Bailey Gatzert Elementary School vs Whittier Elementary School

Whittier Elementary School ranks #8 of 2225 schools in Washington, placing it in the top 1% statewide, while Bailey Gatzert Elementary School ranks #48 — itself an elite position, but 40 spots behind Whittier. The overall rating gap between the two schools is 1.4 points, with Whittier at 9.5/10 and Bailey Gatzert at 9.1/10. Both schools sit well above the state median, so parents choosing between them are weighing two high-performing options separated by meaningful but not dramatic margins.

Where the schools diverge most sharply is in academic proficiency. Whittier Elementary School scores 9.4/10 on academics versus Bailey Gatzert Elementary School's 7.2/10 — a 2.2-point gap that reflects a substantial difference in tested proficiency outcomes. Growth, however, tells the opposite story: Bailey Gatzert earns a near-perfect 9.9/10 growth score against Whittier's 9.8/10. That near-identical growth performance means students at Bailey Gatzert are advancing at essentially the same pace as students at Whittier, even as their baseline proficiency levels differ significantly.

The demographic profiles of these two schools could hardly be more different. Bailey Gatzert Elementary School enrolls 85% of students on free or reduced lunch, compared to just 8% at Whittier Elementary School. Enrollment is similar — 361 at Bailey Gatzert, 342 at Whittier — but the student-teacher ratio diverges: Bailey Gatzert's 12.0:1 ratio means considerably more individual adult attention per student than Whittier's 15.5:1. Bailey Gatzert also serves pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, giving families an earlier entry point than Whittier, which begins at kindergarten.

These structural differences matter when reading each school's data. Bailey Gatzert's lower academic score exists alongside one of the heaviest high-need student concentrations in Seattle, yet it still places in the top 2% of Washington schools — a result largely driven by that 9.9/10 growth score. Whittier, serving a far lower-poverty population in a different Seattle neighborhood 6.3 miles away, achieves higher proficiency outcomes consistent with its demographics, and its state ranking reflects that sustained performance ceiling.