Montlake Elementary School vs Rising Star Elementary School

Montlake Elementary School ranks #68 of 2,225 schools in Washington while Rising Star Elementary School sits at #11 of 2,225 — a dramatic gap for two schools in the same city. On overall rating, Rising Star edges ahead 9.4 to 9.0, a 0.4-point difference that understates how far apart these schools land in the state distribution. Both clear high bars, but Rising Star's top-15 placement statewide makes it one of Seattle's most exceptional public elementary options by this measure.

The academic and growth scores tell opposite stories. Montlake Elementary School scores 9.4 out of 10 on academics versus Rising Star Elementary School's 8.3 — an 11-point gap favoring Montlake on current proficiency. Flip to growth, and Rising Star leads decisively: 9.9 versus Montlake's 8.5 on the growth score. Rising Star earns its #11 state rank largely by accelerating students faster than almost any school in Washington, even as Montlake's students enter with and maintain higher baseline proficiency levels.

The two schools serve very different populations. Montlake Elementary School enrolls 167 students; Rising Star Elementary School serves 326 — nearly double. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility sits at 9% at Montlake versus 71% at Rising Star, reflecting a substantial socioeconomic divide. Rising Star's student-teacher ratio of 10.2:1 is meaningfully lower than Montlake's 13.9:1, giving Rising Star students more adult contact time per day despite the larger enrollment. That staffing investment likely contributes to Rising Star's exceptional growth numbers across a high-needs population.

Grade access differs at the margins: Montlake Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade, while Rising Star Elementary School adds a pre-kindergarten program, giving families an earlier entry point into the school community. The two campuses sit 7.7 miles apart within Seattle, meaning families choosing between them are making a deliberate cross-city commitment rather than a neighborhood convenience call.