Billings Middle School

12351 8th Avenue Northeast

Seattle, WA 98125

40 Reviews

School District
Grade

6-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 11, 2025

I highly recommend this stand-alone middle school. I have a seventh grader at Billings and some of the things that we really appreciate about the school are its relatively smaller size, excellent teachers who get to know your kiddo well, academically challenging them where they are at, and hands-on interdisciplinary academics that still allow for some breathing room in the evenings. The advisory program is helpful, having one teacher checking in and assisting with executive functioning tasks. We also love that there is a strong focus on expeditionary learning with plenty of outside time and adventure. And daily, lunch and free time take place outside unless the weather is very intense. My son also enjoys the types of nurturing sports opportunities he has had such as bouldering, cross country, and Ultimate Frisbee. Possibly above all else, we value the thoughtful social emotional support for this very fascinating period of adolescence when such tremendous growth is taking place. After reading some of the other older negative reviews, I'd like to point out that the school has evolved quite a bit over the years with an excellent Head of School, Deans who are thoughtful and responsive to parent and student concerns, and excellent, caring teachers. There was a period of some faculty transitions, but it has become steady and the teachers are phenomenal, some of whom have been with the school for a long time. It is true that the small size school isn't the best fit for all, but for many students, it is incredibly helpful to not get lost in the noise.
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2024

Billings has been a great school for our son. Their experiential approach tailored for each student provides the type of support our student needed. We’ve seen his interest in learning grow as he broadens his horizons and tries new things. We are really happy with the experience.
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2024

My son had a wonderful experience at Billings. As a person with hearing loss, the small class sizes and individualized education and teacher attention was perfect for him. He had a great experience with the expeditionary program and he now backpacks, camps, hikes regularly. The school has a wonderful welcoming culture where the teachers are approachable and students learn that they are human beings with lives outside the school. So they get a full picture of their teacher as a whole person. This is very difficult to find at large public schools. My son also had the opportunity to explore different interests and as a result has discovered a passion for cooking and baking. He found a job at the local organic grocery store as a cooking assistant and I attribute his confidence and maturity to his time at Billings.
Submitted by parent on October 17, 2024

Our son has been going to Billings for two years. He transformed from a kid that did not like school, lacked confidence, and social skils, into a confident and excited student. The culture at Billings has been instrumental, as have the types of kids which go. I can't recommend Billings enough. No school is perfect for every kid or parental goal. Billings is great if prioritize your child build confidence, social skills, a passion for learning from risks, and believe that the outdoors and adventures are foundational. Please check it out and talk to any alum or other parents... .your kids will thank you.
Submitted by parent on August 13, 2024

Our son started Billings in 6th grade, 2021-2022. He thrived beyond our expectations and was supported for his creatively passionate personality. Our son felt seen and heard. His confidence grew tremendously! There was a major shift in faculty and staff, however, my husband and I saw improvements from the changes. I highly recommend to any family looking for a smaller environment with focus on social-emotional support to apply for Billings. It was the best investment for our son.
Submitted by parent on August 08, 2024

We are so grateful to have found this gem of a school; for us, it has been the perfect place for our kids to develop a strong sense of self. Our older is a kid who loves academics and found himself for the first time challenged to reach his full potential, while also learning to advocate for himself and to extend his own work. He also discovered in himself the ability to lead, to embrace the difficulty of learning from outdoors adventures, and to be seen and loved as himself with a range of friends. Our younger, a sporty, friendly kid, has also found a true home at Billings. Even in one year, he's made extraordinary growth in challenging himself academically and in discovering a core sense of self that allows him to resist peer pressures and embrace himself, while developing deep, meaningful friendships. Billings has been the perfect place for our middle schoolers to embrace academic excellence while developing the life skills for a happy, successful high school and beyond.
Submitted by parent on August 06, 2024

Our experience with Billings Middle School was stellar. Our son thrived during his time there and he will be starting high school with the academic readiness, social emotional skills and leadership qualities that I know will make him successful. The Billings administration was always open to feedback and questions and the teachers are professional, kind and well-prepared for all the challenges of middle school students! I highly encourage anyone thinking about Billings to go tour the school, talk to current and past parents and research all the academic, extracurricular and athletic offerings the school has. Billings retains small class sizes and lots of one-on-one learning opportunities while also offering a similar array of activities as larger schools (and even more activities such as overnight camping trips). Billings is geared 100% toward middle school students which ensures that they know exactly how to educate and equip kids during these awkward but important years!
Submitted by parent on July 31, 2024

Our child's transformation at Billings Middle School was nothing short of amazing. Every aspect of this school - from the front desk staff, to the teachers, to the leadership is so dedicated to working with adolescents during some of the most pivotal years of their development. Their expeditionary program is so supportive and helps all students feel comfortable and included in the outdoor experiences, and the Billings Middle School Musical is not to be missed! After a rocky elementary school experience, Billings was not just a breath of fresh air, it was a lifesaver for us and not only helped our child to excel academically, but to find and use her voice for good. We absolutely would recommend Billings Middle School to any family who is considering it!
Submitted by other on July 31, 2024

The experiential education at Billings gave me a strong acadmic foundation to take advanced math and AP courses in high school, excel at a top college, earn my Master's degree, and now teach university courses. It also pushed me to take on new challenges, whether in classroom, on stage in the arts program, or on the outdoor trips. Middle School is such a transformational time and I am glad I chose Billings instead of a 6-12 school - the high school that was right for who I was in 8th grade was not what my family thought it would be in 5th grade. I stayed incredibly close with my Billings friends through high school and college, even though we went to different schools. My trajectory into successful adulthood was set at Billings and I would not be where I am today if I hadn't had the personal attention and supportive challenges I had there.
Submitted by parent on May 25, 2024

This school has driven away over 3/4 of its staff over the last two years; teachers who were the reason we chose the school to begin with. The administration is inept, tone deaf and candidly destroyed this school. Our child was heart broken by the changes that were made, most made without warning or merit. Our attempts as a community to have concerns addressed and questions answered were met with silence or dismissed outright. When we started this was “the school” we were so desperate to find. Now we cannot wait to leave. The last year has been one of heartache and we regret we didn’t leave last year. Cannot recommend enough that sadly you need to look elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2023

Our son started 6th grade at Billings at the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year. We chose Billings because we wanted a supportive environment that would support our creative and quirky kiddo. They've delivered on all fronts! We've never seen him so excited about what he's learning. The teachers are doing a great job learning about our son and finding creative ways to engage him. He's trying new things and making good friends. We couldn't hope for more.
Submitted by parent on November 03, 2023

There were many reasons why we chose Billings, but a primary selling point was that it was the one school we looked at that didn't frame middle school as a nightmare to be survived with minimal trauma. Billings truly sees middle school as an opportunity, a time for exponential growth, and this perspective is reflected in their culture of joyful learning through failure and embrace of the inevitable challenges of adolescence. My child is thriving at Billings. In elementary school, my kid refused to participate in any activities or do more than the minimum work. Now he is happy to go to school each day and try new things, and he comes home talking about cool stuff he learned that day. He loves the teachers and feels that they really care about him and his learning. I've appreciated the school's responsiveness to my child's learning disabilities as well. Billings is a caring community invested in all students' success. We feel so lucky our child is spending his middle school years here.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2023

it is a school, in seattle, en espanol
Submitted by other on October 05, 2020

Horrid. I could never imagine sending my child fresh out of elementary to this place. Its just a racket.
Submitted by parent on April 11, 2020

Billings has been a wonderful place for our oldest to thrive. The staff connect with students and do a wonderful job of teaching middle school and getting students to do deeper work while keeping it interesting and not just a grind to tick off the boxes. Our extrovert has gained the confidence to match her academic abilities and has learned skills to advocate for herself and others that she'll need as she moves to high school and beyond. Her experience encouraged her introverted brother to apply and while we're sure his experience will differ, we're confident that staff will engage just as effectively and he'll come away with skills we didn't know he had.
Submitted by parent on April 11, 2020

Our son has LOVED every bit of his middle school experience at Billings: from teachers that challenge and understand him to friendships to enjoying the learning. Every kid in our carpool talks about how "awesome" the school is. The atmosphere really fosters learning--on a social/emotional and academic level, and the kids are focused on factors outside of themselves--so important during these years of transition and growth. We are so happy to see our son thriving and happy to go to school every day.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2020

Billings changed my son's life. The compassion, dedication and commitment of the staff is like no other. I feel that our decision to enroll our son there is the best decision we could have made. The education is experiential and hands on so that the students feel incredibly invested in what they are learning. Billings is an exceptional school.
Submitted by parent on April 08, 2020

Our experience at Billings has been fantastic. Our child is well prepared for high school and was accepted into her first and second choice high schools. The faculty and staff here are exceptional and have supported our student and family at every step. The new school building is fantastic as is the parents community. This is a school where all children can be themselves and be seen, we are grateful to have attended.
Submitted by parent on April 08, 2020

Billings is a rough gem that many in Seattle don't seem to know about. We really like how it blends activity with education and its the first school that our son actively WANTS to go to school.
Submitted by parent on April 08, 2020

My daughter loves Billings. It has been the best school and experience for her. I love that my daughter loves middle school.