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A SCHOOL FOR GIFTED LEARNERS

Our mission is to serve students of high intellectual potential in grades K–8 with rigorous academics and daily social-emotional support. 

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WHERE GIFTEDNESS IS UNDERSTOOD

Our students want the “why,” and they notice when things don’t add up. We welcome that. Open Window is built around thoughtful teaching and strong relationships, so students can ask hard questions and feel safe doing it. 

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Students in class
Students doing paper crafts

WHERE GIFTEDNESS IS UNDERSTOOD

Our students want the “why,” and they notice when things don’t add up. We welcome that. Open Window is built around thoughtful teaching and strong relationships, so students can ask hard questions and feel safe doing it. 

Learn More

Students in class
Students doing paper crafts

GET TO KNOW OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL

Gifted sounds like great questions

Students in hall

Gifted looks like courage

Students performing in theatre

Gifted looks like curiosity

students outside with magnifying glass

Our Mission

MISSION

Our mission guides what we teach and how we teach it. We serve students of high intellectual potential in grades K–8 through academic depth and intentional social-emotional learning. Our values show up in daily routines, classroom culture, and the way we build a community where students feel known.

Mission & Values

Our People

EXPERT FACULTY & 
STAFF

Open Window is shaped by educators with deep expertise in gifted education. We invest in teachers through ongoing professional development and a culture that supports strong ideas. When a teacher sees an opportunity, we work to make it possible, whether that means training, collaboration, or resources that help learning go further.

Faculty & Staff

Our Place

A HOME ON 
COUGAR MOUNTAIN

Open Window was founded to meet the needs of gifted learners and has grown with that purpose at the center. Located on Cougar Mountain, our campus is a place where students learn with focus and move with freedom.

History & Location

Our Community

CONNECTED BEYOND 
THE CLASSROOM

The OWS community extends well beyond the classroom. Parents and guardians are active partners in school life, connected through the PGA, service events, and traditions that bring people together year after year. Whether you've been here since Kindergarten or just arrived, there's a place for your family here.

Parents & Guardian Community

Students working in class
Students outdoors
Students outdoor activity area

OUR STORY: BUILT FOR GIFTED STUDENTS

Open Window School began in 1983 when Eastside families couldn’t find a just right fit for their gifted children. What started as a small home classroom grew into a purpose-built K–8 campus on Cougar Mountain. Across decades and school leaders, one commitment has stayed steady: an education designed for gifted learners, grounded in challenge, care, and community.

Explore Our History

DEDICATED STAFF

Faculty and Staff

Teacher helping student

 

With gifted learners, we can go deeper sooner. That means more time for discussion, nuance, and ideas that don’t fit in a worksheet.

Teacher giving example to student

Open Window is the first place I have worked where my colleagues are as curious as the students. 

Teacher reading to students in library

These students are ready for complexity. My job is to give them the right challenge, then coach them as they figure it out.

BY THE NUMBERS

48

Languages spoken at home

9:1

Student to faculty ratio

18

Average class size

7.6

Acre campus on Cougar Mountain in Bellevue

360

Student Enrollment

30+

High schools attended by OWS graduates in the past 3 years

9,160

Slices of pizza devoured annually (and counting!)

Explore More Fast Facts

Teacher showing student fossil

LEADERS IN GIFTED EDUCATION

Gifted education is our foundation, not an add-on. Our faculty pursue ongoing learning in best practices for gifted students, then bring that work into classrooms every day. Families choose Open Window because we understand giftedness with depth, and we know how to teach it well.

Leaders in Gifted Education

Student robotics project

MISSION & VALUES

Our mission and values show up in how we teach, how we treat one another, and how we make decisions. They shape classroom culture, student support, and community life.

Mission & Values

Student crafts project

OUR PARENT & GUARDIAN COMMUNITY

Parents and guardians are partners here. Families show up for classroom events and shared traditions, and they help strengthen the culture students feel every day.

Parent & Guardian Community

Student modelling clay

BELONGING

Belonging is something we practice every day. From buddy connections across grades to shared traditions on campus, community is built through real relationships that help students feel at home.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Apply Now

Ready to begin? Explore deadlines, required steps, and what to expect throughout the admissions process. We’re here to guide you from inquiry to enrollment.

Apply Now

Explore Lower School

Discover how our Lower School builds strong foundations for gifted learners through academic depth, social-emotional growth, and learning that stays hands-on and joyful.

Learn More

Explore Middle School

See how grades 5–8 invite gifted learners into deeper questions, greater independence, and meaningful leadership, supported by daily social-emotional learning.

Learn about Middle School