
A rendering of the future “learning terrace”
Seattle Public Schools plans to renovate and expand Montlake Elementary School are pressing forward, over the objections of some neighbors who say the new school will be too big for the site and for the neighborhood.
The city’s Department of Neighborhoods has completed a review of the proposal, and has passed its recommendation along to the Department of Construction and Inspections, which will make the final ruling.
The existing 22,000-square-foot historic school along 22nd Ave E would be maintained, while being renovated and modernized. The existing six portables, cafeteria and small greenhouse would be removed. In their place, the district plans to build a new, 80,500-square-foot building along E Calhoun, stretching the length of the block, and wrapping around 20th Ave E. Additionally, a new gym will be constructed at 20th and E McGraw.
The end result will give a roughly C-shaped campus, with a courtyard used as an outdoor play area. Additional outdoor space will be available on the roof of the gym, and in a mezzanine-like called a “learning terrace” coming off the new building with room for many more students.
The dramatic potential enrollment increase is a big part of what’s upsetting many neighbors. After the renovations and expansion, the school will be able to serve 500 students. In the current, 2022-23 school year, the school has an enrollment of 184. That’s down from a recent high of 268 students in the 2017-18 school year.
The all-time high for enrollment at Montlake was 487 students was back in 1935-36, when the school housed grades K-8. It’s now K-5.
Not all neighbors are upset about the proposal, of course. In public comments filed with the city’s Department of Neighborhoods, some gave the project unequivocal support.

An aerial rendering of the project
Those that were upset look at the potential enrollment and say it will play havoc with the neighborhood’s character. They note the school is a small campus (second smallest in the city) in an area with narrow streets and has no dedicated parking. They generally say the root of the problem is fitting too big a school onto too small a site.
“Shoehorning the buildings–proposed for 500 students– to cover most of what vies for the smallest school lot in the city, would be about a tripling of current school, staff, and student body size. This though even Seattle School District’s website indicates little to no growth in number of households in the Montlake community in the next five years,” wrote Montlake resident Arthur Dorros in a comment to the Department of Neighborhoods.
Additionally, parents and neighbors point to district projections which call for falling enrollment across the district for the next 10 years. Continue reading →