The Bloom Academy is open for enrollment for the fall of the 2024–2025 school year for grades 1 to 8. located at 7125 224th St. S.W. on the border of Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace, the new nonprofit school is an extension of Bloom’s current preschool.

“Our vision is to create a learning environment where every child feels seen, heard and valued, where differences are celebrated, and where empathy and understanding thrive,” said Head of School Miriam Dressler. “The reason for creating a nonprofit school was so that we could raise money that would support scholarships for those children who need financial support.”

Dressler and Karen Gobright started Bloom Early Education (BEE) in 2009 as a teacher training and early education consulting company. In 2014, it became an education center for 3- to 5-year-olds.

Dressler said that BEE was closed for six weeks during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 before it reopened after the Memorial Day weekend with limited enrollment. Many families whose children were in elementary school asked Dressler and the staff if they could accept their first graders temporarily since public schools were closed. BEE accepted the older students.

“As the years passed, we added second and third grade as the children stayed with us instead of going back into the public school system,” Dressler said. “We were already serving children who were struggling to learn in traditional school settings. Our inclusive classrooms were showing a lot of positive outcomes for all kinds of learners, which was something that the [public] school system did not seem to be able to cope with. We do feel that we fill that gap where neurotypical and neurodivergent children can successfully learn together.”

Last year, Dressler decided to open another school to serve the community’s students better. BEE is holding its grades 1–3 classes on the second floor of the preschool. “We spent many months looking for a location,” she said. “This one suited our purpose as it was still in the Edmonds area and had the kind of indoor and outdoor space we needed. We wanted to be sure that we would continue to serve the Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace communities.”

The Bloom Academy is accepting first to fifth graders. Older students will transition to grades six to eight should their families decide to keep their children at the school. 

There will be an open house on Thursday, May 30 at 6 p.m. on campus. The school will also be having a “garage sale” on June 2 to fundraise. Families may request a tour. For more information, visit their website.

— Story and photos by Nick Ng