Edmonds Woodway High School

This rating is about EWHS s principal and assistant principals and their interpersonal communication skills resolving conflict. My family needed the help of the management team at Edmonds Woodway High School several times this last year to help us work through my daughters academic-related problems, brought on by personal hardship at home. They maintained a high level of integrity and responsibility at every level of communications each time I contacted them, even though I am sure I inadvertently tested their patience many times. The bulk of my daughters' teachers were also exceptional in how they helped me help my daughters, and how they went out of their way to help them directly. I don't believe you would find this level of integrity at many schools. But it is clearly engrained in the hearts of the teachers and staff at Edmonds Woodway, starting with Principal Michelle Michelle Trifunovic, Assistant Principal Geoff Bennett, and Assistant Principal Robert Johnson. Thank you for caring.
--Submitted by a parent

We just moved here from out of state and very quickly we noticed how short the actual school day is-- only 3 classes per day. Not shortly after the first month of attending this school our son started ditching school and basically creating his own show up time to classes each day. We did everything in our power to get him to school evreyday, but he insisted that the teachers, principle, and even the DEAN would do nothing to curb his behavior. After more than 15 days unexcused absences and umpteen tardies and running a 1.5 GPA he gets 2 detentions. Call me the bad guy, but I was wanting some kind of support for a hard-headed teen. I want to get my son back on track and this school let me down...
--Submitted by a parent

Many people try and criticize the regular academics at EWHS, and it seems most of these people are IB dropouts. The standard academics at Edmonds-Woodway are far above average, especially in the English department. I came into college with far better skills in almost every department compared to other students. The music department at EWHS is amazing, one of the best in the state, and sports are a highlight too. People can group into cliques quite a bit, but if you find the right group, you can make a lot of lifelong friends. My experience at Edmonds-Woodway was far more positive than college has been.

EWHS is a really fun school. It has more clubs than any other school in the district, a great music program, lots of successful sports teams, and of course, the IB program. As an 'IB kid', I have to admit that the focus of the school, as other people said, is mainly on the IB program and the regular students are kind of pushed aside a lot of the time. However, EWHS is a great school if you are enrolled in IB. The teachers (well, most of them) are really great and the classes are challenging. Overall I think Edmonds-Woodway is a very good school.
--Submitted by a student

I am a senior in the International Baccalaureate Program. There is a substantial IB community, but the rest of the school seems to be divided into little cliques. The football team is very successful. Other sports get very low turnout and recognition. ASB and tech-related programs like WBN are fairly sketchy and there are many errors and mishaps. Tech staff try hard but there are always technical difficulties at every assembly and concert. On the plus side, there are great programs in music, sports, and IB. Band is fun and jazz band is nationally recognized. There are many successful sports teams. The IB Program looks good on a resume and does seem to prepare kids well for academia. It is extremely hard to balance IB with other activities, but many overachievers manage to do it. This is the best school in the district, but much needs to be improved.
--Submitted by a student

This school is great. My son is deaf and he has to go to Edmonds-Woodway because it is the only deaf program in the district and he loves the school and the people there.
--Submitted by a parent

The school has good academic standards, however, the regular classes are nowhere near as rigorous as my classes at my previous school. The IB program is excellent, however, it tends to be divisive to the school community, and the school seems to favor those who are in IB. The hallways are extremely crowded, largely because of over-enrollment. The school was not built to hold this many students. The administration seems a little disconnected from the students. However, there is a great sports program, and the football team is the best in the district. It is a good school, but surely not the best out there.
--Submitted by a student

Edmonds woodway is such a fun school. The environment is so friendly and happy, the staff is fun and helpful and everyone has a place they belong no matter what their intrests are. There's so many people and so much amazing school spirit to go along with it!
--Submitted by a student

It's pretty rad. I agree that IB is it's main focus & sometimes that's a little annoying & it seems that they don't care as much about regular student, but more than that people take pride in being a student from Edmonds-Woodway. We take pride in having great sports & having a great program, such as IB even if you're not even enrolled as an IB student. Not to mention it's a pretty school.
--Submitted by a student

The IB program is great, and the extracurricular activities such as sports and music are fantastic. However, non IB classes lack a bit. English especially ihas a terrible curriculum, and Integrated Math needs improvement. The new principal is nowhere near the level of the previous. In addition, there are far too many students who do not care about EWHS and the community is too seperated; students do not bond with all others like they do at other schools in the Edmonds School Dist., probably due to IB.
--Submitted by a student