What is it like to be a part of your co-op community?
Family involvement benefits parents and guardians, students, and educators alike! Our students get to see their parents/guardians and teachers working together to create a learning environment that puts their needs first. They gain the confidence that comes from being cherished for who they are. University Co-op is a community where parent/guardians can learn, grow, and help each other through this precious, fleeting, and challenging time of parenting young children.
What criteria do you use to select students? We look at a number of different things including parent/guardian-supplied information, teacher evaluations, and transcripts (1-5). We are looking to build a diverse class of inquisitive students who will thrive in our dynamic learning environment and enroll families who support our mission.
How many spots do you typically have? We have an average class size of 16 students. The number of openings vary each year. We encourage interested families to apply!
What happens if we are not accepted? If your child meets our admission criteria, but we are unable to offer a spot to your student initially, your application is placed into a wait pool and will be considered should any openings occur.
Are siblings given priority for enrollment? Siblings receive special consideration. If we determine that we can meet the needs of a sibling applicant, their application is given priority.
What is the age requirement for Pre-K? Children need to be four years old by September and toilet-trained.
What is the age requirement for Kindergarten? Children need to be five years old by September 1.
Do you have before or after-school care? Yes, we have both! For Full Day PK-5 students, we offer before school care an hour before school starts and after-school care until 5:30 PM. Learn more about our Extended Day Program.
What are the parent/guardian responsibilities? We offer families flexibility in contributing time to our school. We typically ask that families perform one job (such as photography, gardening, trip planning, social events, etc.) OR do one weekly classroom work-shift (2.5 hours). Family Jobs and work shifts contribute to the running of our school, support our students, and help keep tuition lower. We understand that not all families are able to do a job or a work-shift. The important thing to know is that we are very flexible and work with every family to find meaningful and manageable ways to contribute and to experience the benefits of our community. Learn more about the role of our parent/caregiver community here.
Do parents/guardians have a say in the curriculum? Curriculum is the responsibility of our teachers and Education Director.
Do parents/caregivers teach the children? Teaching is the responsibility of our teachers and TAs. Some families assist in classrooms if they have a classroom workshift. Families who choose to volunteer in the classroom may work with small groups of students or performing various tasks to support the classroom as directed by the teachers.
Do students get homework? We believe that students work hard during the school day and that after-school time should be primarily reserved for play, friends, family, and pursuing personal interests like sports, theater, and music. There is no homework in the PK-2 Grades, with the exception of occasional project work. A light amount of predictable and easily managed homework is given in Grades 3-5 as a way to connect parents with classroom learning and to help establish routines such as regular reading time.
How are student assessments done? Do you do standardized testing? We primarily rely on authentic assessment tasks that are not separate from the actual instruction but are part of the learning process. In addition, in Grades 1-5, we have ongoing reading assessments. As students prepare to transition from University Cooperative School, they learn test-taking strategies as a means of preparing them for middle school.
Can University Co-op support students with learning differences? As a small school, we do not have special education services or a support specialist on staff. We have tutoring spaces available for use during the school day if a family engages outside services for their student. In addition, eligible students can access services through their local public school and can use tutoring spaces during the school day. We make admission decisions on a case-by-case basis. If you have specific questions about your student, we encourage you to contact us.
Are your teachers certified? Yes, all of our core teachers are certified teachers, and many of them have advanced degrees as well. Learn more about our extraordinary educators.
Do teachers participate in professional development? Yes, every year teachers attend a variety of professional development conferences, seminars, classes, and workshops.
What is the role of the specialist teachers? We offer a robust arts program. Typical arts offerings include: visual art, instrumental music, singing, drama, dance, and Capoeira. Many of our specialists are working artists in the Seattle community.
What is the administrative structure of the school? We have a Co-Head of school structure. The Director of Education directs the educational program of the school, including overseeing teachers and curriculum. The Director of Business directs the business operations of the school.
What is the role and makeup of the Board of Trustees? The Board of Trustees is made up of current and alumni families and University Cooperative School educators. The board holds fiduciary responsibility for the school, supports the school directors, raises funds, ensures legal and ethical accountability, and upholds the mission of the school.
What are your affiliations? We are a subscriber school of NWAIS (Northwest Association of Independent Schools), a member of PSIS (Puget Sound Independent Schools), WFIS (Washington Federation of Independent Schools) and PEN (Progressive Education Network). We are also a state-approved private school with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
How long has your school been in operation? We are nearing our 50 year anniversary! University Cooperative School has been going strong since 1975. Learn more about our history here.
Tell us about your building. We purchased the historic Maxwell Building at 5601 University Way NE in 2003. Since then we have done several renovations, including earthquake retrofitting, addition of two library spaces, a gym, art room, music room, kitchen, great spaces and beautifully lit, comfortable classrooms. Our newly renovated building expansion opened in November 2023 includes a new Pre-K classroom, art studio, student commons, kitchen, offices, and tutoring spaces.
Tell us about your neighborhood. We are in the North University / Ravenna neighborhood. We make full use of our vibrant surroundings and community by going to Cowen Park every day and making frequent trips to Ravenna Park, our neighborhood pea-patch, the University of Washington, including the Burke Museum, the Center for Urban Horticulture, and the Henry Art Gallery, just to name a few. We use readily available public transportation in our neighborhood to travel to Seattle Children’s Theatre, and make many other around-town excursions.
