Odle Middle School

502 143rd Avenue Northeast

School District

Bellevue
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
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 June 07, 2024

Since my child started, it was out of control, there no consequences for behavior, lots of fights in the school and around, vaping in the bathrooms, kids skipping leaving premises and school does nothing. I have no support, i was not the only parent who left like that.
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2024

Good environment for learning. High amount of hw. Some bullying.
Submitted by other on November 07, 2022

as a student that went to odle i think it sucked somewhat, some of the kids were mean to the girls like it was elementary, im in highschool now and i have to admit i did punch the person that bullied me for a week, some of the teacher expecting alot from us, it just sucked. but it was fun cuz of the michieve most of us did in the hallways or at lunch. i also didnt frel comfortable when i was with my counselor becausr i was way to close to her and the room was small.
Submitted by parent on March 29, 2022

slay drown in homework and cry. pray
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2022

to expand on the below, my child was bullied at Odle with less than impressive response. finally, my child is on an IEP and the people associated with this program has done zero outreach to me and have not returned my emails.
Submitted by student on January 16, 2022

My school is great because of it's goodness
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2016

This school is a little rough. Compared to our grade school (cherry crest) it's like night and day with most elementary kids opting to NOT go to Odle. Many teachers do not respond to emails, and others do not even grade papers properly. I sat down with my son who wrote nonsense in for every answer on his assignment and stated that his teacher doesn't check, he simply marks full credit if the paper appears complete. I was shocked when he showed me that he was correct. Also, assignments can be handed in weeks later for full credit which does not teach the kids any sort of responsibility. Very disappointed.
Submitted by other on February 23, 2016

I am a parent. My child IS in GMSP and is a 6th grader. So far, I would say the school is excellent. My one major piece of feedback is that the school encourages "two schools". It uses the word "gifted" which is not only bad for unity BUT is also bad for the kids actually in that program. If you tell a kid they are "gifted" all the time, they will turn into a shrinking violet the first time something gets challenging because they think their success is related to being "gifted". For a school that talks about "fixed" vs. "growth" mindset - which is a concept that fundamentally encourages work and grit - which are also stronger indicators of lifelong success - this seems like remarkably poor leadership. And, it's really not that hard. We were (and still are) a "GESP' family at an elementary feeder (Cherry Crest) and we basically banned the word "gifted". The school also loses a ton of "non-gifted" (again, THEIR term?!?!?) of GREAT families with GREAT kids from Cherry Crest because of this issue. I am pleased with the education my child is getting but frustrated with the lack of leadership around this issue. And, it damages the school. "Non-gifted" Cherry Crest families raise upwards of $150-200k per year to assist the school. So...I am giving it five stars but using the comments box for feedback in case they read it.
Submitted by other on June 07, 2015

The principal is really rude here. I am a parent and he has brushed me off many of times to talk to a student rather than a me a parent. He is arrogant who thinks just because he went to higher education he knows everything (yeah one of those). You can see it in the poor teachers eyes of what they are dealing with on a day to day basis due to this guy. By far one of the worst principals I have ever had to deal with in my child's education career. This man would rather be friends with a student than focus on how that student is doing. Grow up dude and go back to teaching and get a feel for what it is like in the classroom. Being a principal is not about how many cliques like you and how many of the students you can befriend, it's about leading, and helping these kids achieve greatness through your leadership, which is lacking, and he teachers do an amazing job picking up and help these kids succeed!
Submitted by other on April 21, 2015

I went to this school for only a year before they were going to rebuild. This school is really awesome. Especially compared to other districts in washington. Rules are some what lenient but still a god environment. Some kids at the school are somewhat rough though. They have good electives and good programs
Submitted by parent on November 23, 2014

My daughter lived offshore with her mom and went to a private Montessori school for five years before coming back to the Bellevue School District this school year. I would have sent her to a private school here, but alas I couldn't find one that I could afford. So I settled for Odle, which I have read about in several great reviews. Now, just three months into the school year, I can definitely say that sending my daughter to Odle has been one of my best decisions. The principal, Mr Eric McDowell, has maintained a most efficient environment for middle school education. Misbehaving students are not tolerated, and I still have to encounter a teacher who is not doing a good job. The orchestra teacher, Mr Barney Blough, most certainly knows how to motivate his students. My daughter had not even as much as touched a viola before the school-year started, and just last week I was very proud to hear her play "Dragon Hunter" and "Kabuki Dance" in a concert in which all three of Odle's orchestras performed superbly.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

My son graduated from the Prism program at Odel last June. I have no question that he received the best education there that we have seen (he is number five of six children all of whom went through the Bellevue school district.). The math teacher was amazing. The literature teacher taught him so much about how to express himself clearly and thoughtfully. They never let him get away with less than his best work. Now, I do not know much about the non-Prism aspects of the school, but he did take language and electives with non-prism kids. Dance was incredible! The computer courses he took were great too. Only language, where the classroom had 39 students, seemed less than stellar. The principal is always out with the students; he knows virtually all of them, and projects a caring and restrained atmosphere that is so different from the usual Middle School milieu. We had a fantastic experience there.
Submitted by parent on January 06, 2014

Odle is a challenging environment. My children's overall experience has been quite positive, but the one glaring problem deserves mentioning. The conflict between gifted and General Education students (and parents) is real. There are essentially two schools in the building and only a small percentage of students cultivate positive relationships outside of their program. Gifted students bully Gen Ed students for being "stupid" and Gen Ed students bully Gifted kids for being "nerds" There isn't a lot that staff can do about the negative student attitudes and interactions, particularly when Gifted students and parents complain of intellectual bullying within their own program. Much is shrugged off as cultural and characterized as being worse between gifted kids. That is somehow an excuse for gifted kids to demean GenEd and Special Ed students when they share academic elective classes. If your "non-gifted" child is confident enough to withstand some intellectual bullying and learn empathy for peers from ALL walks of life, then Odle is a great place.
Submitted by other on December 16, 2013

Most of the teachers doesn't understand the students, since we use a yellow card red card system, it's makes school even harder. Even though on the student guidebook, it said the teacher will give verbal warnings then the visual warnings (yellow and red cards), most of the times they just pass them out. It's even more unfair when they just pass it out to whoever they want to. I can't even l turn to ask my friend a question about what the teacher just said. In the morning it's really hard to get to school if your parent is driving you, there is only one way in and there is a swimming club right next to it, using the same entrance. And then there is Stevenson Elementary right across the street, making it impossible. It takes up to 20 minutes just to get in so most parent drops their kids off near the side walk, I think it is very dangerous. Overall, Odle is a great school with great education but it is heavily influenced by its surrounding.
Submitted by parent on April 27, 2012

"Detention" seems to me as a favorite word in the counselor's office. To be a good student here, children has to be robots not human beings. Compare to past, here is more prison then a school.