complete opposite all the teachers are nice, obviously care about their students and what they teach. all the students like each other. I'm still recovering from my past experiences, but hillside is doing a darn good job at helping me heal and helping nourish my gifts.

Flashback to 1989: I had just learned my parents had enrolled me at Hillside and I was furious. How…read moredare they enroll me in private schooling instead of buying me a car?! Needless to say, looking back, I'm glad of their decision. I hadn't been the most social kid in middle school and Hillside provided the perfect mix of supportive community, yet challenging academic environment, to enable me to succeed. If you're not familiar with Hillside, take a tour. They have one of the best college-prep, personality-development and real-world training programs in the area.

My Kindergartener comments out-of-blue several times a week that he loves his school and said this…read moremorning he wishes he could rate it, so here we are :) I'm extremely happy with the school: It seems all the lower school specialists manage to work physical activity into their lessons, children are treated with respect and have SEL built into daily activities. The teachers and staff are highly conscientious, constantly revising their curriculum and methods based on outcomes, the latest in educational research, and community feedback. Just driving onto campus each morning feels good, because everything is done so well. The active and supportive parent community is wonderful. Lots of helpful parent Ed talks and resources (and plenty of nerdy, type A parents as you might imagine, that tend to knock whatever task they've volunteered for out of the park). Of course, each year is going to be different depending on the mix of parents, students, and faculty but the institutional structure of constant improvement and community involvement is one of the best I've seen. I also really appreciate the fact that my son is now middle-of-the-pack in terms of intellect and assertiveness, finding friends with similar interests and abilities. And I've been able to relax around the other parents who share similar experiences of parenting exceptional kids. Hope this is helpful; I know picking a school is a big decision and the cost is significant. All I can say it that we really love Open Window.

Open Window School Is a mediocre school,…read more As a current student it excels in programs for gifted students and for kids in need of special help. However, it lacks in some areas, it does not provide enough support to kids with mental health struggles and passes over kids they do not consider diverse. other than that, the teachers are the best teachers I have ever come to know and they always make sure that you will excel. overall open window is a mediocre school that is great if you are diverse and gifted.

I have visited this high school twice so far to support my friends' daughter school events. So far,…read moreI have been impressed with the results. I don't have personal experience to be a student here, so I can only comment on what I have seen and what my friends (parents of students there) tell me. All my friends, as parents, and their children, as students, are quite happy with this school. Other than being well known for their academics, I am also very impressed with their extracurriculars. They offer a wide variety of sports, theaters, and clubs of every type. They even have a chicken coop. My friends' daughters participate in swimming, wrestling, choir, theater, and more. In particular, my friend told me despite their reputation for academics, they don't push the college path for their students. The students are encouraged to choose - college or not. For this visit, we went to watch their drama group's "Urinetown" production. It is an impressively edgy story for a high school production. Apparently, the drama teacher wanted something very opposite of their previous production, which was the family friendly "Seussical". The students choose drama class as an elective. They can choose to be performers or be in the tech team. Some of these kids can sing very well! The sets are very good, too. Their theater is quite nice, too. Bathrooms are just outside the theater. Parking is plentiful during non-school hours. If you are interested in supporting a local high school, there are two more shows available. Tickets can be purchased online here. https://bsd405.hometownticketing.com/embed/all?schools=14

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 school has been a great fit for my kids. The alternative "project based" approach is…read moremeaningful for them. I have a high schooler who just started their internship program this year, which has been a good experience. Kids learn how to look for jobs and all of the craziness involved in that - interviews, cover letters, rejection and overcoming that. . . The current buildings are old and worn down, but that's not the school's fault, it's what the district gave them. They are actively in the process of remodeling a new building they will be moving to in 2026. They do keep up with basic repairs at the current facility - cleaning and repainting and such.

this school is so buns i swear the teachers are ass AND THERES NO HALLWAYS like pls bathroom locks…read moreDONT LOCK like it sucks school lunch is so bad and cost so much money lie bro ts pmo the 6th grader boys think there all that and there not also i like learned nothing from this year im definitely transferring also this school is so dirty like i could lick a gas station floor and it would still be cleaner than this school

IEP/BIP implementation with fidelity. Administrators dropped the ball quicker than the opposing…read moreteam of the Harlem globe trotters. Instead of teachers being flexible to meet child where they are at children are told to meet teachers teaching style. My child found 2 out of 6 instructors inpatient and hard to learn from. Whe administration was approached by both myself and child I was told they would "talk" to teacher. My child eventually after advocating repeatedly had a verbal escallation yelling and cussing. They did not follow BIP during this (I was listening via phone) and asked me to keep her home till contact wi district was made 5 days later they told district they could not support her. They screwed up and threw her away! If your child fits the narrow profile they are looking for it's a wonderful school if not they do not have flexibility. Search elsewhere

My husband and I came to at official tour. They wouldn't tell us anything about the cost of…read moretuition, nor could anyone tell us if any of the teachers had specific training or experience working with our son's learning differences. Instead, they wanted us to schedule an intake meeting with our entire family to plan out our son's schedule. (Without any idea if the cost was something we could afford, or if they had anyone who could teach him.) I asked that someone call me to answer those two basic questions before we scheduled an intake meeting, and then followed up myself with multiple calls. No one ever called me back. I have since heard from other families that tuition for Yellow Wood is in the neighborhood of $50k per year for a full-time program, and that unlike other 1-1 programs, students must attend a set number of in-school hours before getting credit for a class, even if they have already completed that subject's entire curriculum. As one of the main advantages of 1-1 schooling is the ability to learn at your own pace, this requirement, if true, would be highly counter productive for students (though it would bring in more cash to Yellow Wood). I still don't know if there are teachers there who know how to work with students like my son. Zero stars for communication and transparency. (Why isn't tuition listed on the website?!) Two stars overall because we had no experience with the actual teaching and cannot fairly rate it.

Omg i really cant with this school i cant wait to leave, the kids in this school suck, the teachers…read morecan't or don't know how to properly teach, and i cant even understand how the teachers think that to learn we have to write a 4-5 page essay and the tests every friday? i cant even anymore this school also gives kids lunch detention for no reason, and will send a bad note home because of other kids acting up, even is you don't know them. This school sucks.

My son attended private school all his life and is currently all honors here, so take the review as…read moreyou wish. Just in our experience so far, this school is top notch in all areas: math, science, language arts, orchestra. We could not be happier with the number of opportunities (clubs) within the school as well as in the Renton School District. If I could go back in time, I would have put him through the public school system, specifically Renton. It is a challenging but supportive school. Thank you, Risdon staff!

Honestly one of the best high school experiences available. Staff are approachable, caring,…read morerespectful, and invested in their students. The new buildings foster a unique educational environment, and integrate well with BSD's 1-to-1 Laptop initiative. The number of unique tech and career prep experiences--along with AP and other rigorous courses--help prepare students for life after high school. With a robust extracurricular experience, students can get involved with the school and community in any number of ways. Most impressive, however, is the sense of belonging and safety I felt at SHS while attending--which many graduates can also attest to. I know writing reviews of schools is a little weird, but I figured SHS has definitely earned its 5 stars.

This is possibly the worst lunch I have ever had. The fries were the wrong color, the apple was…read morerotten and the milk CARTON!!!!!!!! wouldn't open. All in all this is most likely the worst lunch I have ever had and I am not sure if I have some random disease or not.

We have had our 2 daughters enrolled since 6th grade and they are starting their 3rd year at…read moreSummit. The amount of love that is poured into the students on a daily basis by the teachers and administrators is amazing. Anytime I interact with any of the students, I am amazed at the level of maturity and intellect displayed. Students pray for each other and lift each other up. Academics are top notch and this school is about discipleship and setting the students up for success. Public school can't come close to this experience.

I have two sons enrolled at Summit and my daughter will join kindergarten in the Fall 2015. I chose…read moreSummit because Jesus is perched and present. The curriculum is outstanding and they are learning. They enjoy school and I consider Summit an excellent school.