Dearborn Park International School vs West Woodland Elementary School

Dearborn Park International School holds a 0.7-point overall rating advantage over West Woodland Elementary School — 9.5/10 versus 8.8/10 — and that gap is amplified by their state rankings: Dearborn Park sits at #7 of 2,225 Washington schools while West Woodland ranks #116 of 2,225. Both are strong performers, but Dearborn Park's position in the top 0.3% of the state is a meaningful distinction for families weighing elite academic environments in Seattle.

The academic and growth scores tell a split story. West Woodland Elementary School edges out Dearborn Park International School on raw academic proficiency, 9.5/10 versus 9.0/10. Dearborn Park, however, dominates on the growth score — 9.9/10 compared to West Woodland's 9.0/10 — meaning students at Dearborn Park are advancing at an exceptional pace relative to where they started, regardless of incoming skill level. That growth margin is among the highest in Washington and suggests consistently strong instructional effectiveness year over year.

The two schools differ sharply on demographics and classroom structure. Dearborn Park International School enrolls 326 students with 61% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, serving a substantially higher-need population. West Woodland Elementary School enrolls 380 students with just 7% on free or reduced lunch, reflecting one of the more affluent school communities in Seattle. The student-teacher ratio at Dearborn Park is 14.2:1 versus West Woodland's 18.1:1 — a nearly four-student gap per teacher that translates into more individualized attention at Dearborn Park, a notable structural advantage given its higher-need student population.

Dearborn Park International School serves grades PK through 5, offering a pre-kindergarten entry point that West Woodland Elementary School does not — West Woodland begins at kindergarten. The international designation at Dearborn Park also signals a language-focused or globally-oriented instructional framework, which differentiates it programmatically from West Woodland's more conventional elementary structure. At 8.7 miles apart, both schools are meaningfully separated within Seattle, making geography a practical factor alongside these academic and demographic differences.