Balboa Elementary vs Roosevelt Elementary
Balboa Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary are very closely rated, both scoring around 9.1 out of 10. Roosevelt Elementary is significantly larger with 431 students, about 1.7× the size of Balboa Elementary (253). In math proficiency, Balboa Elementary leads at 57.0%.
Balboa Elementary
Spokane, WA
253 students
Roosevelt Elementary
Spokane, WA
431 students
Ratings Comparison
| Metric | Balboa Elementary | Roosevelt Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 9.1 / 10 | 9.2 / 10 |
| Academic Score | 8.9 | 8.9 |
| Growth Score | 9.1 | 9.4 |
| Diversity Index | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 51.4% | 55.5% |
| Environment Score | 9.4 | 9.2 |
| State Rank | #51 of 2,225 | #38 of 2,225 |
| State Percentile | 98th | 98th |
Test Scores
| Subject | Balboa Elementary | Roosevelt Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| Math Proficiency | 57.0% | 53.0% |
| Math (State Avg) | — | — |
| ELA Proficiency | 62.0% | 58.0% |
| ELA (State Avg) | — | — |
School Details
| Detail | Balboa Elementary | Roosevelt Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Elementary School | Elementary School |
| Grades | Pre-K – 5th | Pre-K – 6th |
| Enrollment | 253 | 431 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 12.7:1 | 13.5:1 |
| Per-Pupil Spending | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 51.4% | 55.5% |
| Chronic Absenteeism | — | — |
| District | Spokane School District | Spokane School District |
| City | Spokane | Spokane |
Neighborhood
| Metric | Spokane (99208) | Spokane (99204) |
|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $81,084 | $50,266 |
| Median Home Value | $414,000 | $355,700 |
| Median Rent | $1,226 | $1,103 |
| College Educated (Bachelor's+) | 33.8% | 37.5% |
| Poverty Rate | 8.6% | 18.8% |
| Avg Commute | 25 min | — |
The data story: Balboa Elementary vs Roosevelt Elementary
Balboa Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary are both high-performing Spokane elementary schools, but Roosevelt Elementary holds a meaningful edge in state rank: #38 of 2225 Washington schools versus Balboa Elementary at #51 of 2225. On the 10-point overall scale, Roosevelt Elementary scores 9.2 to Balboa Elementary's 9.1 — a narrow gap that the state rank context makes more meaningful, placing Roosevelt Elementary 13 spots higher in a pool of over two thousand schools.
Academically, both schools are matched exactly, each earning an 8.9/10 academic score. The separating factor is growth: Roosevelt Elementary posts a 9.4/10 growth score against Balboa Elementary's 9.1 — a three-tenths advantage that reflects stronger year-over-year student progress at Roosevelt. For families weighing not just where a school currently stands but how effectively it moves students forward, that growth delta favors Roosevelt Elementary.
Balboa Elementary enrolls 253 students versus Roosevelt Elementary's 431, giving Balboa a notably smaller campus feel. Balboa's student-teacher ratio of 12.7:1 is tighter than Roosevelt Elementary's 13.5:1, meaning each teacher carries roughly one fewer student on average. Both schools serve economically similar populations — Balboa Elementary at 51% free/reduced lunch eligibility and Roosevelt Elementary at 56% — so neither has a substantial equity gap relative to the other, though Roosevelt's slightly higher FRL share paired with its stronger growth score is worth noting.
Balboa Elementary serves grades PK through 5, while Roosevelt Elementary extends one year further through grade 6, keeping students in the building an additional year before the middle school transition. The two schools sit 5.6 miles apart within Spokane, making boundary assignment rather than deliberate choice the likely deciding factor for most families — but for those with flexibility, the grade-span difference and Roosevelt Elementary's stronger growth score are the most concrete distinctions to weigh.
Editorial summary generated April 2026 · sonnet
Who each school fits
Balboa Elementary
Balboa Elementary suits families who prioritize a smaller, tighter-knit campus — 253 students and a 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio give it the most intimate setting of the two. It's also the practical choice for families zoned to its attendance boundary whose children will transition to a separate middle school after 5th grade.
Roosevelt Elementary
Roosevelt Elementary fits families who want stronger measured student growth (9.4/10) and an extended elementary experience through 6th grade, which delays the middle school transition by one year. Its larger 431-student enrollment suits kids who thrive in a more active peer environment, and its state rank of #38 edges it ahead for families optimizing on overall school performance.