Interlake

My child is in 4th grade and she comes home everyday talking about the drama between the children in the classroom. There's some bullying between students and I hear about separation orders being handed out left and right. All this classroom management is taking away instructional time and the teacher seem to be exhausted, poor thing. The few problematic children take all of the teacher's bandwidth. Be ready to put your child in after-school tutoring if you don't want your child falling behind. They also have the worst math curriculum known to mankind.

My family and I have been blown away by the excellent experience our children are having at Sherwood Forest. We were disappointed in the school environment and leadership of our previous dual language school in the Lake Washington School District, and feel incredibly lucky that we have found a home at Sherwood Forest. When my children walk into the building every morning, every single adult they pass greets them by name and with a smile on their face. From the recess teachers, to the lunchroom workers, to the specialists, to the classroom teachers, to the principal and guidance counselors, everyone is clearly there because they love kids and want to make a difference. Any problems that have come up over the years (all minor), have been responded to quickly and collaboratively. The icing on the cake is offerings like choir, orchestra, band, computer science, and art--all free and all open to everyone. Speaking of free, all students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch, making meals more communal, making sure that everyone is nourished, and helping expose kids to new foods, textures, and flavors. The school is a true embodiment of "Our strength is our diversity, a shelter from adversity. All are welcome here."

My son has been a MA student for years. We pulled him out this year. This school is a mix of few good elements and many bad. The board is comprised of mainly males who work in tech, no experience in running a school and lack a clear vision how to build an academically successful community. Parents run in cliques, gossip about children and barely lift a finger to volunteer or contribute. For most people it's a one stop place to protect children from public school environment although the environment at MA can sometimes be worse. Student lack manners, use profanities and are often more drawn to topics this school is supposed to discourage them from. It's your local mosque Sunday school atmosphere here. Troublemakers who get suspended from public schools end up at MA creating a hostile environment with bullying and teasing. Their high school was doing poorly and the enrollment was at an all time low so they have shut it down now.

Our son attended pre-elementary before we transferred him to public school for kindergarten.Low diversity—mostly Asian families—creates expectations of perfect, obedient behavior that's unrealistic for 3-4 year olds. Staff follow children with tablets, record "problem" behaviors, and send videos to parents. Multiple families we spoke with were pressured to seek neurodivergency evaluations or even put their kids on medication to remain enrolled.Communication is entirely deficit-focused—only highlighting flaws, never strengths or what the school does to support development. When touring, we noticed no displayed trophies for academics or sports—unlike other private schools.Graduates we know were less competitive when applying to private middle/high schools. The education here isn't better than an average public school—so why pay private tuition?