Grattan Elementary vs Sutro Elementary

Grattan Elementary and Sutro Elementary are both K–5 schools in San Francisco, 1.8 miles apart, but their state rankings tell a sharply different story. Grattan Elementary sits at #135 of 9,533 schools in California while Sutro Elementary ranks #50 of the same pool — placing Sutro in the top 1% statewide. On the 10-point overall rating scale, Sutro Elementary scores 9.4 versus Grattan Elementary's 9.2, a modest 0.2-point gap that understates how much distance separates them at the top of the distribution.

Academically, the delta is more pronounced. Sutro Elementary posts a 9.7 out of 10 academic score against Grattan Elementary's 8.7 — a full point difference that represents a meaningful gap in tested proficiency outcomes. Growth scores converge at the top: Grattan Elementary earns a 9.5 and Sutro Elementary a 9.7, meaning both schools push students forward at a high rate regardless of where they start. Families prioritizing academic achievement benchmarks should note that Sutro Elementary's one-point academic edge is the primary driver of its superior state rank.

The two schools serve noticeably different student populations. Grattan Elementary enrolls 384 students — 55% more than Sutro Elementary's 248 — and has a student-teacher ratio of 20.2:1 versus Sutro Elementary's 22.5:1, meaning Grattan actually offers smaller class sizes despite its larger enrollment. The starkest demographic difference is economic: Sutro Elementary qualifies 64% of its students for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to just 15% at Grattan Elementary. That gap reflects distinct neighborhood income profiles and means Sutro Elementary is achieving its near-perfect academic scores while serving a far higher share of economically disadvantaged students — a particularly strong equity signal.

Both schools run the same grade span, K through 5, so grade-level fit is not a differentiating factor. The meaningful distinctions come down to scale, demographics, and the academic score gap: Sutro Elementary outperforms on tested outcomes while educating a much higher proportion of low-income students, while Grattan Elementary offers a lower student-teacher ratio and a less economically concentrated student body within an already high-performing building.