Moving to Kent or Lynnwood, WA

I don't know about the Kent school district. However the Northshore school district as well as Lake Washington are rated as some of the best. The north end of Northshore borders Lynnwood. Northshore has a huge parental involvement as well as gifted and alternative programs (parent involved program called PACE). Lynnwood does not have the best reputation however I think some schools might be okay. And compared to other parts of the county, Washington schools rank pretty high.

Good luck with the move, you might consider other school districts as well and base your choice on schools and commutte. Depending on where a person's job is, the North or South end of town might be better. We also have good schools here on the Eastside.

You can see school and district reviews at www.greatschools.net which might help you to make a decision.

We moved from Seattle to Edmonds because of the schools! The only one I've heard to avoid is college place elementary, and spruce didn't seem too good either. But you can also request another school other than your home school. I've lived in Seattle my whole life and would always pick north (Lynnwood) over south (kent)! Just my opinion!

K.,

I grew up in Lynnwood, and I think the school district is better than some. So I'm a little biased here. The Edmonds School District is a hilly one, so when things freeze we shut down. There is also a gifted school, I don't remember the name of it, but it's one thing I'm keeping in mind for my son who starts Kindergarten in the fall.

School District website: http://www.edmonds.wednet.edu/

Hope this helps,
Melissa

Just found the site for the "Highly Capable" site: http://staff.edmonds.wednet.edu/tl/HighCap/HighCapHome.html

Edmonds & Northshore (right smackdab next to/in Lynnwood) are the two best school districts in the state. ((Caveat, our state has very very low standards...if you're coming from somewhere with great schools, expect to be underwhelmed))

So too, Evergreen (a private school for the gifted, AMAAAAAAAZING wonderful school) is right there in Shoreline. They actually have some kids who bus for 2 hours each direction to get there from Renton/Kentish area. http://www.evergreenschool.org/ We can't afford it, or we'd be there in a heartbeat.

You definitely want "north" over "south" districts. There are many reasons for it, but as a whole, the northern suburbs have higher quality districts with programs like "HighCap".

Hello K.,

Kenmore just got name one of the best family cities by Family Circle magazine. It is below Lynnwood. I believe Kenmore is part of the Northshore school district, which is a great district. I'm not a huge fan of Lynnwood itself, but I like the surrounding areas.

Personally, I'd avoid Kent, they have a decent school district, but it is huge - my sister's family is part of the Kent district. They live in Renton.

Positively,
M.

I find these responses odd. We used to live in Kent and moved to Redmond (Lake Washington School Dist. is very good as well) because the commute was too much for my husband after having a baby. But, we would have been happy to have our son in the Kent school district.

They have won awards for excellence in academics and have some very good sports programs if your kids are or will be in sports.

I think either area would suit you well and would choose your community based on you or your spouse's commute and what you can afford.

I don't know anything about Kent, but Lynnwood would be the Edmonds School District. If you get on the district's website, you should be able to enter the address and it will tell you the neighborhood school. If you are looking at 98036 it could be Lynnwood Elementary, Brier Elementary, Hazelwood Elementary, Spruce Elementary or Cedar Way Elementary. Edmonds is a big distirct, there are 24 elementary schools.
If you daughter has been in a gifted program and you want her to continue in a gifted program, I would contact the gifted coordinator ASAP. Getting in will depend on space availablity. She might have to wait. In Edmonds it is called "The Challenge Program" and it is housed at Terrace Park School in Moutlake Terrace. The challenge coordinator should be able to tell you what to do.
In Edmonds, we have "open enrollment" which means you can transfer to another school that is not your designated neighborhood school based on space available. If you don't care for your neighborhood school, you can "open enroll" into another school if there is space. You would have to provide your own transportation.
Good luck!

Hi - I live up north in Bothell and the Northshore school district, the one up here is one of the best.
I cant give you names of schools because I dont know where you will live but I would say if you can get in that district it would be good.