I was just telling some friends how great our school is. Then I saw a bummer of a review on here,…read morebased on a short transition period, so I'm writing this. The short story is - it's a very good school run by professionals. A wonderful environment for kids who are neurodivergent or similar and have struggled in a larger school setting. It is supportive and non-judgmental, and we've found it to be a great balance of a place to learn and grow and a place to be supported and accepted. We were worried that it wouldn't be academically rigorous but found that it exceeded our expectations when our child was ready to learn. They meet all children where they are at every step of the way. Also, they do so many fun educational field trips. Here's the long version if you're interested: Our family started at Academy in 2024. That year, the old school director retired. Yes, there were staff changes. Yes, there was an interim director. Yes, it was a time of change and changes is hard especially when you are emotionally invested. Some families were so attached to the old director they didn't come back. Two years later and we're still very happily there. We found gold. Is it fancy? No. Is it exactly like a larger school? No. In areas where a child needs more support, they have it. The policy of "walk to math/language arts/science" allows them to learn subjects at a level and in a group setting difficult to access in larger private or public schools in a supportive way, whether accelerated or at a slower pace. Curriculum is solid and classroom size is excellent. As to the information concern - no. Many kids are district placements. The oversight and regulation involved in that is significant. No public school would partner with them if they broke any laws about information handling and they have placements from many districts. In May of 2024 they had just interviewed candidates for a new permanent director. I hope people will consider that Spring 2024 was just one rare season in the school's administration and while the other review was from someone that felt upset by how that transition was going, the new school director who was hired at the end of that year is awesome. I think she will be there for years to come. I never post reviews, but I hate that that review might be pushing families away from a truly excellent option for kids. To whoever you were it sounds like you felt like your school family was being ripped apart and you were afraid the whole place would be ruined, which must have been awful. Maybe you lost your job, maybe you pulled your child from the school. Regardless, please know that it is still "the little school with a big heart" and from my perspective as a very aware parent, it's in responsible hands.

Academy Schools was a buoy for our family after several years of struggling to stay afloat. The…read morestaff are compassionate, patient, and deeply dedicated to providing an individualized education in an environment that allows many students to feel accepted and safe in school for the first time ever. I'll forever be grateful for the tools and community they provided for both my kid and myself.

As a family, we are loving the decision to take our kids to Seattle Christian School. The campus…read morehas K-12 in the building therefore, our 5th grader is still in school with our 10th grader. The professional teachers, faith based education and the community feel on the campus is reassuring to me as a mom. I feel the education is superior and the athletic program is competitive. I love the confidence our kids have gained and the friends they are making. I feel this college prep-faith based school is the right choice for our family.

My boys went from preprimary through middle school at this school and I am so proud of the young…read moremen they are turning out to be. I strongly feel that they got more than just a strong educational foundation at WSMS, but a cultural awareness of kindness and caring, creativity and innovation. They are independent and proactive individuals who navigate the world easily. My mother often says that their emotional maturity is attributable to their time spent in this school. I will forever be grateful I made the decision to place them here.

I have 3 daughters enrolled at this school and we couldn't be happier! Warm and caring staff,…read moregreat organization and fun learning environments for all 3. We've never been more excited about school!

TTM is a pedagogically-observant Montessori school, which will come as a relief to those parents…read morewho believe in the method and seek something more for their kids (and their expense) than a glorified day care. The classes are appropriately sized and more than adequately staffed with Montessori-trained guides & aides, and feature a full complement of beautiful wood, metal, and fabric Montessori-specific works arranged to allow curious minds instant access to meaningful, self-directed learning. The administrative staff is exceptional, led by a 20+ year veteran of both Pacific Crest Montessori & Northwest Montessori School. While transparently placing the student experience first (as they should), this administration takes great pains to accommodate the needs of parents by being respectful of the scant spare time available to most parents, and by reaching out to parents with lots of pertinent information & updates. The building itself is a high-security cruciform arrangement where toddler, primary, and elementary classes are housed in their own wings. It appears to be a former hospice or nursing home, the practical upshot of which is wide hallways and doors, bright sunny rooms, and lots of 'safety' hardware in common areas. The outside play areas are securely fenced (with locking, key-coded gates) and include play structures, gardening, and opportunities to get messy in real dirt in the time-honored tradition. The location is a quarter mile off WA-509 in Burien at 160th Street, just down the street from Highline Medical Center. We make the drive from Capitol Hill every day in 20 minutes. The location is also served by several bus lines from downtown Seattle (#131 & #121 pass 1/8 mi. to the east @ 160th & 1st; #123 1/8 mi. to the west @ 160th & 4th).

I have worked at Three Tree Montessori for twelve years and can only say wonderful, positive things…read moreabout it. The staff are incredible and the families, along with the children are amazing. Each day I go to school, I am amazed by the love and ability of the teaching staff, class assistants and the support staff. Each one cares deeply for the children and it shows in all they do. I am also incredibly proud of our administration and board of directors. They have weathered many storms through the years well and led us through difficulties with wisdom, always putting the children and their care first.

K-5 elementary school. Start time 9:00 am Mon-Thu with late start every Friday at 10:30 am…read more Dismiss at 3:35 everyday.

Great place for children with learning differences to explore and thrive in their individual…read morelearning styles. Helpful teachers, low teacher to student ratio, and numerous student lead ASB activities gives the feel of a larger welcoming education community. Their mission states this is a place where students come first and it's definitely apparent in the effort and caring attitude of their office personnel and staff.

My son goes here. He has excelled here since the 8th grade. He is now a senior. If you're child has…read morea learning disorder or disability this school is geared towards that.

If you are looking for a school that equips children for the tools they need in an increasingly…read moreunstable world, this is it! And they do it , while providing a fun, caring and strong community for all. Westside school moved into a permanent home a few years ago and hired a new head of school a few years before the pandemic. These changes have supported the school into a solid place for a child to learn and be amongst others. The balance between academics and Social emotional skills is good and the school has a wealth of talented and dedicated teachers and staff who care about education, the world and making positive change. There is nothing better than seeing my child run to school every morning. We have been there 4 years and I was hesitant to go to an independent school at first. I didn't grow up rich and was concerned. This is truly a great community of people who want to make a difference in the world and value children being seen for who they are.

I feel grateful that my children have the opportunity to be part of the Westside community. Great…read moreteachers, great learning and the other parents are cool too. I'm truly impressed.

Terrible school system. Teachers teach to state minimum standards. So long as teachers have a…read morespecific percentage that pass the class quarterly they could care less about those left behind. It is rare to have found teachers that have compassion towards their job. Just like any other job those new in the field get so beaten down by the pointless burroccratic rules that they too after a few yrs become miserable husks of individuals. The renton school district leaves a ton of kids behind and they could care less. If you average c's or b's in this school system you'll pretty much end up struggling your whole working career because you did not gain enough smarts to go onto the more advanced jobs. Please consider college after high school. It opens up a whole new academia world and teaches you skills that you other wise would not of gained. Working with a high school degree can only get you so far in life. If you find a trade or field you are like really good in then you can go far. Do not feel sorry for your bullies. Just because you get the short end of the stick in your youth will mean if they continue that path they will get the short stick of the path in their adult hood. I keep crossing paths with many of my once upon a time bullies and: They struggle keeping employment, end up getting addicted to drugs that destroy their life, bounce from one relationship to another, have poor financial skills and often end up homeless alot. Don't feel sorry for your bullies. This is their path if they continue it. I keep crossing paths with one lady who is an absolute drunk and could care less about personal hygiene so she's sweaty and frumpy half the time. The other half of the time she can't even talk without spitting. I attended renton school district in my academic yrs and despised it. The only fun part of the school system was elementary school. Kids can be cruel and even cruller if you are low functioning, have any sort of physical visual disability or impairment be it visual or not. Kids are not held accountable for their actions and system fails to properly discipline those that deserve it. Middle school was so cruel to me that I blocked it for most of my life and can't even remember it. High school was okay but I felt abandoned in my studies. When I got to college I realized how little I really knew. I hate to say it but the school system needs to start teaching tolerance classes to society. Not just the you have a physical disability. It goes for everything else too: glbt group, being obese, nationality background, physical impairment.... If the state taught tolerance classes to kids these days I think society would be less arrogant and belittling towards these groups. I got beaten up a lot in middle school because of my disability being very noticeable. It got so bad my parents were considering home schooling. The school agreed to suspend the kids for 2 weeks assaulting me. Sorry but that's just a slap on the wrist. The kids parents didn't even take it seriously. If it were not for my parents assisting me in my academic studies I would of failed school or averaged c's and b's most of my life. I hate to say it but kids these days have too much of a controlled environment. I had food allergies growing up and knew not to eat this or that or be extra careful if I saw a kid eating a pbj sandwich. Kids these days are so damn clueless. No they have to have helicopter state parenting because the parents can't teach them these basic life skills. I work retail and have tweens entering the work force and have absolutely zero clue how to manage their food allergies because of this controlled environment. By 4th grade I knew which foods were a no-no. And I was low functioning more so then than as an adult. Math. I hate to say it but the school needs to teach all math levels to everyone. I am currently tackling the math program in college (later in life) and I'm finding just how much the renton school district screwed my math academia. Stop separating kids from "normal" level math into "advanced" math. There is zero reason for this b.s. Anyone can learn math. I hate to say it but Please teach kids cursive. Since when did the school system decide cursive was obsolete. B.s. You still need to teach it to kids these days as they will not be able to read important documents such as our founding father's documents. It is still vital. I can not tell you how frustrating it is to know how to write cursive at work and companies are considering people being cursive illiterate a disability. B.s. it's not. It's you dumbing down society.

There is an alternative school housed in the bldg I know this b/c the Renton Worksource employee…read moretold me. I was going to the Worksource when a student whom I did not know was a high school student attempted to approach me. At the time I was smoking a cigarette. There needs to be in place a separate space for the alternative school kids the minor alternative school kids. There were at least over a dozen kids standing around a make shift awning smoking. It doesn't make for a great impression. These kids should not be in close proximity to the adults it just didn't seem too appropriate & I didn't feel comfortable.