121 S Ely St
Kennewick, WA 99336

I have 3 children who have passed through this middle school. The teaching here leaves a little to be desired. There's a high percentage of low income families assigned to this school and often times smart kids are not adequately challenged because teachers are focused on the struggling kids.The sports teams are also mid level. The school itself trains their teams pretty well but the competition is poor. This school does not provide a level of athleticism that competes with AAU level teams. If sports is important in your school selection you're better off going to Desert Hills or Chinook.The administration in the school is terrible. They are difficult to deal with and constantly lie and cover each other's backs. I have caught them repeatedly lying in emails. Sadly even the district is reluctant to do anything about this. I can't speak to whether this is the case at other KSD schools.One of my children was the target of another student's harrassment and when I questioned the district's policies and training on how to deal with it they gave me the run around and brushed it off. Fortunately that principal is gone now and the new one is doing better. I am still convinced this school lacks where others do not, and will be considering a different middle school for my fourth child.It is worth mentioning that while my children all get great grades and are in honors, they are never excited about going to this school.

What others should know is that low to moderate income does not equal problem kids. The children that attend Westgate Elementary School come to school with a smile on their faces every day. They are very loving, trusting and kind to each other. What I love about Westgate is that about 20 different languages are spoken here and there is a real spirit of acceptance amongst the kids. Another thing I like about our school is that we have a young energetic staff who know our kids can achieve and will achieve. I never hear excuses made about anything from anyone. We have 12 men here at Westgate which is unheard of in an elementary school. I believe this is a positive for our school. Of course our test scores can improve and believe me they will. We love these kids too much to fail them.

The principal at this school is fantastic and very responsive. My daughter is enjoying her teachers and is in the honors program here as well as track. I have not regretted sending my daughter here at all! I think that Southridge is an all-around great school and they truly care about the kids. I do wish the drama and music programs were even better, and that the parents were more involved, but I believe that lack of parental involvement is becoming an epidemic all over the U.S.