The Meridian School

4649 Sunnyside Avenue North

Seattle, WA 98103

16 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-5
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 09, 2025

We were looking for a school that focuses on academic excellence and whole child nurturing (emotional development, social relationships, accepting community). With academics in particular, we wanted great academics while avoiding some of Seattle’s higher pressure elementary environments. There’s more than enough time for high pressure in middle/high school and beyond. We are very happy with our choice, with strengths in reading and math. A few years ago, the school went through some leadership tumult (see older reviews posted) but the new leaders are great and have stabilized things. Rather than a cloistered environment, we really like that Meridian is part of a community and shares its building with non-profits while the playground is a spacious city park.
Submitted by parent on January 25, 2025

We joined Meridian this fall with a kindergartener. We were looking for a school that valued academics and creativity, community, social emotional learning, and saw kids as whole people whose full selves need to be nurtured every day. We wanted a balanced approach to learning with a variety of opportunities. We were also mindful of wanting our daughter to be in an environment from a young age that would help her develop confidence, use her voice, and the ability to advocate for herself. We spoke with several families during our decision process and repeatedly heard similar themes; appreciation of community, academic attention and differentiation, and kids who loved going to school. Lots of schools are great for specific kinds of kids, but we wanted a school that was great for lots of kinds of kids. What helped us choose Meridian was hearing from parents who had multiple children enrolled and felt like their very different kinds of kids were all flourishing.Our experience has been terrific so far. The school and the kindergarten teachers created such a supportive and welcoming environment that the transition from pre-k/daycare environments to kindergarten was effortless. Her kindergarten teacher is phenomenal and I see lots of kids excited to go to school and proud and excited to learn. The kids are encouraged and seen. We love that in addition to the typical classroom reading and math skills that there are lots of “special” classes. These include art, music, gym, Spanish, science, library, and creativity lab. The teachers create supportive learning environments that reinforce learnings in other areas. The use of themes as entry points and pathways to learning about themselves, others, and the world has been really effective so far.Our kiddo is young, but they have already enjoyed three filed trips and the ones ahead in the coming years look great. One of the things we appreciate about Meridian is the buddy program. Each grade level student K – 2 is assigned a buddy in a grade 3 – 5. This buddy program helps all kids be invested in one another and is a great part of building a supportive community. Our kid loves her 3rd grade buddy and is already looking forward to being in 3rd grade so she can be someone’s buddy. Teachers, staff, and leadership are easily accessible and very responsive. The care that families and faculty have for the school make it a really special place that we are glad to be a part of.
Submitted by parent on December 05, 2024

When we were considering schools for our two children, we considered a wide range of options including independent HCC-focused schools and public schools. Meridian really stood out for its enrichment programs and strong parent community. The teachers and leadership team really know each individual student and are very responsive and proactive with parents. My kids love the wide range of enrichment opportunities, particularly math league, coding, art, cross-country, karate, parkour, and chess club. The parent community regularly comes together for annual camping trips, family-friendly events, and parents nights out. I highly recommend Meridian!
Submitted by parent on November 20, 2024

Our children are advanced learners and both tested into the highly capably program. In our school search, we were looking for an educational environment offering strong academics, individualized student support, social-emotional learning and a wide range of enrichment programs to engage our children's curiosity. We found all this and much more at the Meridian School. Our children love joining to school each day and come home excited to share what they have learned in the classroom. The small class sizes have allowed teachers to really get to know our children and how they learn best. The staff and faculty are amazing and work very hard to make sure all families feel included, which creates a vibrant and close-knit community. The specialist teachers are incredibly dedicated and we love that our children are developing newfound passions in music, art, science and sports. We have had excellent communication with teachers and staff about our students' development both academically and emotionally. We highly recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2020

Meridian did a great job reacting to covid. My child felt connected and seen even as learning was remote.
Submitted by parent on January 07, 2020

The school we left was not the school we started at. We had high hopes and a few great teachers that buoyed us along. However, in the end, our child was traumatized-- not sleeping, not eating, physically causing herself harm due to inconsistent, unpredictable, and punitive methods of managing challenges. We are deeply disappointed, extremely angry, and wish to inform any potential parent to strongly reconsider sending your child to this school.
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2017

If you want your child to be an independent thinker who is inquisitive and challenges ideas, look elsewhere. The goal of the current administration is to run it as a business and focus on accepting children that make their lives easy so they can focus on what matters most (I guess that is not the kids?) (Hopefully this will change with the eagerly awaited departure of the current head of school who is incredibly condescending to faculty, staff, parents and students.)The teachers are generally very nice and the math coach is amazing. They all want your child to learn and they want your child to be a good person. The administration, however, does its best to avoid children who think for themselves or dare to question anything. Their word is gospel. Docile and submissive children are welcomed with open arms, so long as they stay in line! Perhaps that is why the school has one of the highest turnover rates around. They are going on their third Head of School in only four years and teachers come and go through revolving doors, especially under the current head of school.Also, with a total of 4% underrepresented minorities (an average of roughly 0.68 per classroom) The Meridian School is great for those who like to talk about diversity from a distance while minimizing their child's exposure to people of color. This is the lowest of any school with over 100 students in the whole city (Washington State average is 28%). Meridian's claim of promoting "Diversity and Inclusion" apparently means bringing in guest speakers to talk to students about the real world that surrounds the school, but I am guessing they are required to enter through the back door.If you want your child to actually be exposed to the real world and learn to think for herself, any school in the Seattle area will better suit your needs.**** Update on 05/21/2017The shining star that I mentioned above (excellent math coach) is apparently leaving at the end of this year after more than a decade. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as she is both outspoken and from Colombia. I am sure they will find someone that blends into their culture a bit better. That is a real shame.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2017

Meridian over the last four years has been an amazing community of supportive and talented teachers, a wise and strategic leadership team that has served as a change agent and helped the school mature and hone what it was already doing well, preparing kids to be successful academically and socially outside the gates of the secret garden of their elementary school. Meridian has worked with learners across a wide range and found ways to challenge and support them. Great place!
Submitted by parent on January 05, 2014

My daughter graduated from Meridian last year. She has gone on to a fantastic Seattle middle school in the heart of Seattle, is a friend to all, smart, community-minded, athletic, and was beyond well-prepared for middle school. Organizational habits taught at Meridian will last her a lifetime. The school's new administration is wise, forward-thinking, and relies on a fantastic parent community and good, kind kids to make plans for an even better future for the school. My daughter is now in a class with Bertschi, scds, ucds, and Bush kids and I would say (as her parent :-), but still) that she is excelling socially and academically. I highly recommend Meridian. Oh, and did I mention the most beautiful grade-school campus in Seattle? Also, if you've read A Pattern Language, you'll appreciate the mixed-use, mostly non-profits facility that houses the school.
Submitted by parent on May 26, 2013

A lot of administrative turnover. We pulled our child and decided not to send our second child to meridian. We liked the community just didn't get what we were told we were going to get.
Submitted by parent on July 16, 2012

We have two very different children currently at Meridian (4th and 1st). Our oldest is introverted, with a desire to please, and some learning issues. The younger is sharp, boisterous, and extroverted, and can be authority-challenging. I have watched the faculty, head of school, and staff at Meridian come to know both of my children deeply, and handle the social/emotional and academic needs of each with great care. We are very happy with the school. Our children are growing into wonderful people there.
Submitted by parent on June 25, 2012

We transferred from public school. Two things have stood out for me this year. The school community has been so warm and extremely supportive. My son had a passion for learning and took an interest in every subject because the peer to peer learning model and our teacher, the school, presented the work in an engaging way.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2012

We love having our daughter at Meridian. We've been there for two years, having just completed the first grade. What makes Meridian special? At a high level, it's their emphasis on getting the kids to love learning. So while there's emphasis to to have students excel in math, reading, and Spanish - perhaps more important is that the school is striving to have kids be confident to tackle math problems, eager to pick up a book, and excited about different cultures. In regards to the classroom, we have watched our daughter achieve incredible heights both socially and academically. With class sizes not being above 16 students, a full time teacher, a shared grade-level aid, and ever-present parent volunteers - we feel like there is plenty of support and help where it's needed. Today our daughter loves reading and this year alone she's gone from reading Level 1 primer books at the beginning of the first grade to enthusiastically reading chapter books at every opportunity. In regards to the parent community, there's a continuous stream of opportunities to get involved with the school and other parents. The on-site afterschool program is another Meridian strength.
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2012

We had two kids at Meridian our oldest went on to middle school with severe deficits in her education and we are now pulling our youngest for similar reasons. The education at Meridian is terrible it has been a total waste of our money. My oldest child can barely add and she's in 6th grade the math program at Merdidian is very very weak!
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2011

We could not be happier with Meridian. With 2 kids now enrolled, we are seeing our older child absolutely blossom and looking forward to the younger one finding her place in a great group of smart, enthusiastic kids. Contrary to the comment below (granted she's not a boy), our daughter *adores* the art program and does it in the summer, too. It is a fantastic resource and has added tremendously to her experience. I don't know others that were made to dislike art by the very kind and encouraging teacher-couple. Science: the head of school is a scientist by training who is pushing science boundaries and the recent auction raised $10s of thousands earmarked for science. My daughter loves math; her teacher approaches it from so many angles (traditional paper/sensory/manipulatives/games) that it's hard not to find something to like! Both of our kids are "gifted" by testing standards, but Meridian's down-to-earth attitude doesn't make anyone feel excluded from a learning or social standpoint. Meridian is understated and doesn't go for glitx -- more like a Swarthmore than a Stanford (where I went) -- high achievers with an independent streak; parents are the same.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2011

We had both boys at this school starting in 1999, and have transferred our second to public school. Tuition has almost doubled since then, and the new head of school has used that money to make physical improvements that frankly, weren't that important for education. The final straw was the art school that Meridian contracts with: the teachers clearly view boys as "stinkers" and made my children and others hate art. The community service is now lip service, and many of the good teachers have left. If you have money and your children didn't get into UCDS, this is the school for you.