Dearborn Park International School vs Catharine Blaine K-8 School

Dearborn Park International School holds a 0.7-point overall rating advantage over Catharine Blaine K-8 School — 9.5/10 versus 8.8/10 — and that gap translates into a dramatic difference in state standing. Dearborn Park ranks #7 of 2,225 schools in Washington, placing it in the top 0.3% statewide. Catharine Blaine K-8 School ranks #117 of 2,225, which is still an elite result — top 6% in Washington — but trails Dearborn Park by 110 positions.

The academic score actually favors Catharine Blaine K-8 School by a narrow margin, 9.3/10 versus Dearborn Park International School's 9.0/10. Where Dearborn Park separates itself is growth: its 9.9/10 growth score versus Catharine Blaine's 9.2/10 means students at Dearborn Park are advancing faster relative to their starting points, a difference of 0.7 points on a metric that captures year-over-year academic trajectory rather than raw proficiency. Families weighing student progress alongside achievement levels will find that distinction meaningful.

The two schools serve meaningfully different student populations. Dearborn Park International School enrolls 326 students with 61% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch; Catharine Blaine K-8 School enrolls 436 students with only 8% FRL-eligible. The student-teacher ratio at Dearborn Park is 14.2:1 versus 18.2:1 at Catharine Blaine — four additional students per teacher on average — suggesting smaller instructional groups and more individual attention despite serving a higher-need population. Dearborn Park's combination of top growth scores and high FRL enrollment points to strong instructional execution with economically diverse students.

The grade-level structures also diverge. Dearborn Park International School serves PK through 5th grade, meaning families will face a school transition after fifth grade. Catharine Blaine K-8 School runs kindergarten through 8th grade, keeping students in one building through middle school. The 7.9 miles separating these two Seattle schools represents a real commute consideration, and Catharine Blaine's K-8 span eliminates one school transition during the elementary and middle years.