4426 Fisherman Bay Rd
Lopez Island, WA 98261

I attended Lopez school from grade 3 through graduation. I went on graduate Phi Beta Kappa in physics from Reed College, and followed by a PhD from U.C. Berkeley. I certainly wasn't a trust fund kid -- we were on food stamps and for most of my school years lived in a house with no indoor toilet. The experience at the school prepared me reasonably well for rigorous university programs. My kids now are in middle and high school on Lopez. As a small school, Lopez has some challenges in the scope of classes that can be offered, and in scheduling of classes. But small scale has advantages as well -- opportunities to participate in all sports without tryouts, participate in student government, and great international travel programs.

Our oldest has gone to this school off and on since Kindergarten, she has now just finished a year of 6th grade and we sure weren't impressed. It's not our job as parents to have to teach our kids at home what you should be teaching them at school. What really goes on during these 7 hours of schooling? It's just a shame and as for our Son in first grade we have had the same problem this year as we did years before with our oldest. Not enough reall teaching and they rely way too much on parents to make up what the teachers are lacking. Oh and there is no summer school program for the older kids and the 1st grade clqass summer school program consists of gardening and free labor at the Local Farmers Market.