Alexander Hamilton Senior High vs Boyle Heights Sci Tech Engr and Math Magnet

Boyle Heights Sci Tech Engr and Math Magnet outranks Alexander Hamilton Senior High by a substantial margin in California's statewide standings: #35 of 9,533 schools versus #814 of 9,533. That 779-position gap reflects a 1.0-point overall rating difference — 9.5/10 for Boyle Heights versus 8.5/10 for Hamilton — and signals a meaningful performance divergence between two Los Angeles high schools separated by just 10.3 miles.

The academic and growth score deltas reinforce that gap with numbers. Boyle Heights Sci Tech Engr and Math Magnet holds a 9.0/10 academic score against Alexander Hamilton Senior High's 7.7/10, a 1.3-point difference. More striking is growth: Boyle Heights scores 9.7/10 to Hamilton's 8.2/10, a 1.5-point edge that indicates students at Boyle Heights are advancing faster relative to academic expectations — a signal that goes beyond baseline proficiency and reflects instructional effectiveness over time.

The two schools differ sharply in scale and composition. Alexander Hamilton Senior High enrolls 2,107 students at a 17.1:1 student-teacher ratio; Boyle Heights Sci Tech Engr and Math Magnet serves just 131 students at 14.6:1 — a smaller, more intimate setting with meaningfully more adult attention per student. Free and reduced lunch rates diverge as well: 73% at Hamilton versus 98% at Boyle Heights, meaning Boyle Heights serves a more economically concentrated population and is producing its top-tier scores within that context, which makes the performance gap even more notable.

Both schools serve grades 9–12 within Los Angeles Unified, so the programmatic distinction is the defining structural difference. Boyle Heights Sci Tech Engr and Math Magnet is a magnet program explicitly organized around science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — a focused, application-driven curriculum that self-selects for motivated STEM learners in a small cohort. Alexander Hamilton Senior High operates as a comprehensive neighborhood high school with a broad course catalog suited to a wide range of student goals and interests.