Sunny Hills Elementary vs Cascade Ridge Elementary

Cascade Ridge Elementary holds a meaningful edge in overall rating, scoring 9.5 out of 10 against Sunny Hills Elementary's 9.1 — a 0.4-point gap that translates to a sharper difference in state standing. Cascade Ridge Elementary ranks #17 of 2,225 Washington schools, placing it in the top 1 percent statewide. Sunny Hills Elementary ranks #74 of 2,225 — still an elite result, putting it in the top 4 percent, but a full 57 positions behind its Sammamish neighbor just 2.6 miles away.

Academically, the two schools are nearly identical: Cascade Ridge Elementary scores 9.8 out of 10 versus Sunny Hills Elementary's 9.7 — a negligible one-tenth-point difference. The more meaningful academic distinction is in growth. Cascade Ridge Elementary earns a 9.7 growth score against Sunny Hills Elementary's 9.2 — a half-point gap indicating that students at Cascade Ridge show stronger academic progress year over year relative to peers with similar starting points, regardless of the proficiency baseline.

Demographically, the schools serve similar but distinct student bodies. Sunny Hills Elementary enrolls 565 students compared to Cascade Ridge Elementary's 407, making Sunny Hills roughly 39 percent larger. Cascade Ridge Elementary carries a student-teacher ratio of 16.3:1 versus Sunny Hills Elementary's 17.1:1 — a modest but real difference in individualized attention. The free and reduced-price lunch rate diverges more sharply: 11 percent at Sunny Hills Elementary versus 3 percent at Cascade Ridge Elementary, reflecting a somewhat more economically homogeneous population at Cascade Ridge.

Both schools serve grades kindergarten through fifth and operate within the same Issaquah School District, so curriculum frameworks, instructional calendars, and district resources are shared. The separation between them comes down to growth trajectory and class density rather than program access or grade configuration. For families weighing two strong options in Sammamish, the Cascade Ridge advantage is clearest in growth score and state rank; the Sunny Hills case rests on its larger peer community and still-elite academic profile.