Seattle Academy

1201 East Union Street

Seattle, WA 98122

12 Reviews

School District
Grade

6-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 12, 2022

Seattle Academy has not been transparent about dealing with accusations against a current member of the faculty. The school’s 2016 policy stated that faculty cannot maintain personal social media contact with current students. This teacher maintained personal Facebook friendships with current students up to and including many 2019’s at least one female 2020 student, despite his having been told directly that this was contrary to school policy. The administration was informed that some faculty were maintaining such connections and could have investigated. The same faculty member used personal text messaging to communicate regularly with students in his classes, again contrary to school policy. The policy stated that faculty should use traceable, school-sponsored lines of communication except when impractical (i.e. field trips). When the current assistant head of upper school was informed of this violation, he responded that this teacher’s use of text messaging was sanctioned by the administration. A student later (7/11/2020) described their experience of grooming by this same faculty member in the anonymous Instagram group Thesaasexperience:“While in highschool (redacted) targeted me with inappropriate advances through an ongoing relationship via email, one-on-one after school meetings and handwritten letters. [...] He would say that our frequent after-school meetings were invitations for extra vocal coaching because ‘I had something special’, but when I arrived, I instead received invitations for shoulder massages and extensive questions and conversations about both of our personal lives. I spoke up about it more than once, in a variety of ways.” In response to this Instagram group, the administration established a “Student Life Committee” to address such complaints as well as other issues. This Committee never issued a report. In justifying its inaction after the allegations in Thesaasexperience, the current head of school said “you can’t follow up with specific cases because you don’t know who is raising those issues,” however this post asserts that the student did speak up at the time. The teacher in question is still at the school, and goes on overnight retreats with students. If you are considering Seattle Academy you might ask yourself (or the administration) if the school takes student safety seriously, or if it’s just a show. Or perhaps you’re better off just not taking that risk with your kid.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2018

SAAS has been an excellent choice for my son. The teachers, which for me made the difference for us, have been outstanding. The curriculum has been challenging as you would expect for a college prep school but for the most part the homework has been manageable. He has focused on math and science classes and they have been excellent. The opportunity for trips both within the US and outside the US have been great as well. Overall, I would highly recommend SAAS.
Submitted by parent on April 30, 2017

SAAS is consistently one of the top 5 private schools in Puget Sound. The curriculum is challenging but fair and offers depth in science, technology, robotics, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Our son is a junior this year and the college counseling is top notch. Other than the cost of schools in this range, we only have positive things to say. This review applies to the upper school only. Our son did not go to the middle school.
Submitted by student on February 09, 2017

I have a child who is creative yet struggles academically because of learning differences. SAAS'S learning support group (Mike Haykin is amazing) has gone above and beyond to help support my child along the way. Their understanding of children with differences and non-differences and their willingness to offer solutions to support each child individually is tremendous. SAAS has a wonderful staff and we feel grateful to belong to such a unique school.
Submitted by student on January 16, 2016

I am currently a freshman at SAAS. i love it! it's bomb! I arrived about a year ago in the U.S without any knowing of English and SAAs teachers and staff have been helping me a lot to stay on task and try to keep up with everyone in my classes. I made honor roll and i am very proud of it because i think that SAAs can be a very challenging school but all the teachers and your friends make it easier. The fact i like the most: you can be yourself with anyone, teachers, students, friends, other people of the staff and it made it easier for my transition in high school which was also my first year in an entirely american school.
Submitted by student on December 28, 2015

Oh my gosh where do I begin?! I am about to graduate from SAAS class of 2016 and I wish I could ask for more time. I am so happy that I chose SAAS because of how much I have learn about myself. Compared to my other friend's high school experiences I could have only ever imagined myself at SAAS or maybe Northwest. SAAS is the perfect size for me. It is small but big enough to connect with a new group of people each year and meet a few new teachers. The teachers are all great and I have only had one teacher who I thought was "okay". The sports are great too but the only downside is that we don't have a football team so sometimes the spirit is low. SAAS is growing and I am excited to see how big it gets. Oh and don't go to SAAS if you think you can just slide through high school. You will have to work hard some nights and two times harder the next day but it is amazing the skill I have acquired from putting in that time. I definitely feel prepared for college, but I will miss this school a lot. If you can afford it and you get in, pick SAAS. I promise you will love it and you will for sure be welcomed with open arms.
Submitted by parent on November 09, 2015

My child applied to SAAS for 6th grade and is still there now. She applied to many other top schools in Washington and ended up getting into all of them. She loves SAAS the curriculum is challenging, and she is learning new skills everyday. My daughter attended a very selective small elementary school, and found that SAAS was not to hard to settle in, everyone was very welcoming and accepting. She loves the arts program and athletics program, and the academics are structured to challenge everyone in some way. She has gained knowledge not only academically but how to react to situations outside the classroom in the "real world" currently she plays two outside sports, has two private training sessions per week, does SAAS athletics, guitar, piano, and vocal, she is in a SAAS production, this is a lot but with the help of teachers to keep her on task and organized she has a high honor GPA. We love SAAS and in no means have any reason to change schools.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2015

SAAS is a school that is full of opportunity. The teachers are given a fair amount of autonomy and they run with it--inspiring true intellectual curiosity. The school is best for students who have a strong sense of self--they dont have to be outgoing but they should feel relatively secure in their interests and willing to try new things. I wouldn't recommend SAAS for kids who have trouble expressing their opinions or marching to their own drum. There are all types of kids who are interested in all types of things. For my daughter who has a strong sense of self but also is happy to watch and learn from the world around her, it has been a great fit. She is excelling academically and making some wonderful, quirky friends with a variety of interests and backgrounds.
Submitted by parent on June 06, 2010

Both of my children attended SAAS and received an excellent education. They formed close relationships with multiple faculty members who truly care about them as human beings and as students. Supportive, strong sports and drama programs; creative arts opportunities abound: film, welding, ceramics...... The faculty are the kind of people that you want to have as role models for your kids. The administration tries out new strategies for working with kids; gives creative license to teachers to try new ideas. I am so happy both my children received such a fine education. They learned how to learn.
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2010

Seattle Academy pushes kids to try absolutely everything, to go outside of their comfort zones, even if they're not the best. This has been our first year at Seattle Academy and our daughter has grown so much since starting in the fall. We attribute this to the fact that she has tried so many new things, and applies herself everywhere. The teachers are some of the most encouraging people we have ever met. Now that the school year is coming to a close, we can confidently say enrolling our child in Seattle Academy has been the best educational choice we have made with our daughter.
Submitted by parent on May 19, 2010

I did not think that Seattle Academy was a good place for my kids. I thought the culture was permissive and elitist. I think that previledged kids are generally at risk of not learning to apply themselves because they already have access to the good life. SAAS does nothing to help with this dilemma.
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2009

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