Seattle Hill Elementary School

12711 51st Avenue Southeast

School District

Snohomish
Grade

K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

School Map for Snohomish School District

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 other on October 03, 2024

This school is amazing they treat people how they want to be treated
Submitted by parent on December 13, 2018

I ram really disappointed about how the handle disipline issues and kids with different learning needs. Kids need more lunch/recess time to burn their energy and play.
Submitted by parent on April 18, 2018

Great school for our three kiddos. We were a bit worried by the negative reviews when we moved here in 2015 but our experience has been great. ALmost all of the negative reviews are from 6-8 years ago. Apparently a lot has changed because SHE has great teachers that have been willing to work with us. Our kiddos love going to school. We have especially been happy with their emphasis on high morals and compassion for others
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2018

We were skeptical in the beginning when we moved here. However, after almost a year, I'm amazed with their programs. My son is also very happy here even though his workload is a lot. He feels challenged and motivated. His teacher is also very dedicated, caring and organized. I do wish they renovated the building. And I think Snohomish school district is getting too crowded. They definitely need a new school.
Submitted by parent on October 17, 2016

I have had two children go through Seattle Hill and I could not ask for a better school. Every year I have been thrilled with the teacher and the dedication that they show to each and every student. They have a pretty small PTO but the work they do is AMAZING!!! The activities and programs that they provide for the students are awesome. There is a very strong sense of community. Only negative, too many new homes being built so the school is now over crowded. But they seem to be making the best of it and the students do not seem to be effected by it.
Submitted by other on May 23, 2016

When we bought in 2014 the rating for Seattle Hill Elementary was a "3" due to parents protesting state testing the previous year and thus test scores suffering. This actually told me that there was high parent involvement, so it wasn't a deal-breaker for us buying in the area. Our girls - 1st and 4th grade this year have had a wonderful experience and enjoy the positive and supportive environment each day. The staff and teachers are very supportive (especially with my oldest who has anxiety issues) and Mrs. Nelson, the principal, is very dialed in to what is happening in the school. I am glad that the school's score is up to a "6", but would give it more like a "8" or "9" if it were up to me. The only minor issue is that the building is in need of renovation, but this hasn't been an issue. Good schools are made by caring, talented teachers and staff, not a "pretty" shell.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2015

Had three boys at the school. Staff is friendly. Principal is great with interacting with families, very involved in kids lives and is passionate about it. Teachers are amazing at what they do. Most important kids are learning!
Submitted by parent on October 01, 2014

I was beyond hesitant to enroll my kids here after reviewing this website (In fact, did a year of private school to avoid enrolling). With guidance from several school district staff, I went into the office and met the principal, office staff and a few others. They put my mind at ease. Several years later, I am in love with this school and staff. The principal is next to none. The teachers work so hard to invest in workshops and higher education to be the best teachers possible. So thrilled my kids love it just as much as I do. I would love to see building upgrades and expansion, buy other than that, I'm happy with our choice. The class sizes every year have been 24 students and more often than not, a room parent (volunteer) or watch dog is in the class helping out. They do a ton of. School events and have awesome after school clubs like Legos, art.... Can't say enough good about this school.
Submitted by other on October 09, 2013

This school could improve with consistency between grade levels and even within the same grade level. Writers workshop with some classrooms, none at all with others. Spelling with some grades and vocabulary with others. Book reports each month or none at all. Math is very disjointed, I don't know how to help as a parent. I wish the school would send out expectations for homework. Many nights nothing at all.
Submitted by parent on March 10, 2013

Please don't judge us by our test scores! There is a good reason for our tanking scores, and YES, it is because some of us have become political. How can you transform public education without getting involved in the political side of things? Our test scores are a reflection of many students Opting Out of the MSP. Why? Because we want our State Legislators to know that we are tired of useless, expensive tests that do nothing more than help sites such as greatschools.org give us a score. They do nothing for our children. What would help our children? Less money on testing and more on staffing, aka smaller class sizes. We are not against testing, and we are not coddling our kids...just to get that straight. To whomever reviewed our school stating that there are parents pushing their political agendas, please know that we are doing it for ALL the children in Washington K-12 Public Schools. Come get educated before making it a negative. I'm very proud of the parents at SHE. I just wish more would get involved! I love the teachers at SHE. They are extremely personable, talented, caring, and concerned for our kids' education. I wouldn't choose any other school to send my children to!
Submitted by parent on October 12, 2012

The success of any school must be measured in terms of student experience and the growth and development of students while they are at school. We have been very satisfied with our child s teachers as the energy of SHE is focused where it should be, on students. However, as citizens of the Snohomish school district, we believe schools ought to remain independent of politics. Like-minded individuals may not like the current atmosphere at SHE because parents (not staff) continue to push political agendas regarding state mandated testing and budget issues; views shared via mass media and informal dialogue. The principal is very level-headed and fair. With effective leadership, she will unify the school community back to the primary focus of school: student learning and achievement. Of course we respect individual rights and freedoms to express, but feel our school community ought to focus on COMMON goals and interests of children while remaining politically NEUTRAL. We are an involved and supportive family and care greatly for SHE staff and students. We do not feel parental politicizing is appropriate in a school setting.
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2012

Seattle Hill is a great school, there is a sense of community among the families. There are a few parents that try to push their own agenda and do not take the students into consideration. This school, the teachers and the principal are only out for one thing, the education and well being of our children. Teachers go out of the way to look out for students. My childrenare better off at Seattle Hill than any other elementary school in the district. I would recommend Seattle Hill to anyone that asks. If people are so unhappy, they can always change schools, you are not required to stay if you are so unhappy. Mrs. Nelson should be proud of the job she and her staff are doing!!
Submitted by parent on October 05, 2012

In response to the most recent comments:Snohomish School District parents as a whole (not just SHE parents) chose to opt their children out of MSP testing.This was a community grass roots effort to make our concerns loud and clear to our state representatives.IT WORKED!We now have legislation being worked on to fully fund our children's education as our state constitution requires.These efforts were made by parents who are educated, smart, and care deeply about current and future quality of education for their children.The SHE staff is OUTSTANDING.We have not had a poor experience with any staff at SHE.Parents at SHE are dedicated to supporting their school in many ways.Some dontate time by being in the classroom or helping out at events during the year.Others make monetary donations.Each family at SHE supports this school in the ways they can make the most positive impact! Playground equipment is a longterm project and will be funded over time just like technology in the classrooms was.Spending 100K takes time.The money must be raised before it can be spent. I suggest if you don't like something, GET INVOLVED and make a positive change at school instead of complaining anonymously.
Submitted by parent on October 05, 2012

Maybe the parent who posted the playground equipment comment should attend pto meetings and become educated on where pto funds are being spent. Yes. they are working on purchasing some new playground equipment. These pieces of equipment cost ten of thousand of dollars and they are working towards that. They also forgot to mention that all of the fundraising money has been used to purchase new computers for EVERY CLASSROOM, pays for transportation so that children can go on field trips, buys new books for your library, purchase new curriculum for the school, provides student planners for every student, emergency kits for every student and even replace benches that our rotting!!! and much much more. The facts our that our school are not being funded properly by our state as they are required to do and fundraising money is being used just to keep the school running. We are lucky to have parents support the fundraising efforts that allow the school to do the above and much much more.
Submitted by parent on October 05, 2012

I agree with the last comment. So many uninformed parents. Wish they would come out to a meeting or volunteer some time. I have zero complaints about my child's education with the exception of class room sizes. That is not the schools fault. I believe many other schools in the are are worse off. And opting out of standardized testing is a great idea. This test serves no purpose to the child and takes millions dollars away from teachers, classrooms, and special programs. If more parents followed suit we could get this money back into our schools where they belong. Do not hesitate to send your child to this school. If your child is willing to do the work they will learn at this school. The teachers are great!
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2012

The playground needs upgrades and improvements. PTO said fundraising was to pay for recess play structures. We havent' seen any changes.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2012

If you are moving to the Snohomish area, use extreme caution if your children will attend Seattle Hill Elementary. Check your boundaries! There are some good teachers, but unfortunately it doesn't make up for the dysfunctional way in which the school is run. Look to move into the region covered by Little Cedars or Totem Falls. Test scores have dropped significantly at Seattle Hill, and parent financial support is sliding negatively. Without a strong academic vision with focused student goals in mind, it is difficult to provide financial support to school which is in free fall decline. We are tired of the continuous fundraising campaigns which unfortunately are hot helping build student success. Needs top down improvement.
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2012

SHE ranks 975/1003 elementary schools in the state of WA.Ranking change of 599 points from 2011-2012. Why?Because a portion of the parent group refused to have their children take the MSP to protest state budget cuts.By doing so, the entire school FAILED TO MAKE PROGRESS.Testing is required by state and fed law.This protest lacked common sense, integrity, and responsible behavior.Parents flock to academically PROGRESIVE schools, strengthening community bonds and enhancing school culture. SHE must be an anomoly.It has great kids, effective teachers and decent specialized programs.What it lacks is a UNIFIED parent support base.Teachers are doing their best to TEACH, students are LEARNING, but MSP Opt-Out parent actions affected the entire school NEGATIVELY.This is NOT support, this is APATHY.Over time SHE has demonstrated PROGRESSION via mandated assessments despite budget cuts. Suggestion:Define and focus educational goals, further develop parent support activities to assist students/teachers perhaps w/afterschool activities/tutoring, and EDUCATE parents about the purpose and value of instruction and assessment . No one is arguing fully funded education, it is the LAW.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2012

Our child had a teacher for 3rd grade this past year, who, although he seemed to try and have a solid curriculum for the children, was overwhelmed with the number of students, and relied heavily upon the children using an answer sheet posted on the white board, and the children correcting each other's math papers -- not a good idea for 3rd graders. Many "corrections" were incorrect. Also, he used this same process for writing papers, which was a joke. The kids would "rewrite" sections of each other's work, and it would be worse than what the child originally wrote. Also had a problem with snotty language toward the children. -- We had high hopes in the beginning for this new teacher; dashed by December. Teache 's ego writing checks that his abilities couldn't cash. Very sad. Very troubling. Very dissappointing. What's going on here?
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2012

Athough teachers say they use 6-Trait program, our kids did not receive workshop model with skill focus. Non-fictional writing (reports) is the main emphasis- report after report. Spelling lessons are dropped in upper grades. Students are expected to spell vocabulary words soundly, but gone are prefix, suffix, root words and spelling rules. Unfortunately writing is not a comrehensive model in upper grades. Grading: With semester grade parents are left in the dark with student progress for months. Although parent conferences are helpful, reported student progress is very inconsistent Homework is very inconsistent too. Random no homework tonight , 30 minutes on occassion, 60+ minutes? Ridiculous swings. Parents are active and influential.