Frantz Coe Elementary School vs Dearborn Park International School

Dearborn Park International School and Frantz Coe Elementary School are both highly rated Seattle elementaries, but they occupy very different positions in Washington's school rankings. Dearborn Park ranks #7 of 2,225 schools statewide compared to Frantz Coe's #30 — a 23-position gap that reflects a meaningful overall rating difference of 9.5 vs. 9.2 out of 10, with Dearborn Park leading. Both schools sit in the top 2% of the state, but for families prioritizing rank ceiling, Dearborn Park's position is the stronger of the two.

The academic and growth scores tell a split story. Frantz Coe scores 9.9/10 on academics versus Dearborn Park's 9.0 — nearly a full point higher — suggesting current proficiency levels are stronger at Frantz Coe. Dearborn Park flips the advantage on growth, scoring 9.9/10 compared to Frantz Coe's 9.2. That 0.7-point growth edge means students at Dearborn Park are gaining ground faster relative to expectations, which may explain how a school with lower academic scores still outranks Frantz Coe overall when growth and equity components factor into the composite.

The demographic profiles of the two schools diverge sharply. Frantz Coe enrolls 447 students with 11% qualifying for free or reduced lunch and a student-teacher ratio of 17.2:1. Dearborn Park International School serves 326 students with 61% on free or reduced lunch — a 50-point difference — and a tighter student-teacher ratio of 14.2:1. That smaller class size at Dearborn Park means more individual attention per student, while its high-needs population gives its strong growth scores additional context: this school is accelerating a diverse, economically mixed student body at an exceptional rate.

On program and grade structure, Dearborn Park International School adds a prekindergarten year that Frantz Coe does not offer, serving PK–05 versus Frantz Coe's KG–05 entry. The international designation signals a globally focused curriculum orientation absent at Frantz Coe. Families with younger children or those seeking an internationally framed learning environment will find Dearborn Park's structure specifically suited to those needs, while Frantz Coe's kindergarten entry is conventional for Seattle's standard elementary pathway.