SMM Review I…read morecouldn't be more impressed by our teachers and staff at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic School. During this time of School Closure we have not missed a beat. Our kids lost only 1 day of instruction due to Covid-19. School was closed on Thursday and by Monday we were in class online. Over the remainder of our school year, our teachers provided wonderful content and in a time of such uncertainty they also provided continuity and routine to our days. Our 8th grader had regular class time every day...each of his teachers providing this regular class time on Google Meet through Google Classroom. He was given projects and assignments. When things proved a bit overwhelming, we had an online meeting with all his teachers, counselors and our principal to come up with a plan to help him through the rest of the year. We felt completely supported. Our 5th grader was given daily assignments. Complete with online video tutorials from her teachers. It was as if she was sitting right there in class. She was also so lucky as our amazing Music teacher provided Keyboarding and Guitar lessons for any of the 5th graders once a week through Zoom. I have had 4 kids at St. Mary Magdalen, 2 have graduated out and are thriving in high school. I have always loved our school community. I have always been so impressed by our amazing school staff. I know there are many wonderful teachers in this world. But there is a concentration of dedicated, talented, kind, teachers and staff at our school. As I have but one child left at SMM I look to the next few years, our last few years with both excitement and sadness as our time here will draw to a close. But I also know my children will move forward in their schooling with an amazing foundation brought to them by St. Mary Magdalen.

I moved from CA to WA in 2016 and needed to find a school for my daughters. I had one entering 2nd…read moregrade and one entering pre-K. We toured different catholic schools in the area and were blown away at SMM. I LOVE that there are 2 classes per grade, that helps because a bigger school can offer more extras. Like a new library and science room, new diversified learning center too. The principal is young and has great energy and lots of ideas for the school. And preschool!!!!! OH the preschool!!! Mrs D is AMAZING! She has the kids garden, play outside, do art, play in sand, and learn about God. They also get to go to the library and PE and music. It's an amazing program in the preschool, I feel so lucky to have found it!

My overall experience with Northshore Christian Academy was extremely disappointing and concerning…read more As a parent, I need to feel confident that my child is being cared for with patience, cleanliness, and respect. Unfortunately, this experience made me lose trust in the level of care being provided.

Firstly, I've been involved with this school for over 20 years. I've attended church at NCC, I have…read moreclose friends who work here, and I've had my students attend here. The last two years have been incredibly disappointing. Since Mr. Lane Beasley has taken over as head of schools, the turnover of critical staff at this school has been frightening. My current understanding is that the school is even having to hire entirely new departments next year because of staff departures/transitions. I've watched some of the loveliest people be forced out this school to make way for someone who used to be a MS counselor at the school to become the full school (K-8) principal. At the end of 2025, without any warning, the middle school principal was let go our 3-5 principal took his place. The narrative we were told was that He left by his choice after learning he wouldn't be returning the next year. After a personal discussion with him, I am sickened that the narrative we were told in no way aligns with what happened, as he was told to clean out and leave with just a few months of the school year remaining. Then this last year, a beloved teacher had been promoted to our school's K-2 principal. Apparently, rather than providing her feedback or coming alongside her when she struggled in the first year of this new position, she was fired and replaced with our 3-8th grade principal (who is now K-8). All of these transitions have resulted in our assistant principals being overworked, our staff feeling unsupported, and confusion about who's actually in charge at the school. I'm also disappointed in the school choosing to align itself with a specific brand of American conservative evangelicalism rather than the "bible based" identity it claims. My understanding is that when teachers talked or prayed about the unrest in Minnesota from earlier in this year, it was met with an email from admin asking them to "steer away from politics". But it was perfectly okay for the head of schools to send out an easter message that complained about a Washington State millionaires tax? Apparently Mark 10:25 or the Apostle's charitable living in Acts can be overlooked to embrace a gospel of prosperity rather than one rooted in the Bible. Needless to say, this institution has gone downhill. I love NCA, its teachers, and its families, but as an institution it's fallen well out of line with its original mission. This school cares too much about optics, and less about practice. They even had a teach inservice event last year where teachers were instructed to create accounts and give 5 star reviews to the school to bolster its online image. I'd be surprised if this review stays up long before they have it removed, but know this is all coming from someone who's been around this place a long time and is sad to see how it's fallen.

Where to begin! my…read moreson Oxford has been attending Greater Trinity Academy ( now Rise Up Academy) since he was Two years old. I have steadily watched him grow into a little boy who has a passion for learning. He attended Rise Up Academy through kindergarten and now attends their before and after school program. We just had his conference for 1st grade and let me tell you, this boy blew it out of the park academic wise with his testing scores. (One score for reading and comprehension was out of 39, meaning he met kindergarten standard, and he scored 72!)He nearly doubled the standard score. I would love to take the credit for this, but I know all the thanks and recognition goes to Rise Up Academy and their teaching staff for moLeung my son , shaping the way her learns and thinks about education, and truly giving him the motivation and love for learning. So thank you, Rise Up Academy, and all the staff for doing what you do and know best, and loving our children, and often feeling in those gaps at times, and helping our children reach their fullest potential!

While there are some great staff at this daycare. I'm shocked and disappointed by how this daycare…read moredid not even care for my child. A staff member strapped my child to a chair by force, with no proper training or certification, and is still employed. Leadership has taken no real accountability, even with written documentation. I would not trust this place with any child's safety or emotional well-being. What does it say about management when they choose to keep someone like this around? It makes me wonder what else they allow behind closed doors.

The teachers at this preschool The teachers at this preschool. My daughter has grown…read moresignificantly as a learner as a result. They have high academic expectations while maintaining a nurturing and encouraging environment know matter where your child is at. My daughter loves going to school each day!

GREAT teacher (been doing preschool since the late 70's). Awesome curriculum, faith based, but not…read moreoverwhelming. SUPER affordable. You will pay for a month here what you pay at most preschools for a week! My daughter loves going and I am so happy to have found it!

Excellent school for our grandchildren. Well organized. A friendly and giving environment. The…read moreteachers and staff are superior.

Our child has been attending America's best Child Care and we have been consistently happy with the…read morequality of care that she has received. The teachers are all incredibly warm, caring, and nurturing. They take the time to get to know each child individually and create a personalized learning experience for each one. My child has thrived at ABC and has made great progress in development. The classrooms are well-stocked with age-appropriate toys and materials. The staff is always vigilant in keeping the children safe and healthy. I highly recommend ABC to any parent looking for a high-quality and reasonably priced child care in the area.

Zero. Zero.Zero…read more Please explain to me how you are a child care center, yet you are closed on every school holiday, break, and teacher work day? If I had the luxury of taking days off when child care wasn't available I wouldn't need full time child care. Also, if you have a have a child that has ANY type of special needs, DO NOT bring them here! They will be singled out, bullied by the teachers (especially Tiffany) , and you will spend more time picking them up than they spend at the daycare...and they'll still get paid.

This school is wonderful because the contributions of the parents make it wonderful. The students…read morehave so much support. The current principle is supportive and engaging, and thankfully makes up for the rudeness of the front-office staff. It's really sad because these women are a poor representation, and a questionable first impression for such a great school. If you report the front-office staff for any reason, the administration will tell you what you like to hear, and then will do absolutely nothing. And they will give you a reason to complain. You'll want to steer clear of the office assistant. She is unabashedly confrontational. As an example, she frequently creates scenes in their packed front office. One day in particular I will share, is a day where as usual, I sat in the chair with my daughter as she read a book, awaiting my son to come from his class to the office. My son was being picked up early that day, and had been for about a week. On a random day for no apparent reason, she accused me of loitering, and asked me to leave, embarrassing me in front of several other parents. Another parent had observed the confrontation, and while we stood outside the office, to me stated that she also had a confrontation with this woman, and said that she was "very rude." She keeps a snarky tone on the phone because no one has ever discipled her for her behavior, and she knows no one ever will. I've reached out to several staff members, the principle, and the district office about her. There is another one in the front office at the main desk who likes to cut people off when they're talking, rolls her eyes, and makes passive-aggressive comments. My husband told me one day she was talking behind my back to him saying she liked to talk with him better than me. There's an older woman I frequently see in the front office who was once abusively shrieking at my son one day as he walked, and I reported her as well. I was very concerned about the tone of her voice towards the children, and thought she must be shouting at other students in the same way as well. The first year my son started school there, the school "nurse" was spamming me with multiple letters to my home address, in my son's backpack, and even stalked me in the hallway, even though I had asked her to stop. She used profanity once in the hall towards me after I publicly reprimanded her for following me around the school with a piece of paper, and waiting for me to come out of a classroom to hand it to me. I filed a complaint about her and accused her of stalking me. It was completely outrageous. Never in my life had I imagined someone working in a public school would actually do this to someone. I think it's important that I share these experiences. Because their behaviors go undisciplined, it's difficult for any parent to file a complaint and not be brushed aside. Hopefully when people start speaking up about this problem, someone will see that these people promote a terrible image for this great school. Other than that, keep up the good work.