Bertschi School

2227 10TH AVE E

Seattle, WA 98102

13 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-5
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 25, 2024

Bertschi has an awesome urban campus that's grown out of some charming buildings and been enhanced through expensive development projects. The community is second-to-none - such a vibrant and fun and passionate group of parents, they will become your best friends. But the academics are sorely lacking, really not much better than public school and certainly not what you expect for this money. So what are you getting from Bertschi? It's a posh neighborhood school where your kids don't learn much more than they do at public school but you're way more comfortable than you would be there with unions and crumbling facilities and the unwashed masses. If this is ok with you, that's fine, just don't waste your money on the Pre-K because it is just a charming day care and they literally don't believe in teaching anything in that grade.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2021

We are so happy with our experience at Bertschi. The school provided the right balance between academic focus and social emotional development. Our boys got to participate in so many unique experience from a student led market to science dissection to hosting a poetry café. Our boys loved attending Bertschi because of the amazing teachers and facility.
Submitted by parent on November 08, 2021

Our family lives Bertschi! We particularly love the school because of how the faculty and staff envelop our kids in love and support. Our teachers have fantastic strategies and child management skills that help maximize the potential in our kids. They meet each child where the child is at and care about each student’s progress. Bertschi supports the needs of both my introverted elder and my extroverted younger; making school a place for both of them to grow and thrive. The school also provides a wide variety of experiences my children have enjoyed at Bertschi: the my eldest still talks about the robot he built with Joey in tech, while my middle son loved taking the stage in Tina’s drama room. My youngest has regaled our family with stories of the landslide project he has been doing with John in science. It is astonishing to see how much our children grow and change under the tutelage of our fantastic faculty & staff. Bertschi is a wonderful place for children to spend their childhood and we are so grateful to the teachers and staff for their love and attention.
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2021

The school has always been a source of joy for both our kids. Bertschi truly help them to be curious and creative learners. We love that the school is able to meet both our kids need. We have one that is ahead and one that needs a little more help and the school have resources for both. The teachers and staff are all very dedicated and all love what they do. The the teachers really know our kids and our kids feel love and comfortable to be who they are at Bertschi. We can not say enough great things about the school!
Submitted by parent on November 07, 2020

This school was great when the head of school was the original founder of the school. They transitioned to a new head of school a couple of years into our experience and there was a definite change. It’s become a tense environment because the head of school is spreading his political and social views in weekly emails. Some parents have become uncomfortable with this and there have been some disagreements within the community. I don’t feel that this behavior from a head of school belongs in an elementary school environment. They do focus on virtues with the children and that is what helps to shape children the most not when adults promote their own agenda. Schools should just focus on producing kind citizens and not specifically talking about current events.Other than that, there are some amazing teachers. Pre-k, kinder, third and fifth grade are strong grades. The first grade teachers are not so strong and I have witnessed them gossiping with parents and something I confided with one of the teachers was told to another parent. First grade was a difficult year.My child loves this school and thankfully couldn’t care less about what propaganda the leadership is spewing.
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2020

Our family is in our third year at Bertschi, and we feel strongly that we made a great choice for our kids as elementary students, and future adults. The strong academic program has fit the needs of both of our children, who excel and struggle in different areas. There are services for academically advanced students and students who need support with learning learning differences on campus, so there's a culture of constant academic support and personal challenge that creates lifelong learners.
Submitted by parent on February 25, 2017

We absolutely loved our time at Bertschi. We had our two sons previously at Evergreen but due to their testing policy our youngest was not allowed to stay after he completed PS and PK with great teacher evaluations (second attempt IQ test score was 'only' 90th percentile). We then applied to the usual suspects and were admitted to Bush, Bertschi, and eventually were offered a spot off the wait list at Epiphany and Villa.He ended up choosing Bertschi and liked it so much we pulled our oldest out of Evergreen so we could keep both kids together. The thing about Bertschi that stood out to me was a sense of balance. We were really happy with the great academics challenging our kids and personalizing their experience to stretch them where they were really excelling and also support them in their weaker areas. We were also thrilled with the real sense of community at the School. It's not just a talking point but something that is lived every day from your 1:1 interactions with parents, staff, and the kids to how they do their planning, policies, and run the school. Lastly, we loved the size. It was big enough to have tons of great enrichment and extracurricular activities but also small enough for the kids to feel safe and where they each got a lot of personal attention.We had to move from Seattle for work reasons but if we go back, there's no question Bertschi will be our #1 choice.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2014

We have found ourselves surrounded by families and teachers who believe in learning, structure, accountablity and community. We have found the quality of teaching and overall attention to academics as exceptional as the school's commitment to instilling values and the reasons for them. We believe the academics and our daughter's experience at Bertschi will be a factor in her long term happiness and success.
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2013

Bertschi is a unique environment that really embraces the academic, social and emotional development of the kids. It is a nurturing place; the teachers are committed and caring and parent involvement is embraced. Instruction meets the individual needs of kids who excel ('gifted", if you will') and also of kids who need extra support, because the faculty and staff actively understand 'differentiated instruction" / meeting each child where they are. The board is mission-driven; (the mission being about confident, creative and compassionate kids in a global world); they are transparent and open, and passionate about the values of the school...integrity/inclusion and sustainability. The school built the state's first completely sustainable building, a science building, with the kids contributing design ideas and monitoring energy and water usage. My kids have gained confidence, made many friends (as have we!), and my older son went on to be a top academic achiever at a strong middle school... all of which I am proud of, but I'm most pleased with how this school helps inspire lifelong learning and enrich character.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2013

We've been at Bertschi for a month now. First impressions, this is not your typical elementary school. It will make you wish you were school age again. The leadership runs an extremely tight ship. The teachers have been there (most 10 or 20+) years. The communication is stellar and my son leaves every day telling me he loves his school. One of the things we love bestis that the school has amazing energy. Every morning, Bridgitte Bertschi, the founder of the school along with many other staff members, stand at the school's entrance and greet the kids by name. They all have my child's name down even though he's only been a student there 1 month. Impressive. Because there is an air of friendliness and community there, the parents, likewise, pass this on. You won't find the Seattle "freeze" reflected in the parent community at Bertschi. They have a vibrant community that enjoys family and parent outings as well as school related functions. The only bummer, the cost. It's really expensive and the school asks for supplemental gifts from parents once a year to offset costs. That's tough, but, for us, worth it.
Submitted by parent on July 10, 2013

This school does not live up to its reputation. Our children were harassed and bullied by other students, and school leadership turned a deaf ear to our complaints. A very "club like" place that imagines it is egalitarian, but it is really elitist and highly insular. Leadership appears friendly and collaborative but is actually dictatorial. Weak board leadership. No financial transparency. Overall, a very disappointing experience. Many parents are thrilled with the place. We're happy to be out of there.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2013

My child has been at the school for two years now and I can enthusiastically say that I'm thrilled with his educational experience. The curriculum is well rounded and focuses on a global perspective, not just local. The kids learn how to be compassionate and empathetic while also being in an academically rigorous setting. I especially have appreciated how open the school is to hearing and implementing parent feedback. I have participated in providing feedback every year in a parent survey and I have seen that they can and do make changes when necessary. I also think that their learning services department is quite unique for a school of this size, helping students who need it but also challenging other students who need more of a push. I didn't think that the school did the best job marketing themselves as well as others in the "individual learning" style but they are very strong in implementing that teaching method at the school. The parent community is also really strong and I've enjoyed meeting other parents.
Submitted by parent on March 29, 2012

Looks like a terrific school from the outside. But applicant parents be forewarned, the admissions director offers nearly all rejectees a spot on the wait list whether or not the school has any actual interest in your child/family. She then sends unnecessarily nose rubbing emails if you're willing to remain on it and also says things in the group "interviews" that she doesn't live up to. Other schools are as competitive but with much better customer service.