Amazing school and community! My family was about to move back to Los Angeles and have our kids…read morestart Kindergarten and Preschool at our alma mater Chandler School but after spending some time in the Pacific Northwest we were leaning more towards staying up north. We had to make some serious choices regarding work, school, family, and friends. While researching schools in the area, my wife gave me the assignment of either finding a school that was at least similar to Chandler and if I could not find one then we were going to move back to LA. So after weeks of touring schools all over Seattle and Bellevue, I finally walked onto St. Thomas School's campus and knew almost immediately that this was the school for us. From the school logo (acorn) to the uniforms (forest green and khaki), it was already visually looking similar to Chandler, which has the same uniform colors and a shamrock logo. I'll spare you all the details of what the school is all about (check their website - it's all true!), but by the time I finished the tour I knew walking back to my car that this was it. St. Thomas School's focus on Character, Curriculum, and Community is spot on in parallel with Chandler's core values. Today, 3 years after being accepted to the school, I can confidently and without hesitation say that our already high expectations have not only been met but in many instances have been exceeded! Tour the school as soon as possible. You will witness yourself the greatness of what is St. Thomas School. Expensive as hell, but worth every penny...I promise. There are also programs to help those who may not have the capacity to fund this type of education so don't let the price tag scare you. Amazing new changes coming this Fall that are literally being built as I write this review including a brand new Athletics & Performing Arts Center along with a brand new Center for Leadership & Innovation. So much good...only getting better.

As a two-mom family with three young children at St. Thomas School, we have had an overwhelmingly…read morepositive experience. The teaching faculty at STS lead with empathy, nurture leadership skills, and excel in fostering social-emotional development--all while maintaining strong academic standards. The parent community is warm, engaged, and contributes greatly to the close-knit feel of the school. Since joining in 2021, we've consistently felt supported, welcomed, and truly valued.

My wife and I both went to private catholic schools from Kindergarten through college so we had an…read moreidea of what to expect, but Sacred Heart has blown us away. We have a beautiful house on the border of Issaquah, Newcastle and Renton that use to be zoned the Issaquah School District (where my 2 older children attended, but sadly being on the border line and new construction got us bumped into the Renton school district. We gave the Renton school district K through 2nd to get things right, but it was terrible so we finally faced a decision - move to a better school district or find a better private school. Since we loved our home and neighbors so much, we decided to send our son to Sacred Heart where we were already attending mass as practicing Roman Catholics. From the open house, to "the interview" visit and through my son's first year at Sacred Heart - everything has exceeded our expectations beyond our wildest dreams. The staff is well paid and it shows because they are eager and willing to get a lot accomplished yet make your child feel loved and excited about school. Our son loves going so much that we seriously considered using it as leverage against him when he goes astray because he never wants to miss a day. Despite being in an extremely wealthy 1% part of town, the families have been warm and inviting without any of the snobbery you might expect from 99% of the people we have met. The entire staff - especially the principal - are so engaged that they even take turns helping to open doors for parents at drop off circle in the morning! Show me any public school that does that! Our son loves it and we love being a part of the Sacred Heart family. While it is expensive with 3 years of price increases coming, we do feel it is worth it for what you get. It's also a lot cheaper than moving / re-financing, so if you want a wholesome catholic education that feels like a top notch private school then this is it! Oh and in 6 months my son in 3rd grade has picked up Spanish, typing (on a dedicated Surface Pro!) and sign language! What's more, the day is packed with activity so he never gets bored, but the 3 recesses also means he doesn't feel the pressure that you'd find in a typical Montessori school. Oh, and the lunches are fantastic - unlike the toxic waste they serve in public schools so that was a big plus too. Lastly, I have to point out that prayer and faith are a big part of the program which has been a great relief to us. In these days of political correctness gone wild, it's great to see God and Jesus getting the place they deserve in the curriculum as well as opening and closing day prayers! I can't say enough good things about SHS!

The art teacher is kind and supportive but mainly targets the boys for her side of the…read moreconsequential punishments. A lthough the art teacher is clearly bad judgement, the rest of the school is a wonderful haven of learning and friendship.

Both of our children attended Chestnut Hill Academy, and our youngest just graduated from 5th grade…read morelast week. Throughout their K-5 journey, every teacher was exceptional, supportive, and genuinely caring. Communication between teachers, staff, and parents has always been outstanding. We love CHA's focus on community building, leadership, strong academics, and the emotional well-being of its students. Both of our children loved their time at the school and formed wonderful friendships that will last a lifetime. As parents, we have had the privilege of watching our children grow into confident, resilient, and well-prepared middle school students with strong leadership skills and perseverance. We are incredibly grateful to the entire CHA community for the positive impact it has had on our family.

Our daughter attended CHA from kindergarten and will be completing 4th grade this year. The school…read morehas been incredibly supportive from the beginning. Each of her teachers from K-4 were engaged and provided regular feedback on matters related to academics, social, and well-being. We really enjoyed the school programs from performing arts, field trips, winter activities, and leadership opportunities. CHA also did a great job connecting parents and building a strong community with the school.

No use keeping it a secret. I was on the faculty at Bellevue Christian for many years, and my…read morechildren all attended BCS from pre-school through 12th grade. I am retired now, but I will be a BCS booster for life. Now that I've disclosed where I'm coming from, I hope you will find that the information I give you is still useful and reliable. Bellevue Christian breaks a lot of stereotypes. I'd like to talk about four of those stereotypes, beginning with the one that private Christian schools are elitist. The school's philosophical bent towards respecting students as unique individuals of great worth favors a more open admission policy than some private schools have. BCS does not screen students for academic ability, in fact the school takes some students in its Special Academic Services program that have needs that cannot be met in public schools. Bellevue Christian prepares students well without being a prep school or cherry picking students. Standardized test scores are not released to newspapers, but that policy has everything to do with educational philosophy, and nothing to do with how the school's scores match up with those of other schools. Interested families can request both test information and an explanation of why the school doesn't use test scores for recruitment purposes. A second stereotype is that private schools are academically superior to public schools. Academic excellence is a complicated issue. BCS students probably win more than their share of awards, and some go on to the most exclusive universities, but a school should not be judged by how its best students do. Schools should be democratic institutions. For young people whose attendance is mandatory, they should be able to depend on a school doing its best for them whether or not they are academically gifted. BCS achieves academic excellence in a way that compared to other schools is more philosophically defensible. Excellence comes from people working together rather than competing against each other, and excellence is achieved and valued in all school programs. Excellence in the classroom is matched by excellence in the music department, the athletic department, the drama department, the art department, and in student government. BCS staff members care deeply about their school and about the students and their families. The same can be said about the parent body, but the bottom line is that the students themselves are involved in the programs and are vested in each other and in what they can achieve together. The third stereotype is that Christian Schools have "good discipline," i. e., lots of rules that are rigorously enforced. In all honesty, BCS teachers vary in the amount of control they exert over their students. Where there is more agreement is in a general philosophy that relationships are more important than rules. This is not a rationale for accepting poor behavior, in fact it is a call for everyone to live far above the minimum standards that the rules set. Most of the students at BCS "get it" sooner or later. Student-teacher relationships are strong. Students learn to be responsible when given trust. Lifetime friendships are common. Finally, the general status-definers like good looks, athletic ability, clothes and wealth are noticeably less in play at BCS. A fourth stereotype is that Christian schools indoctrinate students and shelter them from "the real world." There are some basic beliefs BCS teachers hold in common, but more often than not, issues that are discussed in our broader communities and in our nation are treated as opportunities for students to sharpen their thinking, discover their own personal values, and relate to those who may have very different perspectives. Students are challenged to be leaders as thinkers and doers, rather than buying into someone else's idea of what it looks like to be "successful." Discussions are much more common than lectures. Bellevue Christian is different from any other school I am acquainted with. It has a rich philosophical heritage. (Pick up "Second Sight" by Lowell Hagan at the BCS bookstore.) If you're "shopping" for a school, don't buy into the stereotypes, and don't make your decision by simply crunching numbers like dollars and test scores. You could miss out on a school experience that will enrich your entire family.

As someone who has attended this school, I would not recommend it whatsoever. The communication at…read morethis school was really bad, many people got in trouble for the most dumbest things, all because they never explained what the rules were at that school. They were also very protective when it came to the students and their social media outside of school. In their guidebook, it stated that if a student posts anything that doesn't represent the Spiritual culture, then the student will earn either detention or suspension. Very not necessary... The atmosphere of the other students there is also very toxic. There was bullying happening, inappropriate photos of women being spread, and lots of people talking badly about one another. And the staff or principal did nothing to help or fix it. I would not recommend this school at all.

Eastside Christian School is a Great school. I learned a lot from that Eastside I learned that we…read moreare a strong community growing up we were one community even thought there was multicultural. But if you ask anybody where they're from that, I grew up with hear how they say the east side they're gonna say what they gonna say, proudly strongly..

The 4th grade teacher and some office staff were not very friendly…read more Ms. Ibrahim is the best. Overall not very pleased. But still one of the good schools in the city as WA is the most unchurched state.

My two children went to BWS. While there were several aspects that were delightful including…read morespecific teachers and the community, as some of the only people of color - it was a very damaging experience. Unfortunately, one of the faculty that was responsible for the most humiliation and damage is still teaching at the school. That is quite unfortunate. I would not recommend the school for BIPOC kiddos.

Bright Water is no ordinary school, so do read up on Waldorf education before submitting your…read moreapplication. It is a philosophy, a special attitude toward education that you need to share in order to appreciate what Bright Water has to offer. This is what got our son going there... and the reason why we did not re-enroll for next year. Our son went to Bright Water for Kindergarten and academically he hardly benefited much, though all the time they spent outdoors (rain or shine!) helped build up his agility and aided his physical development big time. Apart from occasional drawing and small projects, do not expect your kids to learn reading, writing, or counting. It is simply not on the agenda yet (I believe, until they are seven) if you start with K. The pros: 1. Great kids, great families, good teachers. 2. It's a small school where you will know most people and kids, and they will know you (and your child!). 3. Hot lunch on Mondays and Fridays, and overall food is mostly natural, organic, and high-quality. 4. Good after school program. The cons: 1. A ton of breaks and service days when you would have to figure out what to do for childcare (many more than any other school I know!). 2. No academic focus whatsoever in K and first grade 3. Very little expectation - it is okay for kids to pretty much do nothing 4. Awful parking for drop-off & pick up

My son is currently attending BCA in the Kindergarten level. He was started in BCA from PreK level…read moreone and half years ago. Based on many recommendations from my friends and colleague, we decided to apply BCA for his Pre-K study in order to have better preparation for his elementary study, the result is amazing, he grew much faster in BCA both academically and socially compare with his previous school. His preschool study was in a good private school too, but this one year in BCA, I can clearly see the difference in his academic growth. He really like the school, feel encouraged and cared by the school teachers and staff, and do not even want to go to public school for elementary study. His effort and work are fully appreciated here, therefore he feel much more confident than before. The school also has many afterschool enrichment class to choose on site, including but not limited to Drama, Karate, Art, Reading, Writing, Chess, Origami, Dance, etc, which give kids different opportunities to explorer their potentials. The summer camps are also very popular, including IB (International Baccalaureate) and Features oriented programs, such as LEGO. Like being said by others, the tuition is on the higher end, but it's comparable/similar with other top private schools in this area. The additional $5000 mentioned by others is actually a CD thing (similar to term deposit), the full amount + interest will be paid back to parents once kids leave/graduate from the school. Based on my son's very positive experience in BCA, this year I am applying my daughter to BCA for her Pre-K study too.

Worked formerly as a teacher here so this comes from my own personal views and opinions, although I…read morecan say that many former colleagues would agree with me... I can say with confidence this school is the worst school I have ever seen, been to, or worked at. To start, the tuition rate is outrageous, they have a turnover rate of almost 50% of staff every year, and they barely pay teachers with Masters and PHD's a living wage. In working at public schools before this, I can say the curriculum here is substantially worse and far less engaging. Parents get scammed into thinking this is some elite school for gifted kids. Your child will be far better off at any public school than here. Save your money for a good college or a real private school, not this horrendous place that calls itself a "school". PS after paying over $30,000 a year per child for tuition, that doesnt even cover school lunches, field trips, or any after school enrichment opportunities or activities. They just want your money, and if you pay enough I am sure they will give your kid amazing grades without them having to learn anything! (The school will pressure teachers to give students better grades so it will reflect better on them and make student look more capable than they are)

I filled out application for their summer program I was put on a waiting list and I was informed…read morethat once the enrollment program starts I will be contacted. I called and left a message but there was no follow up phone call from the school.

I went to the bush school for 7 years, and had to leave after my sixth grade year. The lower…read moreschool had it's problems, but it was mostly the middle school that was the reason for me leaving. The staff and teachers do not intervine bullying or physical fights. And I had a teacher that would bully me for the amusement of my classmate, and nothing was done about it in the end. My parents respectfully told the head of the middle school the problems, and he did absolutely nothing, and started trying to gaslight my family into thinking it was somehow fixed. The middle school counsellor was absolute garbage, she threatened to call the police on me when I stood I to leave her office to go to the bathroom after I got falsely accused of self harming in my science class. They were not flexible about teaching kids the way they need to be taught in order to learn. While I hadn't yet been diagnosed with autism I think that they still should have been more patient with me because it was obvious the way that they were teaching me, as well as a few other kids, in a way that worked for us. They also fired a bunch of beloved teachers for no good reason, and promoted a bunch of terrible teachers including one that was kind of racist. They have prided themselves about being inclusive to everyone, yet would not let me use the bathroom correlated with my gender identity because I'm trans. And they treated popular kids way bette. There's a TON of other problems with the bush school that I just don't want to get into right now, but I hope you get the point. I would put 0/5 stars if I could, I do not recommend this school at all.

Words can't even begin to express by gratitude to the faculty and staff of Eastside Prep. My…read moredaughter began in 7th grade and now is a senior. My son started in 6th grade and now is a freshman. I am truly convinced that both of my kids are excelling in school and in life because of the enriching environment that this school has provided. The kids at this school are learning from experience. They are truly interested in the subjects they are being taught. I can tell from the highly intelligent debates that occur around our dinner table, that the education that they are receiving is engaging and inspiring. The teachers and staff truly KNOW who your child is, what their interests are, and what their strengths are. Each child is accepted and encouraged.

My child loves this school, she has been here for two years now and she has never been to a better…read moreschool. When I pick her up from school she says that she had the best time. She loves all of her teachers and I love them as well. I think this school is great for her and I am sure the same applies to your child. I would definitely recommend this school to the other parents out there.