My husband will be working in Renton, WA . What areas would be good to live w/family.?

Question

What are the best school districts for elementary and up? Best neighborhoods with kid friendly activities?

Answer 1

Fairwood area (in Renton) is very good for families. There are four elementary schools, one middle-school, and one high school in that area.
I have kids in the middle school and one of the elementary schools and my niece goes to the high school. We have all been very happy with the schools.

Answer 2

I don't know what people are thinking, recommending Shoreline or Edmonds. Totally far away from Renton! Newcastle is a very nice neighborhood, and kid-friendly too. Try to get your kids in Kennydale Elementary (or McKnight Middle School) so they go to Hazen High School. Renton has good libraries, WAY better schools than Seattle school district, and the water park is a blast during the summer. I would stay up in the Highlands or Newcastle, though, as opposed to Renton downtown area.

Answer 3

The places Squeaker and Cedar mentioned are all NORTH of Seattle. Renton is SOUTH of Seattle. The commute from north to south is never, ever good--partly because the roads aren't designed well, partly because so many people insist on driving everywhere and clog the roads on a daily basis, and partly because those same people are horrible, horrible drivers. If you're going to work in Renton, it makes more sense to LIVE near Renton... such as Renton itself, or Kent, Auburn, Federal Way, Tukwila, Burien, Fairwood, Issaquah, Covington, or a host of smaller communities in the South End. If you live in someplace like Bothell and work in Renton your commute on a daily basis will be somewhere between 1-2 hours each way, on a good day--it's about a 25 mile distance. Don't know the school districts too well, except for the Kent School District--that's the one I was in, K-12. Do try to avoid the Kent School District; they've done their best to get rid of or scare away most of the quality teachers, especially for elementary schools--I saw it happen as I progressed through the grades myself years ago. Unless, of course, you happen to be lucky enough to get a teacher who still teaches, challenges kids instead of pandering to them, and still believes in the almost-extinct practice of "field trips". I would recommend extensive research into the local districts, and talking to the districts and their teachers, to get a "feel" for competence and energy. As for neighborhoods--tour them yourself, and see whether they have the right atmosphere. Many places are getting a bit crowded here, and not always with the kind of folks that illicit a "family-friendly" vibe, if you know what I mean. Good luck with your search... just try to avoid living so far away from work that you end up with an insane commute. For some inexplicable reason, many people here insist on doing that, and it's a big reason our traffic is so awful.

Answer 4

Shoreline and Edmonds both have great school districts, and lots of kid-friendly programs - but they're north of Seattle, so kinda far. A lot of people who live up here work down in Renton, though - I guess if you don't mind driving? Don't know where you're moving from, but Washington is a great place! I hope you like it :) Good luck!

Answer 5

Kenmore, Bellevue, Bothell, Kirkland, Everett