West Seattle Elementary School vs Rising Star Elementary School

West Seattle Elementary School and Rising Star Elementary School are both Seattle public elementary schools serving PK–05, but they sit far apart in Washington's statewide rankings. Rising Star Elementary School ranks #11 of 2,225 schools in Washington, while West Seattle Elementary School ranks #67 of 2,225 — a 56-position gap that signals a meaningful difference in overall performance despite both schools placing in the top 3% of the state. Rising Star's overall rating of 9.4/10 edges West Seattle's 9.0/10 by 0.4 points, a modest gap that masks sharper divergence at the component level.

On academic proficiency, West Seattle Elementary School holds a clear edge: its academic score of 8.9/10 outpaces Rising Star Elementary School's 8.3/10 by 0.6 points. The growth picture flips decisively in Rising Star's favor — its growth score of 9.9/10 towers over West Seattle's 8.8/10 by a full 1.1 points. That split means West Seattle students arrive with stronger tested proficiency, while Rising Star is accelerating student learning at a faster rate regardless of where students start.

The two schools are closely matched in demographics but show some differences worth noting. West Seattle Elementary School enrolls 374 students versus Rising Star Elementary School's 326, making West Seattle about 15% larger. Free and reduced lunch eligibility sits at 80% at West Seattle and 71% at Rising Star — a 9-point gap indicating West Seattle serves a higher share of lower-income families. Rising Star's student-teacher ratio of 10.2:1 is tighter than West Seattle's 11.3:1, meaning Rising Star students have on average one additional minute of teacher attention per eleven minutes of class time — a small but consistent structural advantage.

Both schools cover the same grade span (PK–05) and are located 4.0 miles apart within Seattle. Their alignment on grade levels means families moving between neighborhoods can compare them directly without losing grade continuity. The key structural difference is that Rising Star combines a higher overall rating with superior growth performance, while West Seattle carries a stronger academic proficiency score and serves a more economically diverse student body.