Gatewood Private School

We love the positive and inclusive climate at this school. The class sizes are small (~15-16), the building is new, and the teachers and staff we've gotten to know have been kind and skilled, with excellent understanding of their students and the motivation to support them on their individual journeys. If you read the OSPI statistics you will see how this title 1 school stands out as a positive amongst others. There is a PTO too!

My child has been at roxhill since kindergarten and is now in 4th grade. It is a warm, supportive and diverse school. I appreciate the small size (about 2 classes per grade) which means all teachers and principal seem to know all students by name. It has a well curated library, a very passionate art teacher and weekly music class plus the addition of instrumental music in 4th and 5th grade which not all sps schools have. We have a new principal this year and she has been very available and communicative with parents. The teachers have been very consistent with many teachers having been at roxhill for 10+ years and are all passionate educators who are very invested in the kids they teach. I know parents often use this website to look at test scores. One of the things I love about roxhill is its diversity, there is not one majority minority culture but many different cultures and languages spoken and teachers encourage kids to share about their cultures. I think the test scores likely reflect the many ESL students who, as is the nature of public school, can join at any time in any grade and the ways that standardized testing may not capture a these students abilities. My child’s test scores have consistently been above grade level in reading and math without any extra support given at home so I feel confident the teachers are teaching the curriculum thoroughly and that the benefits of being at a school that supports kids social emotionally in a diverse setting cannot be captured in test scores.

This was the right choice for our student at the right time. He started at HRS in the 7th grade; he needed an academic challenge. HRS was a good match for academic focus, community, and friends. The teachers are very open to conversations, and the parent group is very welcoming. We've appreciated our time at HRS, and our kiddo is looking forward to high school. It is a good feeling; he's ready, and we know he is academically prepared to do well.

This school has new leadership, and we've had a great experience. As an option school, most families are involved and interested in their child's education. It's helped round out the school with the after-school enrichment and other opportunities outside of just core academics that we've seen a number of families put time and effort into. If anything we wish SPS would fund these schools, and all their schools better. As our kids have gotten older we've seen benefits to the project-based work they do, and appreciate the number of long-time teachers.