Our twins attend NWS. It is an amazing education with a great matriculation track record. This school is small and humble, but the experience feels big and important. I have visited the other private schools in the area. They have all the bells and whistles, for sure! But the rigourous STEM and humanities programs taught by esteemed faculty that are highly ranked in their perspective fields is unmatched at The Northwest School. Private School is not cheap, but NWS is worth every penny! read more

My eigth grade twins really love this small school with BIG personality. They feel supported and academically challenged.

Incredible school! Incredible educational experience for students and one of the only independent schools in Seattle are with an international boarding program which helps to make the NW school a richly diverse community. The Northwest School has a deeply committed, and highly competent governance and educational leadership. They are doing the right things for young people. Students who attend the Northwest school love the school, and are happy. One 6th grader described it to me in this way... " the Northwest School is better than Hogwarts!" read more

I am a parent of a high school student at NWS who has been there since 6th grade. Our son is thriving at this school in every way. The high academic expectations, combined with the personalized support and substantive feedback from teachers, challenge him to excel and grow. He feels a strong sense of belonging thanks to the school's diversity among students, teachers, and administration, which creates an inclusive and welcoming environment. He's also formed a close group of friends who both support and challenge him in meaningful ways. Additionally, he has found a valuable outlet in sports, which has become essential to his physical and mental well-being. We couldn't be happier with the positive impact this school has had on him. read more

My daughter attended the NWS from 7th to 12th grade. She absolutely loved the school throughout. She forged incredible relationships with faculty members. She made great friends. She blossomed as a leader. She became a fantastic dancer. She grew as a writer. She cultivated her love of STEM (and is now a pre-med student). When I asked her recently how well prepared she was for college (she now attends Haverford College), she said 10 out of 10. She made the right decision by applying to and matriculating at the NWS. We're so thrilled she did! read more

My two kids (boy and girl) and three nephews all loved this school. The academics are great and the community is warm and wonderful. The small size of the school is an asset - kids are really seen and known and valued. The values are super strong as well. It's a great school that tends not to toot its own horn but the parent community knows it's a hidden gem. read more

Our son started in Northwest in Grade 8, after living overseas his entire life. We found it to be an extremely welcoming environment. Besides that warm beginning, three factors have made a big impression on us. First, the grading system is completely transparent. We can see exactly how our son is performing at any given moment through an on-line app the school employees. There are no surprises at report card time. Second, the math and humanities departments, which we believe to be the solid core of education, are super strong, with exceptional quality teachers. Third, Northwest does a great job of building critical thinking and communications skills in students, which is exceptionally important in preparations for college. So it's been a five star experience for us. With three other kids, and this being the fourth independent middle/high school among them, Northwest has been the best. read more

Our two daughters attended NWS from 6-12. They both went on to graduate from excellent higher educational institutions and are now both working in a service industry supporting our society. I learned a lot about our society and social justice while they attended NWS, and they clearly benefitted from a great education! One standout is the parent community! read more

An academic environment that values dabbling in subject matter rather than pursuit of excellence. High turnover of teachers.

Diversity is a joke here. Bunch of rich white kids and white teachers. One extra star for the lunch food quality. read more

I actually love NWS. the food is amazing and all of the teachers are great. I'm only putting 4 stars because of the diversity, NWS is mainly rich white kids. The lunch is amazing though! read more

This school has a great reputation but they've had a philosophy shift over the last few years and the academics have crumbled. If you care about your child being prepared for high-school (being able to read a textbook, take notes, pass a knowledge based exam, write a coherent paragraph, not watching youtube videos during class) then this is no longer the school for you. My child (98% tile IQ, no learning difficulties, just a tad lazy because he's 12) learned so little that I pulled him midway through the year, despite no refund on the $36K fees. Your child will learn twice as much in public school for $0 (maybe donate 1/10 the NW fees and be a hero?) Or find a better private school. Learn from my very expensive mistake. read more

Once upon a time there was a girl who was a little too smart for public school. She wasn't about to graduate from collage at age 9 or anything uber geeky like that, she was just fucking bored most of the time and never "reached her potential" as it were. From 1st grade to 9th, she hung about on the fringes of cliques making friends in all of them, but never really fitting in completely. Eventually she receded away from the boundaries of normalcy until she just stopped going to class, found herself a punk rock boyfriend years her senior and ran away from home. Suddenly life wasn't so boring anymore! Her father was a wise man and thought that it might make sense to change some things (after he had hunted her down and got her some counseling of course). He found a little school that had been open only 4 years, but had already gained the reputation of challenging and inspiring nihilistic little street punks like his kid without wiping out their individuality. That school was The Northwest School of the Arts, Humanities and Environment (that last one was mostly represented by "Environment Assignments" - chores normally done by janitors not present at NWS). Northwest provided an outlet for the girls teen aged angst and gently guided her to understand personal and social responsibility. While it took her until her early 30's to truly put those principals into practice, the seed planted by the talented and dedicated staff of the Northwest School lived - despite all the foulness the girl experienced after leaving their care it was able to sustain itself and come to fruition. This girl recommends NWS to parents looking for an educational experience that will expose their child to a cross-disciplinary study in the Humanities, Sciences, and Performing and Fine Arts and save them from the waste and mess that so often is the high school experience. Note: Financial aid is available and given quite generously to those deserving it. read more