Bryant Elementary School

The issue with the before and after care for this year (and the subsequent transition to an outsourced, more expensive option) has highlighted an unbelievably poor principle in place at this school. It is a great school - the faculty is truly above the norm, but the lack of communication, and effective involvement of the principle is a real shame. I have no personal beef with Ms. Fox, but I really hope the district can find someone better suited to fill this position at an otherwise remarkable public school in a great community...
—Submitted by a parent

Demographics and proximity to UW help this school achieve high test scores. It is successful despite being plagued by years of dismal leadership. The district published School Climate Survey clearly highlights there is a problem at Bryant, yet administration remains intact. Teachers currently work under a principal who is known to push (good and bad) teachers out, not exactly great for morale or for developing a collaborative workplace. There is no clear discipline strategy, the recess stories my kids bring home resemble a modern day story of Lord of the Flies. Bullying often goes unaddressed. The curriculum is deficient, although that is a district wide issue, and Bryant teachers do their best to supplement. It is tough to break into the community, but that sentiment is Seattle in general. We have met many nice families, but it definitely will take an effort for new non-K students. I strongly feel this school has the potential to be a 'great school', but needs a new principal, and the district superintendent needs to work faster at making some necessary curriculum updates. Test scores don't paint the entire picture, teachers need/deserve a better environment to thrive!
—Submitted by a parent

Not sure why this school is so highly regarded. We're new to the school this year and there are very few opportunities to volunteer or contribute. Academics seem mediocre. Very little in the way of extracurriculars. Zero sense of community, no help for new families trying to feel involved (look at the reviews - one review a year about sums up Bryant when it comes to "sharing"). Feels like the teachers don't want you at the school. Unless you've been at the school since kindergarten, forget trying to meet other parents, or have your kids be accepted and included. Information for new parents is non-existent, but boy will you hear about it if you've done something incorrectly. And if you ask questions you're spoken to like a dimwit. Frosty reception at pickup is just icing on the cake (I've rarely had a smile returned). Just an odd vibe all around, and my kids feel it, too, despite my sincere efforts to make it seem like the best school ever. Sad. We'll be looking at other options next year.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent school, as are all the NE Seattle public elementary schools. My two sons have enjoyed their time at Bryant. Considering just how high the test scores at Bryant and other NE public schools are, I'm still trying to figure out what those private school kids are getting for their money at this age! But I guess people still buy jaguar cars so go figure.
—Submitted by a parent

So disappointed. I was told this was one of the best schools in the district, if that is true that's pretty pathetic. My son including many other children learned close to nothing the entire year. The teachers are all very young and new and do more babysitting than teaching. The principal pays more attention to her make up than what is going on in the school and lastly the recess "monitors" stand around chitchatting and don't even pay attention to the kids, several kids are bullies at this school and its allowed since no one cares to watch out for the children. We are selling our house and moving just to get our son into a better school. Goodbye Bryant, thank you for a nightmare of a school year!!!
—Submitted by a parent

Bryant is a community center, not a school. The kids there test high because of the education that they get from their parents not from their professors. My child attended kindergarten and 1st grade there. In kindergarten with play "educational" computer games sponsored by kellogs. In first grade he came back at the end of the school year with empty science and math journals. The journals had stickers that said "great job" and "terrific". The teacher follow the curriculum but never made sure the kids really learn or did their work. My child scored a96% in math 99% in reading n his MAP test. I guarantee that it was not because of he education he gets at Bryant elementary. The principal does not like to talk about those issues and will do everything possible to avoid a meeting this concern parents.
—Submitted by a parent

Despite the concerned remarks about blended K below, I found the school welcoming to my son who was a special needs child in thus program from 2008-09. Sadly the program has been discontinued due to a 'new special ed model' in Seattle Schools. This is tragic for many children who like my son can benefit from a bridge year with smaller class sizes and an understanding teacher. Ms. Newman, formerly blended K teacher, luckily stays on at Bryant in the resource room. She is exceptional and I have high hopes for 1st grade at Bryant too.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been extremely happy with Bryant Elementary. It is a big school with all of the benefits this entails--strong art, music and other enrichment programs. However, the school has such a strong sense of community that the children experience the environment as they might in a much smaller school.
—Submitted by a parent

We've been searching for a kindergarten for our child who has some mild developmental delays (speech, fine/gross motor skills, dyspraxia) and thought of the blended kindergarten here because of the small class size. The vibe that I got, though I couldn't put my finger on it at the time, is that Bryant actually doesn't like having a blended kindergarten because it would rather deal with high achieving kids (typically developed, that is) in order to maintain its aura of 'greatness.' I was told that if my kid did not catch up after kindergarten (a 'riser' they call it), she would have to attend first grade somewhere else because Bryant just doesn't have the resources to deal with these kinds of kids. How nice is that?
—Submitted by a parent

Bryant was a wonderful school for my children. The teachers are willing to work with a child who may be struggling. They take parents' requests seriously. Like any school setting, the parents need to be assertive in letting the teachers or principal know exactly what they expect.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent, personalized education programs provided by caring teachers
—Submitted by a parent

Bryant is a wonderful school. It is large, but due to this it has things other schools don't (science lab, music room etc.) Academics are great, my son is always challenged, with a lot of focus on writing and science. Excellent teachers, and very involved, hands on principal. Tons of parent involvement! Great communication between school and home. Teachers give their home phone numbers in case you need to talk with them. Environment at school is cutting edge, and progressive, but still upholds traditional values and discipline. Very balanced in my opionion, and an excellent choice. Would love to see more socioeconomic and ethnic diversity, which is lacking probably due to it's NE Seattle location. Beautiful remodeled building, great test scores, fantastic after school activity choices, happy kids. What more could you want!
—Submitted by Deidre, a parent

My son. who is a special needs child is in the blended Kindergarten program this year. We were impressed with the fact that the teacher was willing to work closely with our son's therapist.
—Submitted by Adriana van Dam, a teacher

Don't get me wrong, the curriculum was strong, but the execution was poor here. We left the school (2004) because the leadersuip was not strong. The school lacks a cohesive philisophy that pulls together all the classrooms and it's teachers. As a large school this is an issue, espcially with the enormous amount of parent involvement that is seen here. My daughter's classroom was in chaos. Her teacher was forced to deal with several bullies that I felt should have been taken care of by the principal in a much stronger way. There are many interesting classes offered after school but they seemed over crowded and mostly daycare substitutions; as though it was better to have too many kids than quality. Bryant is a great idea poorly executed.
—Submitted by a parent