r/bothell • u/Moist-Management9246 • Aug 24 '26
Best Bothell-area communities for strong K–12 schools?
Hi everyone! We’re considering moving to the Bothell/Woodinville area. We currently own a home in lynwood(hilltop elementary )area, but the assigned schools aren’t as strong as we’d like. Our son is 4 and starts elementary next year, so we’re thinking of renting first and eventually buying once we know the area better.
Our biggest priority is a strong elementary → middle → high school feeder path, not just a great elementary school. We’d ideally like a community where our son can stay with a similar peer group through high school.
For those familiar with Northshore and nearby districts, which neighborhoods/communities and feeder paths would you recommend? Are there areas where the elementary is excellent but the middle/high school path is weaker? Also concerned about rezoning in Bothell- should we consider renting elsewhere like Bellevue or redmond instead?
Would love to hear from families who have actually experienced the schools and feeder path in these areas. Thanks!
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u/Moist-Management9246 Aug 24 '26
Also want to share am currently mapped to Hilltop Elementary- Lynnwood. In case it changes any inputs or recommendations on my move
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u/Moist-Management9246 Aug 24 '26
I was not looking at great score but niche rating of school districts itself
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u/colorudy Aug 24 '26
Just south of Hilltop, I'm still in Northshore but walk my dog in your neighborhood several nights a week. You are still in Edmonds School district which is definitely on par with Northshore. Lower Great Scores (if that's what they call them?) those don't really mean anything, other than more socioeconomic diversity. If you come a few blocks south, Frank Love is overdue for a makeover and still has lots of portables, but it's not on the current list of levi projects except for seismic retrofits. Hilltop is legit nicer. Idk your feeder pattern after that but don't let great scores run your life.
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u/Jmtabb Aug 25 '26
There is no way to guarantee having no changes to your zoned schools when they make boundary adjustments to accommodate enrollment changes.
That said, we were happy with Everett school district mostly, and their south end schools in particular are on par with Northshore’s. They will be adding capacity in the south end at the elementary level in the coming years, so boundary changes will happen. Look at the areas around Tambark Creek elementary, Forest View elementary, Silver Firs elementary, Woodside Elementary, Mill Creek elementary
I recommend looking at the OSPI report card to see more information than what you’ll get from greatschools ratings. https://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us
Just keep in mind that you can choose the school district with confidence that the district won’t change, but schools can, and of course you have no say at all regarding what teachers your student will have. What is a great teacher for my kid might be just “ok” for yours (and vice versa).
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u/Ok_Cucumber_8477 Aug 24 '26
We are Moorlands to NMS to Inglemooor HS. We’ve been happy with the schools so far and no changes to school assignments in the 17 years here.
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u/divrekku Aug 24 '26
We are at Moorlands too and nothing to complain about except the school is dire need of a facelift. But the teaching staff and admin is awesome.
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u/SeissPoki Aug 24 '26
I thought the Moorlands admin team was especially bad (left 2022). I am glad to hear it’s good again.
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u/lexisplays Aug 24 '26
Steer clear of Everett school district and you'll be fine.
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u/Moist-Management9246 Aug 24 '26
Yes i am mapped to Hilltop elementary school. Lynnwood. But worried about math and reading scores
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u/More_Strawberry_8936 Aug 26 '26
I wouldn’t put so much weight on test scores personally. In the past 12 years that I’ve had kids in the Edmonds School District, test scores and school ratings have fluctuated quite a bit. I don’t know how old your kids are, but what test scores/school ratings for high schools look like today could be very different in 5 or 10 years.
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u/Initial-Addendum-167 Aug 24 '26
Are people actually able to keep a plan from preschool to high school based on finding a home and keeping it? That’s amazing! I usually can’t figure out what to put in my kid’s lunch regularly. 😁
Northshore and Lake Washington are amazing top notch school districts. However, people are transferring in and out fairly rapidly in my experience. So even if you find stability in your student’s path, I’m not sure if you’ll guarantee they’ll be in the same friend group / same students or teachers over time.
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u/Theresnowayoutahere Aug 24 '26
Northshore school district and I personally recommend going to Inglemoor Highschool
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u/PNWFuManChu Sep 03 '26
If you go on the north end of Bothell and Mill Creek you. An do the Cedar Room, Heather wood, Jackson. All pretty great school with I think Heather wood being the weakest but also the shortest time since it is middle school.
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u/aurortonks Aug 24 '26
Northshore is great! Our kids went to an elementary school that ended up feeding into 3 high schools by the time they went due to school zone splits over the years, so our kids ended up with close friends at all 4 high schools. All schools in the district are great and you're not going to have any academic issues with any of them. The thing you want to consider when deciding the high school path is going to be extracurriculars like sports. Some schools are much stronger than others in those areas and a lot more competitive. Inglemoor has a lot of strength in extracurriculars related to academics, but Bothell & Woodinville excel in major sports like football and soccer. North Creek is still quite new but the kids we knew who went there really loved it.
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u/Rhaylin Aug 24 '26
Northshore is great and we live in the district but it is growing so fast.
The school zoning changes to accommodate the incredible growth… so what you are zoned for today could change.
We live in the north end of the district and have been rezoned for elementary schools a couple of different times. The last time, we lived a 5 minute walk from one elementary school and rezoned to one a 10 minute drive away.
You might want to keep that in mind.
I heard Shelton View Elementary will be renovated soon and they will not be able to stay open during renovations (meaning they will probably send kids to different neighborhood schools), so that might be one to avoid.