Eckstein Middle School

I would recommend this school to no one. The only people who enjoy it are the "popular" kids who constantly berate and make fun of everyone else. The teachers are either great, mediocre, or terrible. All the other adults are patronizing and somewhat vindictive. The rules are strict and the authority has clearly gone to all of the Office's collective heads. The education is dull and non inclusive. The teachers rarely focus on the individual students. Full of cliques and moderate racism/homophobia. Would. Not. Recommend.

ECKSTEIN MIDDLE SCHOOL IS A ROCKIN SCHOOL. its fun, idk what y'all r sayin'. i mean like i got friends. im in the pop group, u know like popular. i mean when i walk in the halls i see great people swearing a cussing but its alright we used to it. no actually. it might not have a great reputation but as far as the learning goes and the teachers, they are great! ive made the best relationships here because its so diverse. small schools suck because you cant get to know people that arent exactly like you.

I am unimpressed by this school. I have a 7th grade daughter who doesn't complain, gets all A's but is totally uninspired. It is overcrowded, there are no after school activities except a couple of sports and there is nothing special about the place. Lots of cliques, no real effort made to encourage school spirit or to connect with people you don't know. Can't wait til she graduates. Would move her to private school if she wasn't so devoted to her friends. Sad state of affairs here.
—Submitted by a parent

I hate this school its no fun all I get is bad grades and stress all the kids are mean and the teacher don't care I can't wait to get out of this school.

After having 2 children at Eckstein over the last 5 years I would have to say that I can no longer recommend this school. It has gone so downhill since we first started there it is very sad. They have teachers teaching subjects that they know little about, many of the teachers my two had showed little enthusiasm for teaching or being in the classroom. Both kids left (or are leaving the school) with a much reduced interest in math and science from when they arrived, especially our 8th grade student this year, that my husband and I worry about their approach to these subjects in high school. Our daughter used to love math and enjoy science but no longer. They also switched their philosphy this year to only tests count towards their grades, no projects, speeches, presentations, daily work - nothing but tests. A very stressful place to be this year for the kids. The lunchroom is run like a prison with lots of yelling by lunchroom supervision, entire grades being kept inside on beautiful days due to poor behavious choices of a few. We'll be happy to be done!
—Submitted by a parent

I would have to agree that the size of this school is a huge issue. Its like a mini university! The neighborhood covers an area of, well, mostly affluent 1-2 kid families. My son attends 6th grade and I can see the change in his character, but then again it is a hard age so its difficult for me to blame his attitude entirely on the "up-yourself" majority that attend. The administration staff really are not very helpful and a bit rude sometimes. But the academics are worth it considering there are more bad performing schools in America then good. One thing is for sure, the kids here grow up a little too fast, but then thats mostly because of the demographics of this neighborhood....... typical up yourself Seattle. But my son averages A and B's so I am mostly happy.
—Submitted by a parent

Eckstein is huge, let's be honest; at least 1300 students. Recently the students were given instructions about walking on the right side of the hallway so they would not collide with each other. It is also a well-greased machine. Contact is great, as a parent I always know what is going on between The Source and the mail I get from school. Teachers are enthusiastic, many are Eckstein alums. If you need feedback, they are happy to give it to you. Now, if I didn't have internet access at home, I would know nothing, so keep that in mind. Being in band is important, yes, and participating in any school activity like music or athletics does give you entry into a level of information that you would not get if you just did the regular curriculum. Because it is such a huge school, there are not a lof of field trips or outside activities for the general population. We have loved it for our first son, but am just fine with second son going to Hamilton (boundary changes) as he will get more out of going to a smaller school (although not that much smaller for long, they are looking to increase their numbers and see it as positive change).
—Submitted by a parent

I have been going to Eckstein for the past two years and it was really tough in sixth grade (it got better this year because I made some friends). Lots of people are in their little cliques and just act so exclusive. It is really exhausting to put up with. The teachers tend to be either really great or really horrible. I'm really not academically challenged there, even in Spectrum, which doesn't even make a difference, especially in humanities classes. Now I just think the whole thing is a joke. I'll have another year of this before I get to leave. Oh, joy. but then again, I was always the cynical, pessimistic kid on the block, so other folks might be just fine with Eckstein MS.
—Submitted by a student

I went to Eckstein from 6th-8th grade, and I really hated it. I did have some amazing teachers that taught me a lot, but I also had quite a few that were less than mediocre. The kids that attend Eckstein tend to be very cliquey and materialistic, as well as very judgmental to kids that are actually unique. I was ridiculed and ostracized at Eckstein, not only by my classmates, but by a few teachers as well. I would only recommend this school to parents who want to change their kids, and turn them into stuck-up children that only care about what people have, instead of who people are. Based on the actual classes, Eckstein is not a bad school, but I believe that there is more to a school than its courses and the way the teachers and administrators see the school. It s the experiences that make the biggest impact.
—Submitted by a student

I went to Eckstein for the entirety of my middle school career and really didn't like it. The standards are moderately high, and some teachers are great. However, the vast majority of the staff are mediocre at best and really don't pay any attention to most of the children. The environment at this school crushed my childhood innocence and optimism and made me into the sardonic, cynical, person I am now. Do not send your child here unless you live in a gated community and are of slightly above average intelligence.
—Submitted by a student

Eckstein is an ok school if you play music. If you don't, you better start. a few of the teachers here are awful, while some are amazing!! Different teams have incredibly different workloads, some with none, and others with mountains...
—Submitted by a student

eckstien middle school is a great school! it has nice teachers, a new principal, and everything about it is great
—Submitted by a student

Its an excellent school but the teachers need to make sure they encourage 'every' student more and have a good way of teaching and to making sure everyone 'understands' how to do each math problem.
—Submitted by a student

I have been attending Eckstein for the past two years, and now, I am going into 8th grade. Overall, Eckstein is a wonderful school. I have learned so much from this school from books and papers to socializing and meeting new people. Eckstein is a great school, but sometimes I feel too disciplined with tons of rules. They don' let us have much freedom, and they pound us with so much homework and projects. Even though there is lots of homework and rules, I still am sort of happy when I wake up in the moring to attend school to see my friends, and to learn something new from my fabulous teachers. There is also plenty of after school activities, sports for boys and girls, and also lots of other school subjects that you can chose to take.
—Submitted by a student

I go to Eckstein, and overall it's an excellent school, but there are always some flaws. We'll be getting a new principal, but over the last two years I've been at Eckstein, I always felt there were too many rules, too many restrictions. It's almost like the administrators are afraid to give us the students and the staff some freedom. Most of the teachers are great, but some just don't deserve the job. Lastly, there's also a lot of unfairness going around, esp. in the elective classes - for ex, the band has tons of priviliges, both in and out of school, than the orchestra.
—Submitted by a student

Great school that tries to meet the needs of every student. Only a handful of parents are actively involved in this huge school. Teachers and principal work long after the day has ended. My duaghter got the best that public education has to offer here.
—Submitted by a parent

Many of the teachers are fantastic. There are inconsistencies, though and it is possible to get a few ineffective teachers for key subjects. Administration is poorly prepared to deal with kids/families on a individual basis and frequently miss the mark, especially for SpEd and 504.
—Submitted by a parent

Top-notch staff working with not-quite-adequate resources to serve way too many kids. The current principal is more relaxed than the former, but there is still a great emphasis on rules, rules, rules. Probably necessary for a school of this size, but burdensome for the naturally law-abiding kid who would benefit from some intellectual excitement.
—Submitted by a parent

I think this school has good academic for my child. The teachers are supportive of each student and has good disapline. There are many different extracurricular programs such as Media Literacy, a wonderful band and orchestra. They also have programs for disabled students. In one of the 8th grade Language Arts class, students get to write a detective story that gets published in a anthology. 6th grade students also gets to do a science fair project. And 7th grade students are doing a cultural project called 'REACH' that makes them study more on their cultural background. Also academics levels are high for students as in many students are in honor classes.
—Submitted by Kiet Thich, a parent

My son attended Eckstein from 2002 - 2005. It's a very large school, but he seemed happy. He studied Japanese for 2 years and took a two week trip to Japan with other students from his Japanese class. The Japanese teacher is well known among other japanese language teachers. In addition, he played the French Horn at the urging of a musician who volunteered at the school. Excellent. On balance, my son was exposed to experiences not normally part of the public school experience.
—Submitted by a parent