About
Kimball Elementary School
Kimball is an elementary school within the Seattle Public School District. We have a diverse student enrollment of approximately 500 students and are located in the Beacon Hill area of Seattle.
Our Mission
Kimball Elementary School creates a safe, empowering learning environment where children celebrate continued academic growth and achievement. Kimball fosters lifelong learners and problem solvers within a community of cultural diversity and acceptance.
The Kimball School Pledge
As a Kimball Cougar, I am responsible for my learning
As well as helping others to learn.
I will treat all people including myself with respect.
I promise to work hard so I can be proud of my achievements.
I know how to solve problems and make good choices.
I promise to do my best at all times and NEVER GIVE UP!
I will strive to do right to make my future look bright.
Kindergarten at Kimball
Kimball offers four full-time kindergarten classes. There are many reasons why kindergarten is important. When your child attends kindergarten he or she will learn the basics. This means the basics in math, science, reading, writing, social studies, and more. You want your child to be prepared for the first grade and beyond and in almost all cases kindergarten accomplishes that.
Kindergarten also prepares children for the following school years because they meet new friends and learn how to communicate. Developing these communication skills early on is important because the sooner children learn how to communicate well the sooner they can do so.
Kimball has a buddy system where students in higher grades are paired with students in lower grades. This supportive arrangement helps new students feel comfortable in school now and for many years that follow.
More information on Seattle Public School’s kindergarten program can be found on their site.
Kimball Elementary School History
During World War I, when the shipbuilding industry was attracting an influx of new residents to Seattle, there was a perceived need for another school on Beacon Hill. In October 1918, the Seattle School Board decided to build an emergency building to relieve overcrowding at York School. Robert Fulton School, which operated as an annex to Beacon Hill School, was one of five “Liberty Buildings” erected by the district.
A large 250-unit apartment house, which had been proposed for the neighborhood, was never built, and Fulton operated for just three academic years. The school varied in configuration, from two to four classes for grades 1-4 or 1-5, with a special education class included in the final two years. The school closed in June 1922. For many years, the Seattle Parks Department leased the site for a playfield named for Judge Roland H. Denny, an early advocate of youth activities.
Starting in 1960, the site became home to Beacon Hill Annex, an all-portable school, with classrooms in eight portables. By 1961, there were 11 portable classrooms, a double portable serving as a lunchroom and auditorium, and a portable office.
By 1963, 300 students attended the Beacon Hill Annex and it was deemed large enough to be an independent school. It was time to select a proper name and, in 1964, the school was named after Captain George Kimball, the man who headed the Junior Safety Patrol in Seattle from 1928 to 1961. Captain Kimball received national recognition for his innovative work with school safety patrols.