Broadview-Thomson K-8 School vs Rising Star Elementary School

Rising Star Elementary School ranks #11 of 2,225 schools in Washington state, placing it among the top 0.5% statewide. Broadview-Thomson K-8 School holds a strong position at #47 of 2,225 — top 2% — but the 36-position gap reflects a meaningful difference in how each school performs relative to peers across the state. Rising Star's overall rating of 9.4/10 edges Broadview-Thomson K-8 School's 9.1/10 by 0.3 points, a delta driven largely by exceptional growth performance rather than raw academic proficiency.

On academics, the two schools are nearly identical: Broadview-Thomson K-8 School scores 8.4/10 and Rising Star Elementary School scores 8.3/10 — a difference of just one-tenth of a point. Where Rising Star separates itself is growth: its 9.9/10 growth score outpaces Broadview-Thomson K-8 School's already-strong 9.4/10 by half a point. Growth scores measure how much students advance relative to academic peers, independent of starting point. Rising Star's near-perfect score signals that students there are consistently outpacing expected trajectories, which is a harder metric to fake than a snapshot proficiency rate.

Rising Star Elementary School serves 326 students compared to Broadview-Thomson K-8 School's 564 — a 42% smaller enrollment. That smaller population supports a student-teacher ratio of 10.2:1 at Rising Star versus 13.8:1 at Broadview-Thomson, meaning each teacher carries roughly four fewer students on average. Both schools serve economically diverse populations: Rising Star's free and reduced-price lunch rate is 71%, compared to 62% at Broadview-Thomson K-8 School. Rising Star's superior growth score alongside a higher FRL rate is a strong signal of effective instructional equity.

The grade structures differ in one practical way: Broadview-Thomson K-8 School runs PK through 8th grade, allowing families to keep a child in a single building through middle school. Rising Star Elementary School serves PK through 5th grade only, requiring a school transition at the start of middle school. Families who value continuity and want to avoid a building change at age 11 will find Broadview-Thomson's extended range a concrete logistical advantage, regardless of the rating gap.