Illahee Middle School

My daughter is in their special 5th grade program for which we are proud to be in. She has wonderful teachers who have compassion and care for their students. She loves the school and her teachers and she enjoys coming to school everyday. The school has excellent extracurricular activities too. It has a good mix of academics and other activities. I love their current grading system which is standards-based. We as parents are actively involved in our child's education and are always in contact with the teachers regarding her school activities. Overall, this is an excellent middle school in Federal Way.
—Submitted by a parent

this school is absolutely wonderful. all the teachers are literally amazing and great teaching their own unique ways. of course the sports are amazing including their top music programs. the students are great too! so basically this whole school is great. :)
—Submitted by a parent

i love this school my daughter learns so much the teachers are amazing
—Submitted by a parent

Illahee is hands down the best middle school. Their focus on academics and athletics is absolutely remarkable. I attended alll three years and wish I was back again. There is a huge focus on athletics there and you may think you are unoticed if you dont do them. That is what I thought until I focused on the bigger picture which is school spirit andstudents DO NOT BE AFRAID TO GO OUT FOR SPORTS! ou have to start somewhere and the coaches are great. As far as academics and teachers there are a select group of great teachers as there are with any school however the difference about Illahee is that all of the teachers are above average and go above and beyond. I do not regret one minute of my time at Illahee.
—Submitted by a student

I am a 'straight A' athletic 7th grader at Illahee right now and I can say I want to stay here for the rest of my life! I don't want to goto high school or move on any further! I want to stay with my brothers and sisters at illahee (they aren't my real family but they feel like family) I am proud to say that I goto a school that stands above the rest! Even though the school is old I love it! Looking at the wall in the little gym makes me want to cry! Illahee is the best in athletics and academics! Our teachers give us so much motivation the biggest pushers on the planet! We have the best PE teachers on the earth! No one can replace anyone at Illahee! I wouldn't change one thing about Illahee it is my home!
—Submitted by a student

Illahee is a great school. There is no such thing as mid-winter break anymore...It's been gone for about 2 or 3 years now. Student breaks and snow days are a district/voter decision, not illahee's decision. In-service days are training days for staff to keep updated with new learning tools to help our students, also a district decision and counts as one of the 180 required student learning days. Illahee doesn't operate on a schedule unlike any other school. They are only guilty of having a great staff, great students, great athletics, great academics, and great ptsa - who recently granted $10,000 so their school could purchase upgraded visual technology for their classrooms! wow!
—Submitted by a parent

Illahee is a perfect school if you are into sports. I.M.S. starts to early.. the same times as high schools and it makes me almost always late
—Submitted by a student

No discipline what so ever and a day off every week due to teacher inservices, mid winter breaks, etc. is all I see! What the heck is mid winter break? Then days off for more inservices, another for teacher to 'learn day', and what ever else the city comes up with. Ridiculous. Our kids had more than a week away from the classroom due to snow. If only everyone else had that, (gosh I need that at my company). I can not count the number of days my child is out of school! I thought Washington had a 1000 hour school ciriculum.
—Submitted by a parent

Yes, it can be competitive making the Varsity teams as IMS is well-known for their athletic strength. MANY families with extremely focused athletic children attempt to choice their students at IMS because of the strength of the Athletic reputation there. Mr Brauer is the Athletic Director if you have questions - he's always supportive. However, IMS is not only in demand for their Athletic participation, but also for their Academic reputation; Excellent scores on the State mandated test, the notorious WASL. As with most things in life, you need to make your voice heard and let the people in charge know your goals and the goals of your child to be involved. Apply yourself. Parents who would like to be involved in the school's PTSA are encouraged to participate, without pressure. Parents always choose what projects they want to help with via signup sheets. PTSA contacts are in the student planners.
—Submitted by a parent

Illahee is okay. There is a clique. If you are not in it, you might not get those great teachers. The Pta will not welcome every parent, I signed up 3yrs in a row and was only allowed to participate in the less popular activites. If your child is not extremely good he might not make jv sports, unless you know the coaches. So the statement for the best school can be challenged.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a student at Ilahee right know and I love it. I am in 8th grader and I do believe Ilahee is the best middle school. The teachers are very involved and so are the students. My favorite thing at illahee is the pep assemblys!
—Submitted by a student

As a student, I have always been treated fairly and with kindness. I don't know about other districts but this is definentely the best school in the Federal Way School District. Everyone there really cares about you.
—Submitted by a student

illahee is without a doubt the best school in the district. with motivating teachers, coaches, and admisitration, the students strive to do better which is why this school has top academic and athletic scores all around
—Submitted by a former student

The academic programs are top notch! Teachers understand and teach to grade level standards. The overall climate is amazing. School spirit and student involvement in sports and music are at a level rarely found in middle schools. Every student is truly proud to be a brave!
—Submitted by a parent

Several programs offered including music, art and a variety of athletic sport teams.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a daughter that is attending Illahee and she loves it!! Their sports program is exceptional. Their p.e. conditioning class is the best thing that happened to her. Their music program is great. The 8th grade history project is teaching her to work hard and not just take the easy way. The teachers and administration respond to e-mails promptly when there was any concerns. Overall I feel fortunate to have had my daughter attend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter attended Illahee as a 7th grader in '03-'04 and we were very pleased with all that Illahee offered. The teachers were happy to hear from parents with any questions/or concerns and offered meaningful suggestions for our child's academic goals. Our daughter's self esteem in her own academic abilities went up tremendously in the course of a single school year. There were many extra curricular activities for students to be involved in including an outstanding sports program. In our opinion, this is the best middle school in Federal Way.
—Submitted by a parent

Right now im a 8th grader at this school. Its a good school to go too if your into sports. The teachers are friendly. Its the basics of a school. I mean its not perfect things go wrong here and there but overall I say its the best midlle/junior high in Federal Way. The teachers really enjoy doing their job and care about their students. Students will be students really. We like some teachers and we hate the others.
—Submitted by a student

Mrs. Lucas and staff are doing a great job with the 6th, 7th, 8th graders. I appreciate all that they do! Special thanks to the teachers.
—Submitted by a parent