Odle Middle School

"Detention" seems to me as a favorite word in the counselor's office. To be a good student here, children has to be robots not human beings. Compare to past, here is more prison then a school.
--Submitted by a parent

Odle was once a successful school. Now, the grade averages are not even close to standard despite many measures taken by the administration to boost them. Odle was caught being manipulative of the PRISM program by not counting the PRISM students for student population counts determining average family salaries to earn Title One status, but still using PRISM as a tool to boost the grade average a little bit higher. Odle has also implemented a silly and ridiculous Success Initiative system intended to boost the grades since Odle has recently been forced to include PRISM in the population counts and cannot use Title One as an excuse for bad grades, and it gives the teachers despotic powers while student liberties are greatly diminished. Despite several student petitions and protests against the Success Initiative and what problems it poses, the administration has ignored themdidn't raise grade averages to standard. Odle is failing miserably to maintain a healthy standing within the district and raise the kids to be successful students.

It is a horrible school. It's not challenging at all. I am complely outraged wit it.
--Submitted by a parent

I am incredibly impressed with the caring, flexible, dedicated staff, teachers and non-certificated, at Odle. We have had six children in Bellevue Public school, Private schools on the east side, and Catholic Schools. I feel like a school expert. No where else have I seen such responsive, warm, attentive and creative people working with parents and youngsters to insure that the students get what they need to be successful. This is for youngsters with all levels of academic ability, from the most academically able to the ones needing the most assistance. This is what education needs to be about for all children. It is far superior to schools we paid thousands of dollars for tuition to attend.
--Submitted by a parent

Odle is amazing! A great faculty, staff and principal. The teachers are positive and care about every student...not just in student academics, but students as individuals. Everyone at Odle strives to create a positive learning experience and making it a happy school environment.
--Submitted by a teacher

This is the best school ever. The new principle Mr.McDowell is amazing. The school is fun and energetic and filled with pride and honor. To bad I had to move to the east coast. I would recommend this school to everyone!
--Submitted by a student

This school has been good for our daughter, who has some developmental and academic challenges. Her IEP and special education classes have helped her almost keep up with her peers and she has been encouraged to work to meet her potential in a way that Northshore school district teachers never did. Still, there's a bit of teaching to the WASL here, and the social promotion of students with IEPs drives me crazy. It's just going to get harder as she moves into high school without some basic knowledge.. but as long as she makes an effort, the school considers that 'good enough'. I personally think academic failure should be called failure so that a student can spend more time trying to learn the material. The principal here is outstanding. He has good ideas, is a warm and caring person, and a great administrator.
--Submitted by a parent

Odle, in general, is a very high quality school. MOST of the teachers are competent in the subjects they teach, and many teachers are liked by the students. I think the school has deteriorated this year, and it's due to the new principal and vice principal. The Academy of Performing Arts has rapidly declined, laregly because the teacher who ran it moved. The dance and theatre programs have had 4 semi-permanent subs this year, and many of them weren't qualified. Academically, however, I would rank Odle pretty high. The classes are challenging, but most of the teachers are willing to help. Odle is also the only Middle School in the district to have the PRISM program, which is a program for extremely gifted children. There are many extracurricular activities, including rock climbing club (the only middle school in the district to have rock wall), and parent invovement is high.
--Submitted by a student

I never thought I would be this pleased. I feel the teachers have the best interests of the children in mind and keep them challenged. Not only do I appreciate this school, my child absolutely loves it. The extracurricular activities are also a definite plus, as I know many other schools can't even offer this to the students. Overall, a very positive environment all the way from the kids, to our Principal.
--Submitted by a parent

This is a great school. Absolutely great. It has the Academy of Math, Science, and Applied Technology; the PRISM program (not the prison program; the PRISM program is like skipping a grade) and the language class of Chinese, unlike all other middle schools in the district. As long as you try hard, you can learn much from this school and benefit greatly in high school.
--Submitted by a student