McDonald International Elementary School

Tour planning: 2027–28 school-tour schedule

Tuition and admission: cross-school comparison and checklist

At a glance

Summary

McDonald International is a public K–5 option school offering Spanish and Japanese immersion. Children spend half the day with an English-language arts teacher and half with a target-language teacher. Math and science are taught primarily in Spanish or Japanese, while English reading, writing and social studies are taught in English. The combination of language immersion, international education, three weekly specialist subjects and strong recent results makes it educationally distinctive.

It is not a neighborhood-assignment school. Seattle resident applicants compete through School Choice using sibling, geographic-zone and lottery priorities, with a separate native/heritage-speaker set-aside. Applicants outside Seattle instead need annual non-resident approval. McDonald had a resident kindergarten waitlist in 2026, which under SPS rules prevents non-resident placement while resident demand remains.

Enrollment and staffing

Kindergarten structure

The current school-tour FAQ reports:

• Three kindergarten classes: two Spanish and one Japanese.
• Approximately 26 students per kindergarten class.
• A target-language teacher and an English-language arts teacher for each immersion pathway.
• Instructional assistants currently listed with both kindergarten immersion teachers.
• No prior Spanish or Japanese is expected for general applicants.

Confirm that this configuration will continue in 2027–28 and ask how students are assigned between Spanish and Japanese.

Curriculum and immersion model

Language allocation

• Half the day in English and half in Spanish or Japanese.
• Reading, writing and social studies are taught in English.
• Mathematics and science are taught in the immersion language.
• Visual supports, music, games, stories and limited strategic English help beginners access concepts.
• Subjects remain in the same language allocation in later grades.

Current curriculum findings

• English language arts: SPS adopted McGraw Hill Emerge! beginning in 2026–27. McDonald's public academics page still names the previous Collaborative Classroom curriculum, so the exact Emerge! immersion adaptation must be confirmed.
• Mathematics: the school describes Math in Focus and other translated/adapted resources for Spanish and Japanese while also stating that it follows district and state standards. This differs from the districtwide enVision description and requires clarification.
• Science: the current SPS Amplify Science curriculum is translated and taught in Spanish or Japanese.
• Social studies: Washington standards, international/global content and Since Time Immemorial are incorporated in English.
• Specialists: art, music and PE are currently reported as at least one hour each per week; library follows an alternating schedule.
• International education: identity, perspectives, global awareness, cross-cultural communication and action are embedded across grades.

Curriculum question to resolve

The public pages mix current statements with older curriculum names. Before comparing instructional quality, request the 2026–27 kindergarten curriculum-night maps for both language pathways and verify which Emerge!, enVision/Math in Focus and Amplify materials are actually used.

Academic progress tracking

McDonald uses the Seattle elementary trimester progress-report system through The Source. Its improvement plan also lists:

• DIBELS foundational-literacy assessment for K–2.
• MAP reading and math.
• Curriculum-embedded ELA and math assessments.
• Teacher observation and walkthrough evidence.
• Flexible small-group “Scottie Time.”
• Elementary Progress Reports and family communication.

The plan says professional learning communities analyze data and use flexible grouping and targeted feedback. Because math and science are taught in another language, ask how teachers distinguish conceptual understanding from emerging target-language proficiency and how progress in Spanish/Japanese is reported separately.

Academics

These percentages combine OSPI Level 3 and Level 4 results for all students. McDonald was also recognized by Washington for 2024–25 achievement in ELA and math and for attendance. Results reflect the selected student population, family demand and prior learning; they are not a direct measure of a prospective student's kindergarten classroom.

School improvement priorities

The 2025–26 Continuous School Improvement Plan identifies:

• Strong overall mathematics performance.
• A roughly six-percentage-point growth gap between multilingual learners and monolingual peers on DIBELS and MAP measures.
• Culturally responsive and language-rich instruction as the principal opportunity for improvement.
• K–2 DIBELS data and curriculum assessments for inclusive small groups.
• Social-emotional learning and clearer adult response when students are unkind.
• Flexible grouping and extension for Highly Capable learners.
• No assigned kindergarten homework; later grades follow increasing time guidelines.

Culture and student support

Verified information

• Vision: develop informed, compassionate global citizens.
• Core work includes challenging stereotypes, promoting social justice and recognizing multiple perspectives.
• The current staff page lists a counselor, special-education teacher, multilingual-learning staff, speech therapist, psychologist, occupational therapist and nurse.
• The tour FAQ describes two resource-room special-education teachers plus SLP, OT, PT, psychologist, counselor and 504 coordination; verify current FTE and service model.
• Target-language academic support is reported as available.
• Advanced learners receive pre-assessment, flexible grouping, extensions and tiered assignments rather than a separate gifted classroom.

Visit observations

• No firsthand visit or observation recorded yet.

Admission and assignment

Seattle Public Schools generally requires kindergarten students to be five by August 31 of the entry year. Confirm the current cutoff and registration rules with the district before applying.

Seattle-resident process

McDonald is an option school. Under current rules, resident applications are prioritized by:

1. Sibling priority.
2. Geographic-zone priority.
3. Lottery number.

The current school FAQ says 20% of kindergarten seats are set aside for native/heritage speakers of Spanish or Japanese. The school defines this as a target language being one of the child's first languages and used naturally in the home, followed by a spring language assessment. Immersion preschool or a second-language caregiver alone does not qualify.

Issaquah non-resident reality

Applicants living outside Seattle cannot use the ordinary resident School Choice process. They need a Choice Transfer from their resident district and a non-resident SPS application. Non-residents are considered only after Seattle residents, cannot join SPS waitlists and must renew placement annually.

McDonald's initial 2026–27 kindergarten waitlist contained 30 resident applicants and still contained applicants later in the spring. This makes non-resident kindergarten placement highly improbable unless rules, capacity or demand change materially for 2027–28.

Logistics

• Commute from Issaquah: long and traffic-sensitive.
• The 7:55 a.m. start requires an especially early departure.
• Regular dismissal is 2:25 p.m.; Wednesday dismissal is 1:10 p.m.
• Children have morning, lunch and afternoon recess—at least three outdoor periods daily according to the tour FAQ.
• No before-school program is currently offered.
• Kids Co. offers on-site after-school care, but the school warns that its separate waitlist can be difficult.
• SPS bus service is not available outside McDonald's geographic zone and should not be expected for a non-resident student.

Downloaded academic resources

• Complete Seattle Public Schools kindergarten curriculum archive
• McDonald immersion curriculum and admissions archive
• 2025–26 Continuous School Improvement Plan
• Immersion model snapshot
• School-tour and enrollment FAQ

Fit considerations

Possible strengths

• Meaningful daily Spanish or Japanese immersion beginning in kindergarten.
• Strong math/science results despite instruction occurring in the target language.
• Three outdoor recess periods and no assigned kindergarten homework.
• Art, music and PE reported for at least one hour each weekly.
• Global citizenship and cross-cultural perspective are embedded in the school model.
• Differentiated Scottie Time and support for both multilingual and advanced learners.
• Published K–12 pathway through Hamilton International and Lincoln.

Possible concerns

• Non-resident placement is highly unlikely while Seattle residents remain waitlisted.
• Early start and long Issaquah commute.
• 26:1 kindergarten ratio is comparatively large.
• Immersion can add cognitive and emotional load during the kindergarten transition.
• Math/science vocabulary initially develops in the target language, which may complicate family support if nobody at home speaks it.
• School webpages contain conflicting or outdated curriculum names.
• No before-school care and constrained after-school availability.
• Annual renewal makes non-resident continuity through the immersion pathway uncertain.

Information needed before deciding

• Whether anyone in a prospective student's household is a native/heritage Spanish or Japanese speaker.
• Whether SPS would consider any non-resident applicant for McDonald in 2027–28.
• A prospective student's interest in and comfort with learning through a new language.
• Which target language the family prefers and can support long term.
• Current curriculum maps for Japanese and Spanish kindergarten.
• Exact reporting method for target-language proficiency.
• Kids Co. availability and commute feasibility.

Visit notes

No visit recorded yet.

Questions for the school

• Has McDonald admitted any non-resident kindergarten student in recent years?
• How are Spanish versus Japanese pathway assignments made?
• Which kindergarten literacy and math materials are current in 2026–27?
• Can you share both target-language kindergarten curriculum maps?
• How is progress in the immersion language measured and reported?
• How do teachers separate content understanding from language-production difficulty?
• How do you support children who find immersion overwhelming or have language-based learning differences?
• What is the current kindergarten instructional-assistant coverage?
• How long is the Kids Co. waitlist?

Decision notes

• Current status: Researching; enrollment feasibility is very low under current rules
• Overall assessment: Educationally distinctive, but not a dependable option for non-Seattle residents while resident demand remains high
• Confidence: High on program model; low on 2027–28 access and current material details
• Next action: Attend the winter tour and ask SPS whether non-resident McDonald applications are considered when a resident waitlist exists

Sources

• McDonald official website — accessed 2026-08-22
• McDonald immersion model — accessed 2026-08-22
• McDonald academics — accessed 2026-08-22
• Classroom teams — accessed 2026-08-22
• School tour and FAQ — accessed 2026-08-22
• SPS McDonald profile — accessed 2026-08-22
• McDonald 2025–26 CSIP — accessed 2026-08-22
• SPS dual-language immersion — accessed 2026-08-22
• SPS option schools and pathways — accessed 2026-08-22
• SPS assignment and tiebreakers — accessed 2026-08-22
• SPS non-resident students — accessed 2026-08-22
• 2026 kindergarten waitlist, February 24 — accessed 2026-08-22
• NCES school profile — 2024–25 data, accessed 2026-08-22
• Washington 2024–25 assessment dataset — accessed 2026-08-22
• Washington school recognition — accessed 2026-08-22

Change log

• 2026-09-10: Added consistent 2025 Washington elementary-school rank.
• 2026-08-22: Initial profile and immersion-curriculum archive created.