About Us

The Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning is a choice middle school on the campus of Eastlake High School which is found in Sammamish, WA. We have one class of 32 students in sixth grade, one class of 32 seventh graders, and one class of 32 eighth graders.

The Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning is one of five choice middle schools in the district that offers a framework to create a particular school environment that instructs students using district approved curricula.  Renaissance is home to a total enrollment of 96 students who come from all over the Lake Washington School District.  

Renaissance was teacher initiated and developed in the spring of 2005 and opened in the fall of 2006 with 45 seventh graders and 3 full time teachers (Diane Kane, Cathy Colombo, and Martha Daman). The program continues to be based on a strong constructivist philosophy along with the anchoring belief that visual and performing arts are CORE pieces of a well-rounded education that honors and sees everyone's humanity and fosters a love of learning and self-expression.

Focus

At RSAR, our mission is to cultivate a vibrant and inclusive learning environment that nurtures the whole student – mind, body, and spirit. We are dedicated to empowering learners to express themselves artistically, think critically, and develop strong social-emotional intelligence. Through innovative curricula and a commitment to individual growth, we aim to inspire our students to explore their unique talents and passions. We believe that by fostering creativity, critical thinking, and emotional awareness, we equip our students to realize their greatest potential and become compassionate, engaged citizens of the world.

Application

All students interested in joining our Renaissance community may apply during the application process window starting on November 1st, 2025.  The application window closes on December 1st. All grade levels, 6th, 7th and 8th grade applications will be put into the lottery at the district office on January 9th, 2026 and a randomly generated list of applicants will be created. Then the first 32 people on each list will be offered an opportunity to accept the available spots in the grade level.  Families will have until Friday, January 30th, 2026 to accept a spot before we start moving down the list to the next people on the waitlist. Once a family has accepted a spot in one choice school, their name will be taken off any of the other lists they applied to and they will have to reapply in the next application cycle.

Offers for a spot at Renaissance are determined by a lottery system held at the LWSD Resource Center so that all who apply have an equal chance to attend. Those who are assigned numbers beyond the number of available openings are automatically put on a waiting list.