Griffin School

In my experience, this school was fun to be a part of as a younger child, but much more problematic in the higher grades. The education was better in elementary school and due to the fairly small sizes of the classes, the teachers were able to give the necessary attention to each student. Plus, discrimination was low in younger grades because all of the students were still young. However, in middle school, things took a turn. Discrimination increased by an insane amount, and though I was never the target of this hate, I would hear about these problems all the time. Multiple times, my friends and I witnessed racial slurs being used by other students, and though we always reported it when we saw it happen, the school often didn’t do anything about it. Occasionally, there would be a temporary punishment set in place, but there was no effort by the staff to permanently stop the students from using slurs. This got so bad that it would be considered a ‘normal daily occurrence’ to hear discriminating words in the hallways. Every time we spoke up to the faculty, they would claim that they were ‘working on fixing the problem behind the scenes’. I’m not even sure what that was supposed to mean, but I never saw a school day where the “Griffin Grizzlies” respected themselves, respected each other, or respected their school. However, from the outside these problems aren’t seen easily, and the school appears normal. Besides the major discrimination problem, it’s actually a nice school. Many of the teachers were great people and great educators, who I really appreciated. The school is also enjoyable if you have friends there. Griffin is the place where I met many of my best friends. The campus is fairly small, which is easy to navigate, and it is in good quality thanks to the janitorial team. There are a lot of large groups or packs among the students, and there is definitely a popularity hierarchy, among both students and parents. Most often, children of Griffin teachers or staff become more popular, and it is hard to get into the real Griffin “community”. These problems are very prominent to someone who knows Griffin inside and out, but it can still be an enjoyable experience with the right teachers and friends, which I had during my time at this school. Every school has problems, and this one is no exception, but i still valued my Griffin Experience. The amount of spirit at this school is also wholesome. Overall, I would recommend this school, but it has problems.

We love Griffin for both of our kids. The teachers and staff are very supportive.

Overall our experience at Griffin has been extremely disappointing and difficult. The school rightfully has a big presence in the Community. There is a lot of attempted school spirit, and the community at large is very supportive of the school. There are also some nice families. It has some components for what could be a more successful school environment. But there is a disconnect somewhere between teachers, staff and families. From our perspective there is a select group of kids and families who are doing well in the environment. Many of them come from families who have been in the community for years, kids of teachers or community leaders or friends of their kids. This is one of the biggest complaints I have heard from other parents. It is the most exclusive community we have ever lived in. It is a small community and sadly has too many families who are isolated and exluded. And if you have a kid who is not neurotypical, even mildly, be prepared to put in exhaustive amounts of energy, time and money into supports to help prevent them from coming out of this school broken. There is also a big bully problem and a lack of clear authority to deal with it. If we could go back in time and didn't have a another choice, we would enter the school community with very low expectations, probably only part-time and seek outside activities and community from the beginning. Our family is very social and we deeply care about a rich academic experience. We have finally found community and academic support outside of the Griffin School community.

Possibly the worst school I've ever attended. Bullying is never dealt with. The administration made no move to help with bullying whatsoever. The only good part about the school are a few of the teachers. And I mean a total of 6.The whole time I went there I dreaded going. It shaped me into a paranoid, anxious, and traumatized individual. Looking at the school as I drive by gives me borderline panic attacks. There are packs among the students and if you don't get in a pack you're a goner. Unless you can get private tutoring by the teachers, choose a different school.

I'll start with this: there are better schools out there and for that matter worse ones too. Griffin at best is meh.I heard high praises about how great this school is and how lucky we are to have moved here. Well if your child is highly capable this is not the school for them they do nothing for them. Go to Tumwater for their hi-cap program. Also the class sizes are not as small as they claim, one grade had 28 or 29 kids to a class and only adding more each year. People are flooding to this school and the district is doing nothing for expanding. The majority of teachers there are clueless what to do with kids with ADHD. But if your kids have an IEP they will trip over backwards to help. So if your kids are just normal kids they will just coast right along never getting a sideways glance or be notice for any higher potential. Griffin needs to realize all kids need attention from the struggling to the bright ones. Not just the kids they are required by law to provide support for. All kids need support. Buy a house in Tumwater for a better district.