Jewish Day School

The school adopted inquiry-based learning a few years ago, and as a result, academics have dropped precipitously. So much emphasis is on group process, with endless "team meetings", that little is learned. My kids learned the proper lingo that was expected of them in this new methodology, growing cynical along the way. If you have bright and motivated kids, this is not the school for them.
—Submitted by a parent

JDS is an amazing school with outstanding teachers and staff. The inquiry-based dual and integrated curriculum is rich and invites students to delve deeper into the subject matter. It gets kids thinking and asking great questions. My kids are fully engaged in their learning and LOVE going to school everyday. They feel strongly connected to their Jewish heritage, have strong moral compasses and great leadership skills and self confidence. Who could ask for more?
—Submitted by a parent

JDS is a great school with an amazing curriculum - the research projects and collaboration taking place for even the little kids has blown us away. Our son is being taught how to identify real world issues and work to solve them... and we love that failure is not a bad word, he's learning that it's part of the path to success. We also like the daily foreign language studyand tech. It was a great choice for us.
—Submitted by a parent

Perfect for our child, the small classroom environment coupled with the attentiveness of the teachers is wonderful. Kids have a real opportunity to reach and grow and be challenged. Every question is cherished and our child has really thrived in this wonderful place. And the sharing community is very welcome, our family has found a real home here.
—Submitted by a parent

JDS offers a strong, close knit community - a very nurturing environment. The academics are average - no more rigorous than you'd find in a public school setting. The student/teacher ratios vary depending upon enrollment.
—Submitted by a parent

The students are spoiled and point fingers at each other. Parents don't take responsibility for their kids actions. Teachers are too weak to stand up for the right reasons. This is a school where money rule everything.
—Submitted by a parent

JDS exceeded all of our expectations. We were blown away by the caliber of the education, the love of the teachers and staff, and by the ability of the school to adjust to the needs and personalities of the students. Most of all, we feel indebted to the school for developing the best in our children because the education is rooted in Jewish values, morality, and thinking. Our kids have made lifetime friends and so have we. It's a sacrifice to send our kids to private school but the value added at JDS is overwhelming worth it all. They produce kids who are thinkers, who are kind and who know that it is their responsibility as Jews to make the world a better place.
—Submitted by a parent

The best decision we could have ever made for our child was sending him to JDS! We moved here from Georgia and had no idea what to expect from the schools in Washington. After spending 1 year in the public school system, we decided that a 21 to 1 student to teacher ratio, no formalized art class or computer class was not in our child's best interest. Our son is learning not only to speak, but to write and read in a second language and will have a computer laptop by the time he is in 4th grade! The experienced teachers are highly dedicated and loyal to the school and have a warm and nurturing relationship with their students. On the first day of school assembly, our son was given a paper leaf with his name on it to add to the school's tree and to welcome our family into the "JDS Family." Where else can you find this? Only at JDS!!
—Submitted by a parent

The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle is a great independent school in Bellevue and to make it accessible for more families, a group of community donors created grants ($6000 for two years) for new families enrolling for 2011-12. More info. at www.jds.org or admissions@jds.org.

JDS has awesome teachers and staff - and the kids are the best! All in all a wonderful community.
—Submitted by a teacher

Our daughter has been going to JDS for three years. It is a warm, welcoming, high performing school. Their secular curriculum is top notch, and everyone that comes out of elementary or middle school tops the charts on the tested competencies. The extra education she gets is what makes the school wonderful; they learn how to be good citizens, friends, and people. Yes, a lot of those lessons are couched in Jewish terms, but we feel that most are generally applicable no matter what your religious views.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school! Great academics, Judaics, and sense of community. The teachers are world class, dedicated professionals who love our children while guiding them to be their personal and intellectual bests.
—Submitted by a parent

JDS is a wonderful school, with a strong program in general academics, coupled with an excellent 2nd language and Jewish studies curriculum; the two sides of the JDS coin are completely integrated, so that Jewish studies complements and enhances general studies. But JDS is more than a school; it is a family. The teachers know all of the kids as individuals, and support their individual learning styles. The girls in my daughter's class are all close, without exception; there are no cliques or bullies or outcasts in the class. And the parents all know one another and work together to support their children and the school. We are very reform, more culturally and spiritually Jewish than highly observant, and we feel perfectly at home in the JDS environment.
—Submitted by a parent

Wonderful school! The parents and students are the best and the overall atmosphere is warm and welcoming. JDS has a strong academic program with Hebrew immersion starting in the first grade. The school runs an hour longer than most to compensate for Hebrew and Judaic studies. The community of families at JDS tend to not be very religious - most are Reform. There is a good amount of socioeconomic diversity at this school and the focus of the parents and students is on important aspects of life rather than materialism.
—Submitted by a parent

JDS is a wonderful school with a warm, caring environment. At first we worried that it would be too religious for us but that's not the case at all! Observant families often choose Seattle Jewish Day School instead. JDS has a strong academic program as well as a Judaics program. The school runs for an hour longer than most schools to accomodate the extra subjects. JDS has a gifted program that is incorporated into the regular classroom for those who are qualified. The best thing about JDS is the warm and supportive community atmosphere. They emphasize the important things in life and this diminishes the snob factor that is so common in private schools. I highly recommend JDS!
—Submitted by a parent

The quality of the teachers is excellent. Being that this is a Jewish day school and most that go there are Jews, safety has been taken into consideration and increased. Children are taught Hebrew and learn from a variety of disciplines from an open minded point of view.
—Submitted by a parent