Cragmont Elementary vs Washington Elementary

Washington Elementary and Cragmont Elementary are virtually tied at the top of California's elementary school rankings — Washington Elementary sits at #139 of 9,533 California schools and Cragmont Elementary at #140 of 9,533, with both earning an overall rating of 9.2/10. Separated by only 1.9 miles in Berkeley, these two schools are among the strongest elementary options in the state, and the differences between them are narrow but real.

On academics, Washington Elementary holds a slight edge with a 9.0/10 academic score against Cragmont Elementary's 8.9/10 — a 0.1-point gap that reflects marginally stronger proficiency outcomes. The growth picture flips that advantage: Cragmont Elementary scores 9.5/10 on growth versus Washington Elementary's 9.2/10, a 0.3-point difference indicating that Cragmont's students are making faster year-over-year gains relative to academic starting points. Families who weight trajectory and momentum over absolute proficiency levels will find Cragmont's growth score more compelling.

Washington Elementary enrolls 389 students compared to Cragmont Elementary's 294, making Washington meaningfully larger. Despite that size difference, the student-teacher ratios are close: Washington Elementary at 20.5:1 and Cragmont Elementary at 21.0:1 — a half-student gap that is unlikely to affect classroom experience in practice. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility sits at 26% at Washington Elementary versus 28% at Cragmont Elementary, reflecting similar socioeconomic profiles across both campuses.

Both schools serve the same grade band — kindergarten through fifth grade — so families with children at different elementary ages would have identical span coverage at either school. With identical overall ratings, overlapping demographic profiles, and a mere 0.3-point growth score delta between them, the practical choice narrows to campus size preference and whether a family prioritizes current proficiency levels or student growth rate.