Peter Kirk Elementary School

1312 6th Street

School District

Lake Washington
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
Type

public

School Map for Lake Washington 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 parent on April 02, 2024

My son attended all 6 years of his elementary education at Peter Kirk and I have mixed feelings about whether or not I would recommend this school.Pros (1) High parent involvement (way more so than other public schools) including Dads as part of the WatchDog program. (2) My son had some absolutely wonderful teachers during his time there who went the extra mile when he needed help. In some regards, the level of attention from specific teachers felt like a private school experience.(3) Lots of organized activities aimed at building a community amongst the students.Cons (1) Extreme bullying can exist at Peter Kirk - I have heard my son comment about it, have heard about some pretty harrowing experiences from other parents, and a friend of mine went through it with her son. Over the last few years, I know of at least 2 families who have pulled their students out of PK to be home schooled because of it. In my friend's situation, even when his son was told to "go kill themself", the administration response was apparently poor and more of a rubber stamp exercise vs. a genuine concern to understand what happened and discipline students - even if that meant confronting active and popular parents at the school. (2) Although I'm sure this exists at all elementary schools to some degree, there are definite cliques at Peter Kirk. I think this comes with the high parent involvement but if you're not active in the PTA, you will definitely feel like you're back in middle / high school and not a part of the "cool" group.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2023

Peter Kirk Elementary School has amazing teachers! We had two kids go through starting in Kindergarten. The parents at the school are super involved. The PTSA is extremely supportive of students, teachers and families. The parent engagement is superior to most schools. Dads help on the play ground regularly and Moms are always at the ready helping in class rooms. This is a very unique public school that is almost like a private school due the parent involvement and care.
Submitted by parent on July 08, 2020

I’ve had two kids go through this school. I’ve long thought the principal was terse and flinty, but we rarely interacted so it didn’t bother me too much. The teachers are, for the most part, very good, and our kids were lucky to have some exceptional ones. But their response to Covid has muddied the waters. I no longer know that I’d recommend it.
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2019

My experience and my children's experiences at this school has been excellent!
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2019

Our son went from K-5 and loved it.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2018

It's our 3rd year and I cannot say enough good things about it! The community of families and staff is unlike any other that I know. The PTSA is very strong and level of community engagement and volunteerism is tremendous. Choice Schools like Community School try to create this culture based on research of the benefits, but I feel like we hit the lotto because we organically have this culture already (without any requirement to do so). Ultimately I feel like you get out what you put in. Whether you have 1 day a week, or 1 day a year, there are ample ways to engage in your student's learning.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2018

Great experience so far. That would be our second year in this school and things are going great, Our daughter tells us that "she loves the school"
Submitted by parent on September 10, 2017

Fantastic community involvement and teachers range from good to great.
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2017

Overall ok, the difference in the competence and effectiveness of teachers in grades 1-5 are significantly different and it is just luck of landing in a class with a good teacher. There is some level of bias which may be subtle, it was not handled well by the teacher in grades 1 and 2. The school counselor is pathetic. In contrast to the counselors in other LWSD elementary schools, the counselor here is extremely ineffective and does not know how to do the job.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2017

Fantastic in some years, extremely poor in others due to variability of the teaching staff and effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of leveraging the talents of parent volunteers. The overall communication and relationship that the principal has with the community is extremely poor.
Submitted by other on May 15, 2017

Community, community, community! It's saying a lot that my husband looks forward to going to school activities. Always friendly faces, open minds and respectful kids.
Submitted by other on May 10, 2017

We have very strong parental involvement in and out of the classroom. This directly affects the children here because of the teacher support, the art program, the before and after school programs, the outdoor education, the field trips and the extra help for students. We also have a fun school marathon, school play, carnival and field day. All of which involve parents and community support. We have a superb crew of amazing teachers and support staff. We love this school!
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2016

Peter Kirk is very strong. Great teachers, super motivated and involved parents, and one of the strongest overall communities in the metroplex. The school is old, but that is merely optics...its hard to go wrong here.
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2014

I am a parent of a son who is about to enter kindergarten, so I do not have much insight into the school. However, I am disappointed by the fact that the school, like many elementary schools, is dominated by female teachers (based on the LWSD website, only two teachers in the entire elementary school are male - a first grade teacher and a PE instructor). The author of the best-selling book, Raising Cain, explains how expectations of male students and accommodations to their differences can have a positive impact on boys' performance in elementary schools. Although fewer men choose teaching careers, I would like the school to place more importance on this type of diversity.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2014

Fantastic teachers, great experience. My daughter has attended K - 1st grade and we are very pleased with her education to this point. The teachers are fantastic: very organized, really care about the kids. Parent involvement is excellent.
Submitted by other on May 07, 2014

Great school. My grand daughter goes there and loves it. Lots of community involvement. Parents assist in classrooms and monitor the kids coming and going. Very friendly.
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2013

We moved to downtown Kirkland partly to go to Peter Kirk. The school is old. Some classes are way too hot in the winter while others can never warm up. The school is built in the califirnia style where you have pods and the core is open. Your child has to go to the restroom in the freezing cold as the doors are often left open. Its very crowded. The principal was terrible. She has since been replaced. Some teachers were amazing while others were obviously done and had little spirit left in them. Bullying was a huge problem that affected many students and could have been rectified I believe with some stronger assistance, but alas the principal was never to be found and school counselor was useless. The counselor also has since been replaced.
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2013

We have been at the school for six years. It was not meeting my older child's academic or social needs. However, that probably had to do more with the kids in that grade level. My young one is entering 5th grade now and have had four fantastic years. The teachers she got through the years match her personality perfect. That particular grade level has been very caring and more academically advanced than what I experienced with my older daughter. PTSA has high and energetic parent involvement. Previous principal was nice one on one, and loved by students. As a leader she was average. To early to make any comments on the new principal.
Submitted by other on October 09, 2012

My daughter loved her years at Kirk Elementary. Her teachers were all excellent and provided my daughter with wonderful self esteem. I am writing this now because she just started middle school and she seems very well prepared in all of her classes. She has even kept in touch with all of her Kirk teachers as she loved them that much. I highly recommend this school.