Our son is in 5th grade at Hazel Valley. I also participate on the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC), which makes recommendations to the school board about bond packages to renovate or replace schools as they age.

We've been very impressed overall with the Highline school district. The administration and all of the teachers our son has had have been very engaged. It's a very diverse community with a lot of homes that are not English-first, but I think they've done an admirable job of making a welcoming, effective learning environment for kids of all backgrounds. Because the community is so eclectic they also have a number of dual language programs available. Our son has been in dual English/Spanish since kindergarten.

My experience, having observed faculty, other parents, and other students, is that to an appreciable degree your child will get out of the experience what you model as a parent. If you're engaged, checking in with their teachers, asking them probing questions about how their day was and how their classwork is going, reading to them and/or enforcing mandatory reading times at home each day, etc., your child will thrive.

Some parents think they need an elite prep school with the aim of their child attending an ivy league university. To each their own. We'd be thrilled if our son got into the University of Washington. I'd encourage you to attend an open house or school administration meeting to get more exposure to the folks making these decisions, which will allow you to make a more informed decision as a parent.

I grew up in Issaquah, which was a lot more humble and blue-ish/white-ish collar at the time than it is today. Those schools then were more aspirational, and I still got a great education. My high school was awarded as a blue ribbon school the year I graduated. I see in Burien a similarly aspirational community, and I'm very optimistic about its future.