Fuse the joy of play with the power of learning.

Serving Mercer Island, WA since 1958

Welcome to Pixie Hill, where nurturing care meets educational enrichment. Our mission is simple yet bold: fuse the joy of play with the power of learning. We’re all about embracing your child’s unique magic in the warmth of our close-knit community. We blend play-based exploration with structured learning to lay the social and academic foundations for your child’s love of learning.

Tadpoles: 3-4 years old

Our Tadpoles program is a vibrant space created especially for curious 3-year-olds as they begin their first preschool strides toward kindergarten readiness. With the emphasis on social skills at this age, we work together on the art of listening, sharing, taking turns, and engaging comfortably in both individual and group activities. Learn More

Frogs: 4-5 years old (Pre-K)

The lively Frogs class is the place for 4 and 5-year-olds to hop into the world of being kindergarten-ready with enthusiasm! We foster a love for learning that sets the stage for future success. Our curriculum is a dynamic mix of hands-on fun-filled learning activities, circle time rituals, emergent math exploration, dramatic imaginative play, building creations, early literacy lessons and pre-kindergarten writing wins. Our science experiments inspire the minds of future scientists, building endeavors create budding engineers and creative art projects become unique masterpieces. Learn More

Curriculum Overview

  • Playing with numbers, hands-on learning, shapes and measurement, introduction to simple operations and fractions.

  • Daily story time, communication skills, oral language development, letter sounds and recognition, writing, rhyming, upper and lowercase letters, printing, narration, phonological awareness.

  • Nature walks, scavenger hunts, gardening projects, water play, sensory bins, shadow and light, early science experiments.

  • Celebrating world cultures, school readiness, life skills, empathy, problem-solving, and managing emotions. Social skills are improved through dramatic play, storytelling, and friendship building, community helpers and careers.

  • Visual arts, musical exploration, dramatic play, outdoor imagination.

  • KidsQuest, Nancy Stewart Music classes, Nature and Wildlife encounters with the Cougar Mountain Zoo.

  • Our Centers-based Learning is a colorful mosaic of playful exploration and joyful discovery with weekly and monthly changing themes.

Our community is fundamental to our approach in nurturing every aspect of child development. We believe that family involvement enriches our learning environment and strengthens the bond within our Pixie Hill family.

Recent Reviews

  • My son’s favorite part of attending Pixie Hill Preschool was the incredible teachers who gave him the attention he needed and engaged him in exciting projects that aligned with his interests. They had a profound impact on him, fostering his English language skills and creating a warm, family-like environment where he built lasting friendships. The teachers understood his needs and provided the support that helped him thrive. The school's commitment to creating a supportive and engaging atmosphere sets it apart. I would highly recommend Pixie Hill to other families. The dedicated teachers, personalized approach, and the sense of community they build make it an exceptional place for a child's early education.

    Darya, 2023 Parent

  • Pixie Hill has wonderful teachers and is a kind, welcoming neighborhood preschool. The facility is in a charming house, with lots of organized play areas and a large, outdoor backyard. Our daughter looks forward to being there and has fun every day, which is probably the most important part about school when you're 4 years old. Would recommend to others considering enrollment.

    Della, 2024 Parent

  • I am so glad we enrolled our child at Pixie Hill! During her two years there, she grew from a shy COVID baby to a confident little girl ready for kindergarten. We loved the school events such as the winter performance and spring art show, and especially enjoyed the Pixie Hill T-ball team each spring! My favorite part of the curriculum was when they studied famous painters and created pieces in their style, such as Jackson Pollock and Alexander Calder. We have made lifelong friendships and are grateful for the impact Pixie has had on our family.

    Caitlin, 2024 Parent

  • Our child is mid-way through their second year at Pixie Hill and we're SO thankful for the impact the safe learning/exploring environment the school offers. The teachers really care, the curriculum is diverse and insightful, and the community we've experienced as a result is one that will last. Our kiddo has really grown and I cannot recommend this school enough. OHH, and the t-ball team is dominant. :)

    Phillip, 2023 Parent

  • I would highly recommend Pixie Hill to other families. The dedicated teachers, personalized approach, and the sense of community they build make it an exceptional place for a child's early education.

    Darya, 2023 Parent

  • We are so grateful we chose to send our son to Pixie Hill. The teachers love what they do and truly show up everyday for the children. They are focused on providing a robust academic experience but equally important is the learning that takes place in the areas of social, emotional, and behavioral growth. The children learn empathy, compassion, emotional regulation, and conflict resolution. On the weekend my son asks if it’s a school day because he loves it so much. After two years at Pixie I am confident and comfortable sending him to Kindergarten. As a new family on the Island, we have found that Pixie Hill is not just a preschool, it is a lasting community of friendship and support for parents as well.

    Katie, 2024 Parent

  • My child attended a week-long summer camp. Despite it being a new school and experience for him, he quickly overcame any nervousness once he saw all the inviting spaces both outdoors and indoors and had such a good time each day, exclaiming "this is the best school ever!!" It is a great environment for young learners, and as someone else wrote, I would also describe it as joyful and peaceful. The teachers are so kind. Highly recommend.

    Anonymous, 2023

  • I wanted to share our experience with Pixie Hill Preschool. We have been so pleased with the teachers here. They are incredibly kind, attentive and supportive, and have been able to find a way to each child's heart. The atmosphere is joyful and peaceful, and our child absolutely loves it here. We're going to miss this place and our lovely teachers. If you're still searching for a preschool for your little ones, I highly recommend Pixie Hill. It has been such a positive experience for our family.

    Anonymous Parent, 2023

  • Eddie joined Pixie Hill 3s class with a three days program and we couldn't be happier about our choice. He absolutely loves his teachers, his friends and enjoyed his time during the school. I found that the teaching approach offered by his leading teacher Ms. Rebecca works very well with him as it's always encouraging and inspiring. They often give the kids multiple options with proper guidance and make them feel they can choose what they really want to do within the big picture and it really helps them to build up their confidence.  And the teachers use every possible special occasion to teach the kids how to appreciate and how to express their love, e.g, mother's day, father's day, earth day... We appreciate what we have learned from you. (Eddie is already in grade school), everytime we passed by PixieHill, he still shouted out "Hey Mom, that's my school!"  

    Monica, 2022 Parent

Our Schedule

Frogs Week

Monday 9:30–1:30
Tuesday Optional Enrichment 9:30-1:30, Optional extended day 1:30-4:30
Wednesday 9:30–1:30
Thursday Optional Enrichment 9:30-1:30
Friday 9:30–1:30

Tadpoles Week

Tuesday 9:30-1:30
Wednesday Optional Enrichment 9:30-1:30
Thursday 9:30-1:30

We are a non-profit school with a volunteer parent run board.

Pixie Hill Preschool, as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization relies on the generosity of parents, alum families and the community to make fulfilling our mission possible. Many of the things we love about Pixie Hill are in thanks to generous gifts of time, materials, or monetary donations from the community. Such as our raised garden bed and expansive covered sand box. We thank you in advance for any support you can give!

Register today!