The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Math. The lowest is 57% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Dearborn Park International School
Dearborn Park International School is a regular public elementary school in Seattle, part of Seattle Public Schools, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The school occupies a single campus in the southeastern portion of the city, in a residential neighborhood near the intersection of Rainier Avenue South and South Orcas Street.
Academically, the school’s performance on Washington state assessments positions it above the midpoint relative to districts in King County when all tested subjects and grades are averaged together. Reading across grades three through five, math proficiency is strongest in third grade and declines somewhat by fifth grade, while English language arts proficiency is moderate across grades with a slight dip in fourth grade. Science results for fifth graders show a solid showing, though the state test for science is administered only at that grade level. The overall picture is one of a school where a majority of students meet state standards in most tested areas, with some room for growth particularly in upper-elementary math and fourth-grade reading. Families considering the school may wish to discuss with staff how the school supports students who are not yet at benchmark.
The student body draws from the surrounding neighborhood and is notably diverse. Asian students make up the largest share, followed by White, Hispanic, Black, and students of two or more races, with smaller numbers of American Indian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a mid-to-high range of economic need among Seattle elementary schools. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the records reviewed, so families with children in those categories may want to ask the school directly about available supports.
As an elementary school, Dearborn Park does not have a graduation rate, and the records examined did not contain information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios. Those gaps mean a parent cannot assess those dimensions from this data alone.
The school sits within Seattle’s hot housing market. The median home value in the zip code is well above the national median, and rents are roughly in line with the area’s elevated cost of living. For families renting rather than buying, the monthly rent-to-income ratio suggests a substantial share of household income goes to housing. The broader King County market shows a slight dip in median listing prices year over year, but supply remains tight.
Seattle Public Schools has been navigating a challenging budget environment, driven by declining enrollment and the expiration of federal relief funds. In early 2022, voters approved a large capital levy for construction and technology upgrades, which continues to shape school facilities. More recently, the district proposed school closures and program cuts to address a projected deficit, though it later scaled back those plans after community pushback. Families entering the district should be aware that budget pressures and enrollment trends remain live issues that could affect programming and school configuration in the coming years.
Dearborn Park International School fits a family looking for a diverse, neighborhood-based elementary school in a high-cost urban setting. Its academic results are solid but not uniform across grades, and the economic diversity of the student body is significant. The school does not serve grades beyond fifth, so the transition to middle school will come from the broader Seattle Public Schools assignment system. Families who value a school with a name suggesting an international focus should note that no specific program details were available in the data reviewed to confirm what that designation entails; a direct inquiry to the school is warranted.
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