661 Buckhorn Road
Shaw Island, WA 98245

I have three kids at this school and there are many great and unique things about it--a thriving Farm to Cafeteria program with a large school garden that the kids love, caring teachers and involved parents, and it is the hub of the community for Orcas Island. The not so great things are the high student to teacher ratio, and the inability of the teachers (due to the system and "teaching to the test") to pull out gifted students for directed teaching. This means that smart kids do not get the opportunity to be challenged, without private tutors. Overall, it is a pretty good option for such a small community, and parents and teachers do care. But it is academically limited.

For a very small school, Orcas does a tremendous job of providing quality, career/college preparatory education with a broad course offering. The staff is enthusiastic about the development of the students and providing unique opportunities for engaging with the wider world. Like many schools, funding here is a challenge and perhaps more so in a county with the 2nd lowest property tax rate in the state of Washington. In spite of that, the school seems to do a good job of apportioning their limited funds appropriately.I'm a bit dismayed by older comments decrying harassment, intimidation and bullying. I see zero evidence of that within this school. The small cohort year groups are generally very tight, in spite of their diversity in social status, political outlook or background, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc. The comments may have been accurate in the past, but I see no evidence of such a problem today (as limited as a parent's perspective can be)

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No school is perfect, and definitely no middle school is perfect. It's an awkward time of growth and social experimentation. But the teachers at OIMS are dedicated to teaching and to helping these kids transition to high school in the best way possible. They are kind, firm when needed, and so good at adjusting their teaching to each kid's needs. My kids grumble sometimes that they have extra work compared to some other kids, but this is an example of how the teachers recognize some kids should be pushed a little harder. Although there are the occasional occurrences of mean spiritedness or teasing, it seems to pale in comparison to larger schools. Because of the small size of the middle school, generally the kids learn to get along, no matter the social group they belong to. The jocks talk to the emo kids. The band kids talk to the popular kids. They may not hang out together, but there isn't harassment or bullying. I am grateful to have had my kids attend OIMS for middle school!