McGilvra Elementary School

1617 38th Avenue East

School District

Seattle Public Schools
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

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 January 24, 2023

My two kids go here and we all love it. The teachers, faculty, and community are all top notch.
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2023

We love McGilvra. We’ve had a positive experience with the teachers, the principal and the curriculum. The staff is very engaged, the kids are kind and the specialized academic programs have helped our dyslexic son make huge progress in reading. The families are very involved and we have a wonderful community of parents.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2022

I can only speak to my child's one year at this school. The primary teacher used humiliation in the classroom which most educators would agree does not get results. My husband and I had to really work with our child to help them to be able to trust educators after their experience at this school. Unfortunately, some students referred to our child as "poor" and asked that others not talk to them. I want to be sure to say that there were some very sweet kids too. Overall, I really liked the Seattle School District's curriculum but this school left my child who normally loves school feeling very sad and uninspired.
Submitted by parent on April 25, 2022

We have LOVED our experience at McGilvra Elementary School. We have two boys at this school and cannot imagine a better community to make them feel safe, cared for, and free to be themselves. All the teachers have been with the school for a long time, the staff rarely turns over, and they know every kid. The communication from the teachers and staff is incredible. The principal is extremely invested in every child and works tirelessly to do so much more than her role requires. Even through covid shut downs our kids have been happy, especially our Kindergartner who's incredible teacher knocked online learning out of the park!!! We were worried but he entered in-person first grade completely prepared. The school's focus on social-emotional support through these insane covid years has been above and beyond. We feel so lucky to have this adorable, neighborhood school right down the street!!
Submitted by parent on April 25, 2022

Our two children have attended McGilvra for the past two years, and we feel so grateful to be part of this community. Both kids are excited to see their teachers and friends every day, and they are happy, challenged, and supported in the classroom. Dr. Breuder, the principal, knows all the kids by name, and she is an excellent communicator — direct, clear, organized, and honest. We have really appreciated her leadership during the pandemic. The community is very engaged, with park clean-up events and an active but not overbearing PTA. Every morning, you can see kids walking, biking, and running to the school — it’s very integrated into the community.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2022

Our two children current attend McGilvra and we love the teachers and other staff and the community, and we feel like our kids are getting a great education there! The principal, Maria Breuder, is a strong leader and has her teachers' backs, and there is very low staff turnover and a great sense of community and support among staff. The teachers care about their students and work hard to meet them where they are and help them develop into great learners and people! We've met new friends and neighbors through the school community. Our kids will be well prepared for middle school, and more importantly life, from their time at McGilvra.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2022

My two children currently attend McGilvra and we have been part of this amazing community for the past 4 years. McGilvra has incredible teachers and support, including academic interventionists, tutors, a counselor as well as art and music programs. The parent/ family community is so welcoming and has increasingly focused on inclusion and service, modeling this for our students. Our principal Dr. Breuder brings so much experience and sets the tone for the school's values, promoting equity, kindness and hard work.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2022

We’ve had two kids at McGilvra for the past four years and had nothing but a great experience. The parent community is active and engaged but not in a weird Nice White Parents way. The teachers are truly wonderful and dedicated to the kids and their learning. There is a huge focus on social emotional learning.I have nothing but the utmost respect for the principal and the values she radiates through the school. They deal with the complexity of current events in an age appropriate way across grades and always communicate with parents about the conversations going on.I was worried that when my kids started school they would lose their natural curiosity and live if learning but we’ve had the opposite experience at McGilvra and are so grateful to be part of the community.
Submitted by parent on June 20, 2019

Two kids and six years at Mcgilvra so far. I love the responsiveness of the teachers and their willingness to work with us on ways to support our kids with varying and specific needs. They make learning fun and create a comfortable atmosphere both for parents and the kids. Love McGilvra!
Submitted by parent on April 26, 2019

We've had a wonderful experience at McGilvra. The teachers and staff are warm and caring and my children love going to school.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2019

McGilvra has been a great school for us. We love that it is a small school that has such a strong sense of community. The staff and teachers care about the students and the parent community is very active which makes a big difference.
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2017

My child has been at McGilvra for four years. I didn't know much about the school when we began but I was worried that it would be a school full of entitled children and families due to the location. What I found was the opposite. McGilvra is a very community focused school: aware of and mobilized to engage with its community (Mad Valley Clean Up is a McGilvra filled event), concerned about its own students in need (multiple opportunities to provide support and be inclusive) and aware of larger world events (recent student driven and led fundraiser for a school in Puerto Rico). Parents are always pitching in - their time before, during and after school - and their support. And there is a wide understanding that not everyone can give their time or financial support and there are opportunities shared for everyone to get involved. Every single one of my child's four teachers have been accessible, kind, concerned and aware of my child for all of his strengths and challenges. We have felt fully welcomed at this special school! I cannot say enough good things!
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2017

My child is now in third grade at McGilvra and he's had a fantastic experience. He never wants to leave school, he has so much fun! The academics here are really excellent, when we came in at kindergarten, he had gone to a private (expensive for us) preschool and we were surprised to find that he was behind. But with the great direction from our kindergarten teacher and continued support and direction on what he needed to work on, he is now among the top percentile in reading. The kids are really sweet, he got upset one day since he thought he lost his backpack, and everyone in his class were super supportive and caring, so that it wasn't a big deal. Very supportive parent community with a lot of attention to socio-emotional health. Very excited for the new green building!
Submitted by parent on June 24, 2016

I have found Principal Maria Breuder to be excellent. She has always been responsive to any concerns I've brought her way, and she is smart as a whip. She is an asset to the school. I am in total agreement that the community is great -- parents pitch in and there are fantastic events at the school, most of the teachers have been great (one awful exception -- I'm sure there is a mix of good and bad everywhere) and that the relentless fundraising is a bummer. The funding goes to support teachers and kids, so it it a great thing, but it is relentless.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2015

Too much pressure on kids for fundraising every week.Principal is detached and test score driven. Cares more about teachers jobs than educating students.There are some great teachers, but a few horrible teachers. Great parent involvement.Terrible traffic jams on both sides of the school. The school district should hire traffic guards for safety of the kids from aggressive driving parents.. The principal is more worried about her orange cones being touched than to be outside to monitor traffic.The principal is a poor communicator. Sends horrible emails to the parents every week, ranging from hostile to ineptly written. Most parents have written her off as useless, over her head and a poor leader.Great teachers for most grades, but a few bad ones with bad reputations.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2015

The Principal (Mrs. Brueder) is horrible. She is very unprofessional and unwilling to hear parents concerns. She rules the school with an iron fist and is not well liked by the teachers. There is a mix of good and mediocre teachers at this school. Test scores have degraded over the past several years with more parents in the area sending students to private schools. Parent involvement is high in the schools with parents paying for the extra teachers and support resources
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2015

My child attended McGilvra for only one year, 5th grade. It was her worst year of school thus far. Her home room teacher, although a very nice person, had no control over her students. The class was in constant chaos which detracted from other children learning. She was also unable to challenge or raise the bar academically for my child often saying in frustration "what am I supposed to do with you?". The students were very "clicky" and alienating. The other staff were helpful and attentive to concerns raised save for the current principal. There was an incident last year where there was a bank robbery in the neighborhood. Following protocol the school went into lock-down. My child was in the restroom when this happened and had to bang on the door to be let into her classroom. I address this concern to the principal via email multiple times--suggesting that a sweep by an adult through obvious places like restrooms should be part of the protocol. She never responded to my concerns and when she saw me in person, she was cold and dismissive. My child's teacher quit after last year having taught for many years. Overall, one year at McGilvra Elementary was huge disappointment.
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2014

McGilvra has been a wonderful neighborhood school for my children to attend. As a small school, robust parent volunteer pool, dedicated and hard working PTA along with all of the wonderful teachers and principal at McGilvra, it has proved to be a top notch school. As the school district continues to struggle with budget constraints and cuts, schools are faced with larger fundraising needs to help supplement all of the wonderful specialists and programs that we have. While there are a few asks throughout the year, it is comparable with that of other area public schools as we all face similar challenges. All of our teachers have been dedicated, kind, energetic and able to meet my children's needs and we are pleased that our Principal (in her 2nd year) has our student's best interests in mind and as top priority. As the demographic of our school community has continued to change, she is working hard to help meet the needs of all students and families.
Submitted by parent on October 30, 2014

McGilvra Elementary is blessed with some of the most dedicated teaching staff I've ever experienced. To augment this (and ongoing School District budget constraints) the school also has extremely active parent and PTA bodies. I sometimes flinch at the number of fund raising initiatives, then I walk by a brand new computer cart containing 30 add laptops recently purchased by the PTA for in classroom technology training. I'm not sure what this investment entailed however, it has been confirmed that all of these funds came directly from PTA contributions. Kind of takes the sting out of the various fund raising asks when you see these proceeds going directly to support your child's educational needs. I frankly wish that McGilvra was a K thru 8 as I can imagine a number of parents opting for private middle school whereby I can't imagine teacher engagement could be that much better. In summary, we are extremely satisfied with McGilvra!
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2014

McGilvra is a charming school with a dedicated staff and strong parent involvement. While some of the teachers are wonderful and enthusiastic educators, a few are less than desirable. This is probably typical for a school, particularly as veteran teachers burnout. I was disappointed when the current principal was selected, and continue to be unimpressed. Her method of leading is to be "stern" and expect everyone to fall in line. The problem is that she does not communicate well. It is hard to "fall in line" when you do not know what the line is. The teachers in grades 3, 4, 5 demonstrate bias or indifference to the kids who learn differently than their chosen teaching style. There seems to be an attitude that kids who cannot adjust to the teacher should move on to a different school or repeat the grade. I recommend the school for families who want to be involved in their kids education, just expect to be extra involved in providing the missing effort in teaching.