Chestnut Hill Academy is a secular, coeducational independent K-5 day school in Bellevue's Eastgate area, just off I-405 on SE 26th Street. Founded in 1998 with two mixed-age classrooms covering grades 1-4, the school has grown into a full elementary program enrolling roughly 375 students with a student-to-teacher ratio in the single digits.
In the Eastside private elementary landscape, Chestnut Hill is most often compared with Open Window School (Bellevue K-8, gifted-focused), Bellevue Children's Academy (K-5), and Eastside Preparatory School's lower division (grades 5-12 with a younger feeder). All are secular Eastside options serving the King County tech-corridor demographic. The school's distinguishing pedagogical commitment is the Leader in Me framework for character development and an explicit inclusive approach to gifted learners that integrates enrichment and project-based work into general classrooms rather than gating it behind testing — a contrast with Open Window's more selective gifted-only model.
The academic program runs across core subjects plus dedicated specialists in Spanish, music, art, technology, library, and physical education, with weekly visits to a technology lab. Graduates typically transition to area independent middle and secondary schools — Eastside Prep, Overlake, Bellevue Christian, and Lakeside being the most common destinations. The campus also houses extended-day care, a ski program, and other extracurriculars.
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