Jing Mei Elementary

12635 SE 56th Street

School District

Bellevue
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:24
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 13, 2024

Jing Mei is an excellent option for education teaching both Mandarin and English. There is a strong community and appreciation for being at the school. The principal really cares about the students and parents. However, the only area of improvement is more parent involvement in volunteering and support in events and activities involving the students and staff. It seems that the same parents do the majority of the ptsa work while others aren’t involved or criticize.
Submitted by parent on September 10, 2021

The principal and teachers are compassionate educators. Parents are very involved despite first language differences. The support, collaboration and compassion are especially evident during the pandemic years. Thank you all for supporting all of our children as they are our future leaders.
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2021

Jing Mei is such an amazing school within BSD. We’ve had excellent experiences with the teachers and administration, from Pre-K all the way through 4th grade (going into 5th this year). The school was super proactive with their response to the challenges of COVID and the teachers definitely did everything they could to support students through the challenges of online learning. Overall the parent community is also great. There is good engagement from all the different grade levels.
Submitted by parent on October 15, 2019

I want to write about the front office manager Vicky. She is always so helpful and no matter what challenging situation she could handle it. She is the best office manager I have seen.
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2018

This is an amazing school. It is a very close community and we feel very fortunate to part of this wonderful school and program. Staff and other families look out and support each other.
Submitted by parent on March 26, 2018

My son entered kindergarten without knowing how to form a sentence in Mandarin. After completing a year of kindergarten, he can now speak, read and write at a level exceeding my expectations. I can see the syllabus does ramp up quickly in higher grades, and more effort is needed at home to help his progress. I love the current principal (Mrs B) and the staff and teachers. I feel fortunate to be a part of this school.
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2018

Teachers are the best. I am one of the minority at this school and I can see that the prinipal and teachers work to make us feel welcomed.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2018

This school has definitely come into its own. After a few years struggling to get things right, new leadership, a strong parent body and supportive PTSA have propelled it forward. I'm grateful for this experience for my children. The school is attentive to differentiating for kids at both ends of the spectrum. There is a strong focus on social emotional learning and I've been happy each and every year with teaching staff. Despite this, our principle, staff and PTSA continue to look for ways to improve upon these successes. Many of the comments below are dated, so I felt I needed to give a more current perspective. I would jump at the chance to offer your children this opportunity.
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2015

As a five-year old school, one of the only Mandarin-immersion programs in the country, I feel incredibly lucky to have a child in this program. Overall, they focus on social-emotional health, high standards for all (including challenge work for talented students), and the principal is very involved. My child started K with zero Mandarin and now speaks Mandarin with strangers and reads street signs--in first grade. She has also been allowed to work ahead in math. Though I empathize with parents who feel that the leadership is lacking, I also think running a dual-language immersion program for the first five years in a highly competitive school district is a thankless task. I too look forward to the new PTSA and watching the principal step up at the school's new *permanent* location.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2015

Micromanagement and inconfidence are the words to describe the principal. In the past couple years the principal always wanted to have the final say whether on PTSA decisions or on hiring committe or even on what projects to do and not to do in class. BSD has very large classrrom sizes (about 1:26 at this school). Parent participation in the classroom has always been highly discouraged. With a new group of parents running PTSA and hard working teachers, we look forward to seeing positive changes happening for the good of our kids and to providing better support for our teachers.
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2015

My son joined this school very late in the Kindergarten year and is now in 1st grade but has enjoyed going to school from day 1. He is progressing in Mandarin but, of course, still has a way to go. He loves his teachers, my husband and I love the entire Jing Mei community. I find the principal extremely open-minded, warm-hearted, caring and committed. Vicky from the front desk is so lovely, too. The new campus is wonderful, a great environment to learn. Coming from an international school environment, however, I can tell the difference between a public and a private school. But I´m sure you can at any public school in Bellevue.
Submitted by parent on August 13, 2015

This program is falling apart because of the principal has no leadership skills and talent. The principal is lying to the parents all the time. The only thing she cares about is the enrollment. Once you enroll your child, then that is all that matters. You will not get any quality education or even a safe learning environment follows along. However, the teachers are very great at this school. Unfortunately, they are not treated well. So most of the great teachers are leaving this school for good. I sent my kids to other school already.
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2015

The school has hard working teachers and supportive parents but the principal at this school is definitely the weak link. Poor leadership: lack of vision and poor communicator, repeatedly failing to disclose important information to parents in a timely manner.
Submitted by other on May 19, 2015

The teachers at this school are amazing, that is why it gets a star. However, they are exhausted and demoralized. The principal does not treat all of her staff with respect and plays favorites. The principal is a poor leader, doesn't communicate with her staff, and doesn't support them. She tells the parents what they want to hear, but doesn't follow through. This is not an environment where you want to be.
Submitted by parent on December 21, 2014

My son is in Kindergarten. Our family has no previous exposure to Mandarin, but he loves school! Kindergarten is almost full immersion. It's amazing how quickly young children pick up a new language. His teacher and the principal are wonderful. It's a newer program, and without a mandarin background, we felt like enrolling him was a leap of faith, but we're so glad we did! He's getting a unique opportunity that will undoubtedly serve him well in adulthood.
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2014

My son loves school! The teachers work really hard to make Chinese learning fun-- and effective. I am amazed how much my son has learned in the first month of kindergarten. He's already singing, reading and writing in Chinese. Parents' support is strong too.