Keep Cottage Lake
Open

Proposal stage · no decision yet

Small school.
Big sails.

The Sailors have been on Avondale Road since 1958. Now Cottage Lake Elementary is among the schools being considered for closure. Together, we can make our voices heard.

Pack the room with us on Tuesday, Nov 10 at 5:30 pm at Cottage Lake Elementary.

Front entrance of Cottage Lake Elementary, with its brick sign and blue-trimmed roofline against tall evergreens Cottage Lake Elementary · Est. 1958

Keep
Cottage Lake
Open!

Share our story
Sailors stick together!
— Sailors on board

Every name adds to the crew, and there's always room for one more. Climb aboard →

Where things stand

Northshore says it has lost about 1,400 students since 2020 and that enrollment is uneven across schools. A committee has sent the board options that include closing a few elementary schools. Nothing is final, and there's still time to be heard.

  1. Oct 26

    Committee recommendations presented at a board study session.

    Watch the session ↗

  2. We are here

    November

    District staff visit affected schools to hear from families and teachers.

    At Cottage Lake: Tue, Nov 10 · 5:30 pm

  3. Jan – Feb 2027

    The committee refines its recommendations and presents them to the board.

  4. March 2027

    School Board votes on a final decision.

  5. Fall 2028

    Earliest any change would take effect.

Source: Northshore's enrollment & boundaries page ↗ · Superintendent's message on the Oct 26 study session ↗

Why Cottage Lake

The numbers will get plenty of attention. These are the things a spreadsheet can't measure.

The school's own mission: “Strengthening Our Community Through Excellence in Education.”

  • Rooted here since 1958

    Built on 10 acres in 1958, then grown over decades, with a new gym, library and classrooms added in 1999 and 2005.

  • A green-building pioneer

    The 2005 wing uses natural ventilation, daylighting and rain gardens, and was a state pilot for the Washington Sustainable School Protocol.

  • Open to the whole community

    The gym, cafeteria and playfield host youth sports leagues, Scouts, the PTA and King County Parks programs.

  • Every learner belongs

    Special education programs, Highly Capable services and English learner support under one roof.

  • Sailor traditions

    Camp Cedar Springs, Safety Patrol, Track & Cross Country, and the PTA's Fun Run, Walk and Roll.

  • People who get celebrated

    For years the PTA honored staff with the Golden Sailboat Award and community members with the Golden Acorn.

Students in blue Cottage Lake shirts lined up at the start of the Fun Run, Walk and Roll
Fun Run, Walk and Roll
Six young students drawing colorful chalk art on an outdoor wall at Cottage Lake
Room to play and create

Three ways to help

1 · Show up Join district staff at Cottage Lake Elementary on Tuesday, Nov 10 at 5:30 pm.
2 · Sign Add your name to our letter to the School Board. Takes under a minute. 3 · Share your story A sentence or two about what the school means to you becomes one of our Sailor Stories.
Cottage Lake Elementary sailboat logo

An open letter

To the Northshore School Board

We are parents, teachers, staff, alumni and neighbors of Cottage Lake Elementary, a school that has served this community since 1958. We understand the district faces real enrollment and budget pressure. Before any decision about our school, we ask that you:

  1. Keep Cottage Lake open and give serious weight to options that don't close it, such as boundary adjustments.
  2. Publish the school-level numbers: enrollment projections, expected savings, transition costs and bus times.
  3. Bring our community into the process with meetings that working families can actually attend.

— Signed, — members of the Cottage Lake community

Add your name

No student at the school? You can still sign. * = required

We'll deliver the letter and signer list to the School Board. Signatures are self-reported, and emails are never shared, sold or published.

Sailor Stories