skyline/newport/interlake (Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond: fit in, transplants, how much)

[nwreloc]

I have looked at the different ratings (Fraser, school digger, Seattle Times, newsweek, US news) and it is all over the place. We are currently looking at Sammamish (Skyline high school) or Bellevue (Interlake or Newport high schools). If we want a newer home with enough of a back yard, Bellevue is about 50k - 100k more expensive (and there isn't much inventory), so then the decision comes down to which would be a better fit for the high school. The high schools all seems great, but which would have a a more academically focused environment (as opposed to the latest fashion ). Each child is different, but I think if more of her peers are interested in getting into good schools, it'll help.
Please help with suggestions.

[texastrigirl]

They are all great schools. Other than your research, I can only offer anecdotal evidence that I have talked to scores of Skyline kids who say their last year of high school was more difficult than their first year of college. My neighbor received full rides to Wellesley and Boston University out of Skyline for mathematics. We chose Sammamish over Bellevue for some of the same reasons you are considering ($ goes further) and the access to nature but the commute is further to downtown (not sure if that matters) and Bellevue has more amenities (think shopping and restaurants).

We are in the Issaquah School District. We feel it offers plenty of challenge for kids (for example you can test into a secondary math path starting in 6th grade that ends in Advanced Calc your senior year) and Skyline has IB and Issaquah High AP. They also offer Running Start where a student can test into taking college classes locally starting their junior year. I think in all cases for the schools you list, you will find plenty of stressed out highschoolers focused on academics. I hear that more than anything...that it's too rigourous. And I am certain it is the same talk for the Bellevue schools you listed. The parents of these kids are generally accomplished in high tech and other areas requiring higher education and demand the focus on it.

Rankings are obviously one place to start but always keep in mind they are not 100% scientifically sound (esp in cases of Newsweek, USNews). For example, you did not list Issaquah High and Eastlake as choices...both are great schools in this area as well.

[HeyHolliday!]

I cant speak for interlake or newport but I went to skyline high school (junior year) for one year when my mom moved to Sammamish for a short while. It was the most miserable experience I ever had in an academic setting. Considering how wealthy most the residents are in the nearby area if your not rolling in cash your kid probably isn't gonna have the most memorable experience either. I remember how many kids had brand new bmw's, porsche's, and one even got a bentley(for his 16th bday). I remember getting made fun of for driving an old beat up honda civic and being poor lol. Oh and don't forget any school you go to where the kids have lots of money there are going to be lots of drugs(cause thats what rich kids do for leisure time in the suburbs)

Luckily my mom moved back to Seattle and I went to Ballard High School. I felt the high schools in Seattle were much more academically stimulating than they were at Skyline. I mean to be completely honest, all the schools teach the same thing and they use the same curriculum, its more a long the lines of how much the parents care and push their kids to succeed that makes the difference in education.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by HeyHolliday!

Oh and don't forget any school you go to where the kids have lots of money there are going to be lots of drugs(cause thats what rich kids do for leisure time in the suburbs)

Yea... because poor kids just don't do drugs.

I've attended Newport High school. It definitely was academically challenging. And it was a bit harder for me, coming in my junior year because they have a system which they start teaching the middle-schoolers. Like for example, for English, the schools do not provide the student books... it is expect that they kids go to Half price book store and get it from there. Kids are then expected to write notes in the book, to highlight some passages, underline-- like I said, there's a system. The NPHS that I knew is no longer there, they tore it down and put a brand new HS in it's place.

It's a big and well rated high school, you have a lot of options (AP/IB, Running Start)... you can't really go wrong.

[AddyLaddy]

Originally Posted by HeyHolliday!

Considering how wealthy most the residents are in the nearby area if your not rolling in cash your kid probably isn't gonna have the most memorable experience either. I remember how many kids had brand new bmw's, porsche's, and one even got a bentley(for his 16th bday). I remember getting made fun of for driving an old beat up honda civic and being poor lol. Oh and don't forget any school you go to where the kids have lots of money there are going to be lots of drugs(cause thats what rich kids do for leisure time in the suburbs)

My son attends Skyline and he doesn't have a car or a smart phone, I don't even give him an allowance! He's not been teased or bullied and seems more than happy there.
Perhaps we are now beyond the bubble years and people are not so materialistic and/or stupid?

[just4ivaylo]

I can also share my experiences that I've had at Newport.

I've never had to buy a book/textbook while at Newport or any other B.S.D. school. They were all checked out to students and bought by the district itself. In fact, it was a slap in the face when I moved down to Texas and had to buy my own novels for the AP classes that I took.

Overall, it's a great school that will push your kids to succeed. There are tons of AP courses, which the district definitely encourages the students to take.

The school does have a drug problem, though. Remember, rich kids don't buy guns and shoot each other. They go to the nearest park and smoke weed or do other drugs. With that said, I don't want to scare you away from Newport because there are also tons of students who do not do drugs. However, I'm sure that the other schools that you listed also have the same problem due to the fact that they're located in relatively wealthy areas of the Seattle area.

[SpikeDurden]

Originally Posted by HeyHolliday!

I cant speak for interlake or newport but I went to skyline high school (junior year) for one year when my mom moved to Sammamish for a short while. It was the most miserable experience I ever had in an academic setting. Considering how wealthy most the residents are in the nearby area if your not rolling in cash your kid probably isn't gonna have the most memorable experience either. I remember how many kids had brand new bmw's, porsche's, and one even got a bentley(for his 16th bday). I remember getting made fun of for driving an old beat up honda civic and being poor lol. Oh and don't forget any school you go to where the kids have lots of money there are going to be lots of drugs(cause thats what rich kids do for leisure time in the suburbs)

I went to Skyline as well. Throughout most of high school I drove a 94 old, old, ugly boat of a sedan. I had a crappy phone and got by just fine. I think it's all in peoples' heads when they think they need to be rich and have tons of nice things to fit in at Skyline or any other rich school. I don't remember it being like that at all. Samammish is not Beverly Hills or Bel Air.

I had a great experience at Skyline and they did a better job, especially in the writing department, of preparing you for college than most other schools. I can't tell you how ahead of most high school graduates Skyline students are in the writing department. The writing of most of my peers in college was an absolute joke.

Skyline has nice, new facilities like their theater and their television production classroom (if that's still there), it has few problems or conflicts amongst students, and has a great sports department. Not sure what else you could ask for.

[HeyHolliday!]

Obviously others have had good experiences. Just from my own personal experiences and going to 3 different high schools I found the schools in the Seattle school district to be far superior. Also do realize that I didn't grow up in the Sammamish area so I didn't know anybody unlike most the students, who mostly grew up with each other and had years of schooling with each other.

And while sammamish is no bel air or Beverley hills, the area is one of the wealthiest communities in King County.

[Hemlock140]

Ours went to Eastlake in Sammamish, and like Skyline (1 mile apart) most of the students go on to a four year college and are successful in part due to the challenging courses, good teachers, and parental involvement. Sammamish has a very high percentage of Microsoft and Boeing people that make good money and are very interested in their kids educations. While Bellevue schools are great too they are more economically diverse and slightly less students go on to college, more so at Bellevue High. It's really a matter of your own preference for where to live, you cannot go wrong with any high schools in Bellevue or Sammamish.

The only drawback to Sammamish is that in those few snowstorms it's all down hill (or up). Bellevue has more flat areas but still has some hills. Also, you have to drive 5 miles to either Redmond or Issaquah for most shopping, Sammamish has only 3 strip malls. For me, that's good.

[Inkpoe]

Personally, I think you were intimidated when you attended Skyline and obviously Ballard's more on your level. Sammamish has been growing and growing, so I have a hard time believing the "newbies" have hard time fitting in since there's so many of them. I have friends who attended Skyline HS and ultimately they all enjoyed it and got the benefits out of attending Skyline. A couple of them were transplants (and not "rich") as well.

Originally Posted by HeyHolliday!

Luckily my mom moved back to Seattle and I went to Ballard High School. I felt the high schools in Seattle were much more academically stimulating than they were at Skyline. I mean to be completely honest, all the schools teach the same thing and they use the same curriculum, its more a long the lines of how much the parents care and push their kids to succeed that makes the difference in education.

All the schools are suppose to teach the same thing/curriculum-- because that's what they're tested on. However, it's the end results that matters. Ballard HS isn't as well ranked as the 3 HS the OP's asking about.