Home > Washington > Seattle > Seattle Community
Moving to Seattle
amynay76 January 28, 2012
Our family is going to be moving to Seattle this coming summer. We are looking at the Madrona area but are concerned over the information we have found on this site and others. Most of the reviews we have read though are older (2-5 years). Does anyone have any current reviews/thoughts on the Madrona schools, specifically the elementary?
hgreenuk February 2, 2012
I can't tell you about Madrona schools specifically. Your best bet would be to go to the Seattle Public Schools website and look at the test scores and, most importantly, the annual surveys of teachers, kids, and parents. Due to the disorganization and lack of funding of SPS (plus, some appalling test results) I would look into finding a home in a better school district.
Some good school districts in the Greater Seattle area are: Lake Washington, Northshore, Bellevue, Issaquah, Vashon, Bainbridge Island, and Mercer Island. Just know that many people move to get their kids out of Seattle Public Schools. Renton and Highline are also not very well thought of.
I'm not an expert though, and I'm actually an SPS parent myself. However, if you are just moving here, I would definitely recommend finding a home in one of the good school districts or living in Seattle and having your kids attend private school if you can afford it. That said, the Puget Sound area is a fantastic place to live!76384
ramrod February 19, 2012
As hgreenuk stated, don't move to Seattle for the public school system. Be prepared to pay private school tuition if you live within the city limits and you truly care about your kid's education. That's what we do. Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Issaquah have great public school systems if you don't mind leaving Seattle. Mercer Island real estate is pretty pricey though (as if Seattle isn't already).76687
