Lafayette Elementary School vs Stevens Elementary School

Lafayette Elementary School and Stevens Elementary School are both Seattle elementary schools, but Stevens Elementary School holds a commanding statewide position that separates them clearly. Stevens ranks #2 of 2,225 schools in Washington, compared to Lafayette Elementary School at #141 — a gap that places Stevens in the top 0.1% of the state. Stevens carries an overall rating of 9.7/10 against Lafayette's 8.7/10, a 1.0-point gap that reflects genuine and measurable performance differences across multiple dimensions.

On academics, Stevens Elementary School scores 9.7/10 versus Lafayette Elementary School's 8.6/10 — a 1.1-point difference that signals consistently stronger tested outcomes. The growth advantage follows the same pattern: Stevens posts a 9.7/10 growth score against Lafayette's 9.1/10, meaning Stevens students are gaining ground faster relative to peers regardless of where they start. Both numbers together suggest Stevens is excelling at both absolute achievement and year-over-year learning momentum.

The two schools serve meaningfully different student populations. Lafayette Elementary School enrolls 504 students across PK–05, while Stevens Elementary School serves 151 students in grades KG–05 — roughly one-third the size. That smaller enrollment directly shapes the classroom experience: Stevens carries a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio compared to Lafayette's 17.4:1, a difference of nearly five students per teacher. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility tells a different story — Stevens serves 32% of students under that program versus Lafayette's 16%, indicating Stevens's exceptional rankings are achieved while educating a higher share of economically disadvantaged students.

Lafayette Elementary School includes a pre-kindergarten program that Stevens Elementary School does not offer, making it the only option between the two for families with children younger than kindergarten age. The schools sit 5.2 miles apart within Seattle, so geography plays a practical role for families weighing proximity against performance. Both are strong by any statewide measure, but the gap between #2 and #141 out of 2,225 Washington schools is not a close call on paper.