Moving - Issaquah or Woodinville? (Seattle, Sammamish: apartment complex, to rent, credit)

[momwithamission]

Hi...

We are probably moving to the area this August. I have 2 children, one entering Kinder and one entering 4th grade. We've been looking at Woodinville and Issaquah as options. We like Woodinville because of the large lots with lots of trees and it's a little less expensive than Issaquah. But Issaquah might provide a better education? I'm not sure. I want a positive, caring and challenging environment for my children. My daughter is in the gifted program here, so that makes it more challenging for me, because I want to find a school that will keep her challenged.

In Woodinville, I've been looking at Bear Creek and Wellington Elementary. What's weird is that Bear Creek has the gifted program, but doesn't feed into a junior high with a gifted program. And the elementary schools that don't have a gifted program, feed into a junior high with a gifted program. So how does this all work?

In Issaquah, there is part time pull out program and a full time pull out program and they are at different schools.

Anyway, any info from parents who have their kids in these schools would be very helpful. Thanks in advance for your input.

[texastrigirl]

Here's a tool you can use to see how specific schools compare by name. Note some of the schools that say they are located in Sammamish are in the Issaquah School District. Others are in the Lake Washington District. I think in general test scores would probably back up your assumption that Issaquah is very highly regarded as a school district but certainly look at the specific schools you would be attending. They both do very well on this comparative ranking. I would also consider your middle school and high school matriculation as well.

Washington Elementary school rankings by the Fraser Institute

[greatlife]

Our family debated the same issue over 4 years ago when we moved to the area. We opted for the larger lots and privacy that Woodinville offers. Bear Creek and Wellington are both excellent elementary schools. The EAP program at Bear Creek is fantastic though I am not sure how they handle late summer entries into the program since placement based on testing (ITBS and CogAT) just finished up and waiting lists have been established. Either way, the "regular class" 4th grade teachers are strong and I believe they are piloting a 2nd grade EAP class which bodes well for your younger one (the current program starts at 3rd). We prefer Bear Creek over all of the schools in Northshore and Issaquah school districts because it is much smaller (386 students) compared to some in Issaquah at 700+, has a beautiful setting, and an annual PTA-sponsored auction which allows for additional funding that all goes directly to the school and funds many important extras. Bear Creek also has a fantastic principal - Gary Keeler - who is extremely engaged and very popular with the kids. As for the junior highs, both Leota and Timbercrest offer Honors classes which are reasonably sized and quite challenging based on other parents' feedback (my child is still in elementary) . Then there is the IB program at Inglemoor High School down the road - Woodinville High is the feeder school but enrolling elsewhere in district is not a problem. Hope that helps and you should "google" (or "bing" Seattle Times School Guide 2010 and use their comparison tools - I found this very helpful.

[reliance]

Hi...

We are probably moving to the area this August. I have 2 children, one entering Kinder and one entering 4th grade. We've been looking at Woodinville and Issaquah as options. We like Woodinville because of the large lots with lots of trees and it's a little less expensive than Issaquah. But Issaquah might provide a better education? I'm not sure. I want a positive, caring and challenging environment for my children. My daughter is in the gifted program here, so that makes it more challenging for me, because I want to find a school that will keep her challenged.

In Woodinville, I've been looking at Bear Creek and Wellington Elementary. What's weird is that Bear Creek has the gifted program, but doesn't feed into a junior high with a gifted program. And the elementary schools that don't have a gifted program, feed into a junior high with a gifted program. So how does this all work?

I can't attest to schools in these specific areas. I'd choose Woodinville vs. Issaquah more on proximity to where you'll be working as traffic is fairly bad. Although, I'd be more inclined to live in Woodinville if I had to choose.

As for gifted programs not feeding into the upper grades, that's not uncommon. My daughter was in the "highly capable" program in elementary school, but there's no such a thing in the middle and high schools. However, students can take higher level classes. For example, instead of taking 6th grade math when my daughter entered middle school, she was in 7th grade math.

Same with high school, it's not uncommon for Freshmen to be in Junior classes. It's also possible to take online college level classes in high school as well as online classes for high school credits during the summer (at least at some schools). Some students will do that in order to take more elective classes during the regular school year...or to lighten their load during their senior year. Also...some classes like math and english may have "advanced" counterparts students can take if they qualify.

In Issaquah, there is part time pull out program and a full time pull out program and they are at different schools.

Anyway, any info from parents who have their kids in these schools would be very helpful. Thanks in advance for your input.

Another good resource to do research is: greatschools.org You can read parent feedback, which is helpful.

Best of luck to you!

[seattlenextyear]

Are parents super obsessed with schools lately or did my parents just suck? They certainly didn't care about school districts or gifted programs when buying houses.

[momwithamission]

Originally Posted by texastrigirl

Here's a tool you can use to see how specific schools compare by name.

Washington Elementary school rankings by the Fraser Institute

Thanks, I hadn't seen that. Nice graph to compare test scores.

[momwithamission]

Originally Posted by seattlenextyear

Are parents super obsessed with schools lately or did my parents just suck? They certainly didn't care about school districts or gifted programs when buying houses.

I laughed when I read this. I think parents are a little more obsessed than they used to be, at least I am. I just want to do everything I can to create a good environment for my kids. Of course I can't control everything, but I can try to make things the best I can for them and just be there for them when things don't go the way they want them to. That's life.

[momwithamission]

Thank you greatlife and reliance for your comments. It really helps to know that other families really like Northshore too. I did see an apartment complex online that looks really nice, that would cause the kids to go to Wellington. Does anyone know of any apartments that would cause the kids to go to Bear Creek?

We have been home owners for the last 11 years, but we're thinking it might be best to rent right now since we're not 100% sure where we want to live, plus we don't have much time to find a home to buy before the school year starts. We have lived in Sammamish and Snohomish (unincorporated) in the past, but have been here in Austin for 6 years. We're excited about moving back. My hubby just got an offer for a job today.

[reliance]

I'm not sure how to specifically answer your question, but maybe having the school boundaries would be helpful?

Northshore School District - Service Area Maps

[texastrigirl]

Welcome back to Seattle momwithamission!
We moved here from Austin three years ago and love it!