Lakes Elementary School

6211 Mullen Road Southeast

School District

North Thurston Public Schools
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

School Map for North Thurston Public Schools

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 June 13, 2023

Absolutely love this school & its teachers! I feel good sending my children to school. All staff i have encountered are amazing & there a lots of family events the school puts on. I as a parent felt supported.
Submitted by parent on May 12, 2023

I believe this school is very prejudice , I have heard and seen some things that I don’t believe are right. I have hear mixed things. The principal is great the vice principal is very harsh. Our kids do Come home with complaints. I interacted once with the principal very kind.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2023

Teachers are great!!! Kids don’t complain. Front desk staff is rude, vice principal is rude. I saw him being rude to students during field trip.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2023

This school has the rule, that all the students must wait outside and line up in a single file line until 8:05 am each day (sometimes it takes longer till 8:10) to enter the classroom. Lately, it's been VERY COLD in the morning. The temperature is in the 10s or lower 20s as the time the school bus drops them to school is around 7:48 am. We are asking the school to make an appropriate change for those times when morning temperatures drop below 32 degrees. The students should not be standing outside just to wait for teachers to finish preparing in the morning, such as making a few copies as stated in your previous email when announcing the rule last year. The students standing outside waiting for the classroom to open in way below-freezing temperatures is Not acceptable. It's different with recess time. During recess, their bodies are moving and running, instead of standing in a single file line, and the temperature also improves. Standing still outside in the morning cold causes many children to get sick. I noticed my child's stuffy nose and sneezing last Friday after he came back from school, and those symptoms continue through the weekends. He told me "it's too cold waiting for the classroom to open". And yes we dress him in extra warm clothing, gloves/hats just to hope it would help. As a parent, it's very sad to know the adults stay inside but keep the children waiting outside. They are too young. The morning rule is causing unnecessary risk and increasing their chances of getting sick. Unfortunately, many families like us have to work, so I'm not available to drop my son at school at 8:05 am every day. Most importantly, as educators, providing a safe and healthy environment to the students should be paramount and should not be sacrificed to make a few copies, etc. We are not asking this morning waiting rule to be completely disregarded; we are asking when the weather is cold like this when morning temperatures drop to freezing or below, the students should be allowed inside and not asked to line up waiting outside until 8:05 am. Those young children have been doing a phenomenal job by following the rule, and many children got sick because of that or relevant of that, including mine. The school principal told me he's not planning to make a change this year. I hope he reconsiders it and makes appropriate changes in the near future. He knows how many children have to go to the nurse office and how many called in sick.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2022

Some teachers and principal bully students especially those on the spectrum and do not support learning. They treat kids like they are trouble. No kindness anywhere. Definitely do not recommend based on personal experience. (2018)
Submitted by parent on September 21, 2021

We LOVED our time at Lakes. The teachers and staff made the experience the best. My daughter loved each teacher she had during her time here. She found confidence and leadership skills while attending lakes. Her second grade teacher EXCEEDED every expectation we had for our childs teacher. We are so grateful for our time here!! Keep up the good work staff!!
Submitted by other on April 11, 2018

I feel this school is an above average school, I would recommend it.
Submitted by other on November 16, 2016

The staff is awesome !! Very helpful with anything that may arise.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2016

We moved into this school district this year. My children previously loved going to school, were always upset by the end of the year, and then excited about the return of the school year. With this school they had a countdown for the end of the school year. They didn't want to go to school, it's a complete turn of behavior. While they are satisfied with their individual teachers I was not 100%. I found it frustrating that my youngest child's teacher was so against a child excelling in learning and stated that she didn't think we should push children, but instead keep them at their expected levels only. Just an overall feel that this is less school than the school we came from. The staff feels less friendly and inviting and it shows in my child's attitudes about school. Rather disappointed since Great Schools listed this as an 8 when we came and we came from a school that was a 2 rating and it by far exceeded this school. I'll never fully believe the Great Schools rating again. Just a warning to other parents.
Submitted by parent on September 17, 2015

Both my son and daughter attended this school and it is still etched in their minds as the worst experience possible. My kids are very different from each other. My son excels academically and it comes easy to him and he is outgoing. Where my daughter is shy and tries really hard and gets good grades too. They both would come home crying regularly. They do not take bullying seriously and will punish a kid for finally sticking up for themselves. My son had always been well liked at his other schools but this one he had a very hard time. The teacher didn't help as she singled him out and even graded him very low on stuff e.g. reading, when I could clearly see his reading score was 6th grade level in the 3rd grade. When I asked her she just ignored me during the conference. He cried every morning before school not wanting to go and I ended up meeting with the teacher and principal weekly to keep on top of the happenings. I have never had to do this with any other school and am pretty laid back. But the experience my children had was completely terrible! My son still remembers his experience here and he is now in the 6th grade. It has affected him and he has worked hard to overcome his lack of confidence this school gave him. We moved after 2 years and thankfully my daughter only had to endure one year of it since she was a 6th grader when we started. I would not recommend this school to anyone! Some teachers may be great, but the experience we had w/ the ones my son had and the principal were the worst I could ever imagine!
Submitted by parent on June 11, 2013

My children attended Lakes for two years. Under different leadership, I would recommend the school to anyone. The outgoing principal was the worst leadership I've seen in a school in 30 years. The teachers are amazing--they're supportive to the children and are never out of line with the them. However, beware if you're coming in from another school system or out of state. The school system as a whole caters to state testing, there's barely any emphasis on science, and they really push being politically correct---so no one loses or wins anything or makes an "A" or a "B". The 1-4 grading system is 90% subjective and how the teacher "feels" the child did.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2013

We couldn't ask for a better school for our children! We got a waiver to attend Lakes after hearing from friends how exceptional the teachers and staff are. I can't believe the difference! Our children have attended 2 other elementary schools in Lacey....there is no comparison! If you want your children to be in the best hands, with the most attentive and caring teachers, Lakes is the school for you!
Submitted by other on January 03, 2013

Wow i love this school.it is a good one for my cchild.but they are too sleepy
Submitted by other on November 21, 2012

This school is very well run! The teachers care about the students, and the principals can often been seen walking around and checking on things.
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2012

The teachers are excellent, but the office staff are unhelpful and cold. They are not great about keeping parents informed of policy and procedure.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2012

The learning experience my child has had at this school is great. She learns how to work well with other and how to make good choices. The only problem I have is there is no Open Door Policy. If you want to drop in on your kids and see how their doing you Can Not. You have to make a appointment a day in advance to check on your child. I really disagree with that policy and it needs to be changed. A parent should never have to make an appointment to check on their child. It is very uncomfortable for parents from other states. Who is concerned with the transition of their child.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2011

Three of my children attended Lakes in the past. Ms. Quiocho is the best teacher any of my children have ever had. The staff is friendly and they truly care about the students.