Benjamin Rush Elementary School

6101 152nd Avenue Northeast

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 June 28, 2024

Follow up from November. We are the Guardians of a special needs child who is an escape artist and has certainly been demanding on the schools staff. I am happy to report that the teachers and staff have been excellent, providing lots of attention and learning opportunities for our child. Our child needs extra work on communication and situational awareness. The best improvements in speech and empathy so far have come from the work at this elementary school. LWSD has speech therapists on staff and they do a great job in just a few hours per week. This staff has been amazing for us. We are one of the families constantly asking questions and needing.. everything. patience, meetings, reminders etc. The school staff have been patient at every outburst or crisis, always respectful and very safety minded. The Principle and Vice Principal both have put in long hours giving leadership and attention to the needs of the population of children, parents and the school staff. Phone calls get returned. Plans get followed. Learning happens. It's really good. These people are obviously caring, intelligent and responsible professionals. They respond to problems and disagreements with dignity and solutions. We are back this fall to continue our child's education.
Submitted by other on February 08, 2024

I attended this school for 5 years. Excellent community (from what i remember) and the teachers assisted with the language barrier my family had. Students and Staff are amazing.Another thing I would like to point out is their campus. The "Forest" as its called, was a wonderful small section covered in trees and plants. Plenty of shade for everyone, and was always fun to run around in. Even now, I occasionally walk to Ben Rush just to walk around their campus, because it is just that nice. Music program is also awesome, there were 2 teachers when I was there and they really taught me most of my basic rudiments. Now that I find myself considering a career in music teaching, I envy how talented the teachers were. The younger grades are in the building itself, and the older grades are usually in the "portables". These portables are pretty small, but they get the job done and most teachers were able to teach without it being a hindrance.10/10 would recommend and has been the most spacious and comfortable school in the district for me. (I have been to almost every school because of music related trips, so you can trust me on this.) Overall, great staff, good campus, and great learning experience.
Submitted by parent on November 27, 2023

We are halfway through our child's kindergarten year, and we could not be more pleased. The teachers and para educators are extremely polite, friendly and safety conscious with every child. Our child's teachers are focused on making real academic progress, teaching spelling and basic math as well as how to get along with others. Apparently each child is progressing at different speeds, with some gaining knowledge faster and some having to work harder and progressing slower. Each child and parent are treated respectfully, and polite behavior is modeled for the students to copy. The school Principal, Lucy Davies, is friendly, professional and always seems to be aware of what is happening in her school. She knows the children and parents on sight. She trends towards over communicating, which is actually great. Holiday schedules, events and school wide concerns are communicated directly from her via emails and the weekly news email / blog. We have marveled at the long hours she puts in to get it all done. Some emails come back at 900 pm giving us answers very quickly, and some relevant messages go out at 0600 am, so that parents are informed about changes for that day or week as the need comes up. I am a US Navy Veteran. Several school teachers and staff members took the time to acknowledge me for my time in service in the week leading up to Veterans Day this year. I don't need it, but I do appreciate the polite respect from them. They have certainly earned my respect back for their hard work every single day for every child they teach and care for. I intend to write another review at the end of the school year.
Submitted by other on November 11, 2023

A school that cancels Veteran’s Day does not teach support nor respect.
Submitted by parent on December 03, 2022

The school has great teachers and academic achievement, but it fails to meet the diversity and inclusion expectation. The school has mostly South Asian students, and a lot of decisions are made based on the parent requests. For example, my child had to learn about Indian religious holidays and traditions, but they cancelled Halloween celebration tradition because it's offensive to some people. As a minority parent, I never felt I was part of the community, and my kid's social life was impacted by the exclusive student group. If we are open minded to learn about other cultures, why aren't we welcome and why aren't our voices heard? There are also a lot of aggressive kids but the school is very slow at responding to conflicts and incidents.
Submitted by parent on October 13, 2022

Great school. My kid loves to go to school everyday! And progress so well academically and socially.
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2022

I moved to this school area impressed by high ratings in this website. Total disappointment. Entire KG year is gone and my kid can't even do basic English reading and writing. Most of the kids are taking private coaching because this school teaching totally inadequate.
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2021

Students don't respect the classmates. they are forming as a group discussing bad about other students.
Submitted by parent on December 16, 2019

Excellent teachers who are highly motivated to educate kids in right way. They do their job with great energy and excitement. PTSA is very solid where they raise substantial money to fund extra-curricular activities and camps.
Submitted by parent on June 24, 2019

Overall our experience with Ben-rush has been very positive. We simply love the teachers and staff at ben-rush. Mr. Wilson is totally incredible. We find ben-rush better than 10-rated school in Sammamish where our daughter was going previously. Not sure why school is only rated 9.
Submitted by parent on January 11, 2019

My son goes to this school. He loves to go to school to learn , be with his teacher and friends.
Submitted by parent on September 21, 2017

Great. My children loved the students and teachers.
Submitted by parent on June 02, 2017

My son goes to this school. The great thing is , he never said No to go to school in the last two years. Excellent teaching staff and crew. Can see great diversity. Love it.
Submitted by parent on May 25, 2015

Ben Rush is a gem of a school! Right away as you enter the front office, you are greeted by warm and friendly office staff. While we miss our beloved retired principal, Mr.Stolz, the new principal, Mrs.Davies is just as approachable, hands-on and is a wonderful leader. The teachers here are not only capable and well-qualified, but they also truly care about each individual student. Our first grade teacher's enthusiasm for first grade was absolutely contagious! Our second grade teacher's Aloha room was always filled with music, she often played the ukulele and sang with the kids. Our third grade teacher's positive encouragements motivated the students to reach for their personal best. Our fourth grade teacher's sense of humor and calm attitude created a peaceful class. Our fifth grade teacher's "let's-get-you-ready-for-sixth-grade" approach was an awesome way to bridge the end of ES and prepare for MS. Ben Rush is a peaceful school, as the whole school embraces and supports the Peacebuilder Program. Upper grade students can volunteer to become "Peace Coaches" - our fabulous counselor equips them with problem solution and conflict resolution skills while also encouraging these coaches to look for positive behaviors to reward with praise notes. The music teacher engages the students musically and puts on beautiful musical concerts. We often see the PE teacher getting down on eye level to welcome students as they come into the gym....and also makes PE so much fun and educational. The PTA is amazing too! We can't say enough good things about this school. It is a very special school.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2013

Ben Rush is an excellent school. When we moved here we thought Bellevue schools were the schools to try to get in to, but have discovered that Lake Washington School District has very high quality education standards. Coming from a top-in-the-nation school district in Texas, Ben Rush Elementary has been a great choice for my kids. The teachers are top-notch, care for their students, allow for individual learning needs (my son has a 504 for dysgraphia), and are able to teach creatively outside the "standardized test box". Mr. Brad Stolz is a phenomenal principal who takes time to get to know parents, builds relationships with students by stopping in the classrooms and teaching impromptu lessons (usually on some fun math trivia) and empowers his teachers. Ben Rush also has a successful anti-bullying program and is known as the "Peace Builders" school. I overheard a middle school teacher say that kids coming from Rush are the most behaved and respectful to others over any other elementary school. As a former educator myself and current substitute teacher that works in both districts, I would choose this school again in a heartbeat over any school in Bellevue.
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2013

This school has been exceptional so far! My daughter has really loved all of her teachers and they seem to be genuinely interested in her education. The office staff are always positive and go out of their way to help parents and make sure that kids are safe and accounted for. The principal is available to parents and works hard to make it a great school. Parents are also very involved. The student population is very diverse.
Submitted by parent on July 27, 2012

Rush is a great school with many caring parents. The teachers are great espcially Mrs. Oh, Mrs. Fouhy ahd Mrs. Andrete. My girls enjoys being in the school, they like the passport check program and learnt a lot from there.