Best Special Needs Schools in Mountlake Terrace, Washington (2026)

Cedar Way Elementary sits in the middle of a Mountlake Terrace neighborhood next to Cedar Way Park, and about 520 students in kindergarten through sixth grade come here each day. Our building opened in 1959 and was modernized in 1993, and community groups use it often for meetings, events and youth activities. Our families come from all parts of the globe, alongside many who have lived in Mountlake Terrace for generations. English learner support helps newcomers build vocabulary and reading skills, and our schoolwide Title I program adds extra instructional help across grades K to 6. Students can stay after school for STEM Club and the Board Game Club, and the year includes field trips, a fall Harvest Festival and spirit days. School meals are served daily, and as part of Edmonds School District we connect families to district child care before and after classes, bus routes and family support services. The Eagles are our mascot.

• Public elementary school (K-6)
• Neighborhood school
• Multilingual community
• Public school

Our two-story classroom building opened in September 2018, replacing the original 1955 Mountlake Terrace Elementary after a 2014 voter-approved bond, with a one-story gymnasium and commons alongside it. About 420 students in kindergarten through sixth grade attend, and the Hawks are part of Edmonds School District. We are one of four district schools offering the Dual Language Program, where students learn to read and write in both Spanish and English. Students learning English also get support through our ML program. For students who need more specialized instruction, we run Primary and Intermediate Intensive Support Classrooms with learning support staff, along with counseling and student support programs and alternative recess options. Band and orchestra, visiting authors and assemblies fill out the year, and sixth graders head to outdoor education camp. Students run the safety patrol, and an active parent group hosts skate nights, movie nights, a school dance, an ice cream social and a school BBQ.

• Public elementary school (K-6)
• Speech therapy
• Public school

Two elementary programs share one building at Terrace Park Elementary School in Mountlake Terrace. Our neighborhood school teaches kindergarten through sixth grade for families living inside our attendance boundary, while Challenge Elementary hosts the Edmonds School District's Highly Capable Program for grades 1 to 6, drawing students from across the district. The two have shared this campus for many years as one school community. About 61 staff members work here, including classroom teachers, paraeducators, a PE teacher and a school counselor. Our library is run by a teacher-librarian with support from the PTA, and students can also borrow e-books through Sora. Families can join the Terrace Park PTA, which serves every student and staff member. Parents of Challenge students automatically belong to the Challenge Parents Association, which also serves the district's highly capable program at Brier Terrace Middle School. Outside school hours, community groups use our building for meetings, events and youth activities.

• Public elementary school (K-6)
• Gifted and talented
• Highly capable program (grades 1-6)
• Public school