Lafayette Elementary School vs Hawthorne Elementary School

Hawthorne Elementary School ranks #4 of 2,225 schools in Washington state, placing it in a rarified tier at the very top of the state. Lafayette Elementary School earns a strong #141 of 2,225 — a top 7% finish statewide — but the gap between the two schools is substantial. The overall rating difference is 0.9 points, with Hawthorne Elementary School scoring 9.6/10 against Lafayette Elementary School's 8.7/10. Both schools sit in Seattle 4.9 miles apart, meaning most families in the city can realistically choose between them.

Academically, Hawthorne Elementary School outpaces Lafayette Elementary School by 0.7 points (9.3 vs. 8.6 out of 10). The growth score gap is even sharper: Hawthorne Elementary School scores 9.9/10 compared to Lafayette Elementary School's 9.1/10 — a difference that reflects how much additional learning students gain each year relative to peers with similar starting points. That 0.8-point growth delta is particularly meaningful for families evaluating whether a school accelerates student trajectories rather than simply serving students who arrive already ahead.

Lafayette Elementary School enrolls 504 students versus Hawthorne Elementary School's 374, making Lafayette the larger campus by 130 students. The student-teacher ratio at Lafayette Elementary School is 17.4:1, compared to 15.0:1 at Hawthorne Elementary School — a difference of 2.4 students per classroom that can meaningfully affect individual attention. On socioeconomic diversity, Hawthorne Elementary School serves a higher share of economically disadvantaged students: 26% qualify for free or reduced lunch versus 16% at Lafayette Elementary School. Hawthorne's stronger scores alongside a higher FRL rate suggests the school is delivering results across a broader range of student backgrounds.

Both schools serve grades PK through 5, so the comparison is apples-to-apples at the grade-span level. No magnet programs or specialized instructional models are indicated in the available data for either campus. The distinction between the two schools therefore comes down to scale, classroom density, and the consistent performance advantage Hawthorne Elementary School holds across every measured dimension — academic score, growth score, and overall rating.