Amestoy Elementary vs Chapman Elementary

Chapman Elementary and Amestoy Elementary are both Gardena elementary schools serving kindergarten through fifth grade, separated by 1.1 miles — but their overall ratings tell a meaningful story. Chapman Elementary scores 9.4 out of 10 versus Amestoy Elementary's 8.7, a 0.7-point gap that compounds into a dramatic state rank difference: Chapman sits at #64 of 9,533 California elementary schools while Amestoy ranks #566 of 9,533. For parents who treat state-level standing as a signal of consistent performance, that 500-rank separation is not marginal.

Academically, Chapman Elementary holds a 1.2-point edge, scoring 9.3 out of 10 against Amestoy Elementary's 8.1. Both schools demonstrate strong student growth — Chapman at 9.6 and Amestoy at 9.1 — meaning Amestoy teachers are moving students forward at a competitive rate even as the academic proficiency baseline sits lower. The growth scores suggest Amestoy's families can expect real year-over-year gains; the academic gap reflects where students currently test, not whether the school is pushing them.

On demographics and classroom dynamics, Amestoy Elementary enrolls 671 students compared to Chapman Elementary's 375 — nearly twice the campus population. That size difference carries over into student-teacher ratios: Amestoy's 20.3:1 versus Chapman's 18.8:1 means Chapman students share their teacher with roughly one and a half fewer peers per class on average. Economically, Amestoy serves a higher-need population, with 84% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch compared to 64% at Chapman — a 20-point gap that shapes the mix of resources, grant funding, and family support each school draws on.

Both schools cover the identical grade band, KG–05, so neither offers an extended academic pipeline unavailable at the other. The practical tradeoffs reduce to three variables: Chapman delivers stronger tested academic performance and a smaller, less economically stressed environment; Amestoy counters with one of the stronger growth scores in its own right and a larger, more diverse student body that more closely mirrors Gardena's broader demographics.