Sunset Village

As a parent at Lake Hills Elementary, my family’s experience has been extremely challenging and emotionally exhausting. While there are staff members who genuinely care about students, we have often felt unheard and unsupported when trying to advocate for our child’s educational and behavioral needs.Our family has had ongoing concerns regarding communication, consistency, and implementation of supports within the classroom environment. We have repeatedly had to push for accommodations, accountability, and follow-through related to IEP and behavioral supports. Instead of feeling like partners with the school, many interactions have felt reactive and focused more on discipline than understanding the underlying causes of behavior.Inside the classroom, consistency between staff responses has been a major issue. Expectations and consequences often vary depending on the adult involved, which can create confusion and escalate situations unnecessarily. For students with disabilities, trauma histories, or behavioral challenges, consistency and trauma-informed support are critical. Unfortunately, our experience has often been the opposite.The Lake Hills community itself is very diverse and filled with many caring families and children. However, families advocating strongly for special education supports can sometimes feel dismissed or viewed negatively rather than treated as collaborative partners.As a parent, it is heartbreaking to constantly worry about whether your child will be supported, understood, or disciplined for behaviors connected to their disability. The stress this has placed on our family has been significant. We continue advocating because every child deserves a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment where they are treated with dignity and compassion.

Great school in my experience. Special education staff are very helpful and knowledgeable

They fired all my favorite teachers and the new building is terrible.

Emerald Heights Academy is a TRUE GEM in our community!Finding the right school for your children can feel overwhelming, but enrolling our kids at Emerald Heights Academy has been one of the best decisions we have ever made. Honestly, the only regret you might have after joining this wonderful school is realizing you didn't send your kids here earlier!One of the biggest standouts is the small class sizes, which ensure that every single child gets genuine, individual attention. If your child is ahead in a specific subject—like math—they don’t have to wait around for the rest of the class. Instead, they can actually be placed in an advanced grade level for that specific subject. For parents whose kids are currently in public school advanced programs but are considering private education, this is an incredible opportunity. The curriculum here for advanced students can be far more competitive, challenging, and flexible than standard public school enrichment options.The physical environment makes a massive difference, too. Some of the most popular and academically competitive private schools in the Bellevue area surprisingly have classrooms with no windows at all. Students at Emerald Heights Academy are blessed with an amazing, modern facility featuring large, beautiful windows in every single classroom, filling the space with natural light and creating a truly inspiring place to learn.Beyond academics and facilities, the school environment is deeply nurturing. Emerald Heights nourishes authentic Catholic values, instilling strong character and morals in the students daily. You’ll also find extraordinarily caring teachers and a principal who genuinely know and look out for every child—a level of personal dedication that is so rare to find nowadays.To top it off, the community is incredible. There is an outstanding, highly supportive network of like-minded parents, paired with rich cultural diversity from families representing countries all over the world.Finally, we deeply appreciate their commitment to a classic, proven curriculum. Solid education—especially in foundational subjects like math—requires consistency. While many public schools today have completely done away with homework, Emerald Heights assigns daily, purposeful homework. This teaches children how to practice independence, manage their time, and build true self-reliance, which is easily one of the most vital life skills they can learn. We couldn't be happier with our experience!