Rising Star Elementary School vs Catharine Blaine K-8 School

Rising Star Elementary School holds a 0.6-point overall rating advantage over Catharine Blaine K-8 School (9.4/10 vs 8.8/10), and that gap is amplified by their state ranks: Rising Star sits at #11 of 2,225 schools in Washington while Catharine Blaine ranks #117 of 2,225. Both are strong performers in Seattle, but Rising Star's position in the top 0.5% of the state is a meaningful distinction for families weighing school quality at a statewide level.

The academic picture splits in an interesting direction. Catharine Blaine K-8 School posts the higher academic score at 9.3/10 versus Rising Star Elementary School's 8.3/10 — a full point difference. Rising Star, however, leads decisively on growth at 9.9/10 compared to Catharine Blaine's 9.2/10. That near-perfect growth score indicates Rising Star's students are advancing faster relative to their starting points, which can matter as much as absolute proficiency for families focused on how much a school accelerates a child's trajectory.

The demographic and resource profiles of the two schools diverge sharply. Rising Star Elementary School enrolls 326 students with a student-teacher ratio of 10.2:1 — Catharine Blaine K-8 School enrolls 436 students at 18.2:1, nearly double the class load per teacher. Rising Star also serves a much higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students: 71% of its enrollment qualifies for free or reduced lunch, compared to just 8% at Catharine Blaine. That difference signals genuinely distinct student populations and likely different resource allocation and community contexts at each school.

Grade span is a practical differentiator. Rising Star Elementary School serves grades PK–05, making it a traditional elementary option that requires a middle school transition after fifth grade. Catharine Blaine K-8 School spans KG–08, allowing students to stay through eighth grade and skip one school transition entirely. Families with multiple children who value continuity, or who want to delay the middle school search, will find Catharine Blaine's extended grade range a structural advantage, even with its higher student-teacher ratio.