Hamilton International Middle School

I am a 7th grader in APP at Hamilton. There is a lot to like about it. The teachers are great, the music program is excellent (we beat eckstein in multiple competitions), and the students are very friendly. However, APP is a very difficult program. Students are given very large amounts of homework. Most of the APP students are quite sleep deprived and stressed. To succeed in APP requires serious dedication to homework. On an average day I get at least 3 hours of difficult homework. But the amount of learning that happens is amazing...I have already done algebra 1 and can write a five paragraph essay in 30 minutes. I am also quite knowledgable in history and I am in an advanced band. The skills we learn in APP are essential in real life. Outside of APP, there is much less homework.

Love the school everybody is very devoted at their work kids respect culture and there is no bullying at this school my child loves this school and so do I
—Submitted by a parent

So far our experience at Hamilton has been very good. Good communication from teachers, very involved principal, challenging curriculum. In some classes teachers use very innovative teaching methods such as an hands on physical representation of major battles of the Trojan war. Other classes are more standard but very solid. The facilities are exceptional. I would have given an excellent score however I feel that the school is in transition with a new principal and the kinks are still being worked out.Though it is just a matter of time for that to come together. The new principal is fantastic. Overall this is a great inner city school.
—Submitted by a parent

We were disappointed with Hamilton. While 3 or 4 of my son's teachers were excellent, 3 or 4 were incompetent, bullies, or both. The principal is more interested in showing that he is in charge than in any educational goals. The science courses were totally inadequate, and the math courses offerings were too limited, in spite of this school being one of the two Advanced Placement sites in the city.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is entering his second year at HIMS and I am very pleased with his experiences to date. The teaching quality is excellent (despite a dud of a teacher last year) and the administration is communicative and responsive. We're really quite happy with the program.
—Submitted by a parent

I've experienced great responsiveness from the principal and the counselor. My experiences with the teachers are highly variable: some are very e-mail oriented and good communicators; others seem more remote. The reality is though, even if everything at Hamilton were perfect, my daughter is having a difficult year transitioning from the safety and ease of having only one teacher in elementary school, whom she typically could have figured out how to wrap around her little finger. . .to five different teachers, each with their own quirks. There's a lot more expectations and a lot less patience for failure. Let's throw in a bit of puberty-induced attitude and a complete resistance to time management (avoidance of using the planner) and it's been a difficult year. Let's just say the our family and Hamilton continue to be working out the kinds.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of a student attending H.I.M.S. I echo the comments made by the parent who posted a review on Jan 11, 2010. There seems to be a real communication problem between parent-teacher and parent-administration. With the exception of one teacher at the school - our emails and phone calls have been ignored. Most recently we attempted to reach the student counselor by phone and left a message. Two weeks passed with no return call - when the counselor was finally reached by phone he apologized that he had been busy with something else. Had I not just happened to call when he was at his desk - would the call have ever been returned? The school office has routinely 'passed the buck' by requesting that we contact teachers directly via e-mail and > 90% of the time there is no response. HIMS communication? Epic fail!
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a hard working teacher at Hamilton. I put in long hours, meet with parents, organize extra curriculuar activities, take leadership roles in the building, and strive to design rigorous and engaging activities for ALL of my students. I feel fortunate to work with many colleagues who do the same. I hope that families who view this website take the positive and negative ratings with a grain of salt. No school is perfect or without its challenges. Over the last decade of my career at Hamiilton, I have seen a lot of progressive changes in both administration, academics, and electives. With the addition of the APP program, the newly remodeled building, the music program, and renewed dedication to academic excellence for all and an integrated international program, I expect to see the rating for Hamilton on this website increase. I'm excited for the future of Hamilton and proud to work there.
—Submitted by a teacher

hiya im a 7th grader currently attending this school i would say that this is one of the best school in the district the teachers r soo nice and the students to i was gonna go 2 eckstein but not anymore and next year for us is gonna be a great year exsting and we have alot of fun and education at our school if we have problems we have teachers helping us :) hope hamilton comes up on the top
—Submitted by a student

The most disappointing thing about Hamilton is the complete lack of approachability. By that I mean that despite statements on the school's website about how they welcome parental involvement, the truth--at least in my experience--is that requests to meet with teachers are ignored. Similarly emails to teachers or adminstration simply vanish into the ether. And if you try to meet with the assistant principal, odds are good that you will be ignored then, or otherwise brushed off, as well. Coming from a very responsive elementary school--where parental involvement was encouraged--its quite a disapointment. I can no longer dispute the negative information I was given by friends and colleagues about middle schools in Seattle.
—Submitted by a parent

Hamilton is the best school ever! I went to Hamilton Last Year as an eighth grader and love Hamilton now and forever!!
—Submitted by a student

i am a 7th grader goin to hamilton right now and i personally think that this school is awsome i dont know about what ther parents are saying cause some of that is personal (such as about the princapal) and by the way we have a new prinipal also if u are readng this all of these posts are from over 2 years ago now they have a music program as good as eckstein (ok mabey not that good but pretty close!) i would definetly recomend this school because there are not many clicks and the teachers have alot of respect for the students and i just think this is a great school!!!!!! (by the way next year we will have a new really pretty school!)
—Submitted by a student

I currently attend this school and I'm really glad I switched here. I've made so many good friends and I've learned alot. Most my teachers are wonderful and its really differce here. Not alot of cliques.
—Submitted by a student

I was a new student on my eigth grade year and I would definetly encourage for you to go to Hamilton if you want a diverse and amazing school year experience. I also loved that at Hamilton there weren't a lot of cliques like other schools have, and it was very easy for me, as a new student, to make friends. Everyone is different so you don't have to worry about fitting in.
—Submitted by a student

As a teacher at Hamilton, I believe that it is one of the better schools I've worked at. I feel bad that parents need to write such negative reviews about our school. Middle school is hard for kids, chemically their brains are changing and hormones rule their life. I feel that Hamilton, although it's not the prettiest building in the district, it has the best staff!
—Submitted by a teacher

I am a teacher at Hamilton and I think it is unfair to judge an entire school by the limited knowledge a parent might have about their student's teachers. There are some wonderful teachers at SHIMS that integrate computers into their curriculum, that use digital and video storytelling, international exchange activities, hands-on labs, and science journals, reading and writing workshop, and a terrific Writers in the Schools program. There is a constant flow of artists in residence and an after school music program that provides a lot of individual attention given the size of the group. There are no text books for middle school immersion programs and the language teachers have worked very hard to develop a program on their own and should be commended. I rarely use text books which are canned and usually not that good. Hamilton has been improving and will only get better. Support the new facility.
—Submitted by a teacher

Computers are not integrated into the classrooms. Japanese and Spanish are offerred but they have no text books for students. It is difficult to be involved with your child's education and impossible to get progress feedback from some of the teachers. They also do not incorporate basic skills such as organization, keyboarding, computer literacy, and the science curriculum is very lacking. The school is delapidated and it's social environment chaotic. I would not recommmend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Best school ever. I made up my email, just so that I could rite this letter. I am a 13 year old kid that goes to this school, and it rocks you soxs off. It has dances once a month and the food is really good. I love this school!!!!!
—Submitted by a student

I am skeptical about this school and feel it is not a safe, positive learning environment for my son.
—Submitted by a parent

LOVE Mr Acena! Hes wonderful with Students. Miss V is awesome too, Ms Gerlitz is a Great Coach as well as Teacher. They have a good thing there at this school can;t say enough good things!!
—Submitted by a parent