Bushnell Way Elementary vs Third Street Elementary

Bushnell Way Elementary and Third Street Elementary are both Los Angeles elementary schools serving kindergarten through fifth grade, yet their California state rankings reveal a substantial gap: Third Street Elementary sits at #8 of 9,533 California schools while Bushnell Way Elementary ranks #39 of 9,533 — still an exceptional position, but 31 places behind. Third Street Elementary's overall rating of 9.6/10 edges past Bushnell Way Elementary's 9.4/10 by 0.2 points, a narrow margin that obscures meaningful differences in how each school achieves its score.

The academic and growth scores tell divergent stories. Third Street Elementary earns a perfect 10.0/10 academic score compared to Bushnell Way Elementary's 8.0/10 — a two-point gap that reflects a measurable difference in tested proficiency. Bushnell Way Elementary, however, flips the dynamic on growth: it scores 10.0/10 in student growth versus Third Street Elementary's 9.9/10, signaling that students at Bushnell Way Elementary are gaining ground at an exceptional rate relative to comparable peers, even if their absolute proficiency levels start lower.

The two schools serve very different student populations. Bushnell Way Elementary enrolls 159 students against Third Street Elementary's 691, making Bushnell Way Elementary significantly more intimate. That smaller size produces a student-teacher ratio of 14.5:1 at Bushnell Way Elementary versus 22.3:1 at Third Street Elementary — nearly eight additional students per teacher at Third Street. Economically, the schools diverge sharply: 80% of Bushnell Way Elementary students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 43% at Third Street Elementary. Third Street Elementary's top-decile academic outcomes are achieved in a more affluent context, while Bushnell Way Elementary's equivalent growth scores are produced with a predominantly low-income population.

Both schools cover the same KG–05 grade span, and the 8.6 miles separating them place them in distinct Los Angeles neighborhoods with different residential profiles. Third Street Elementary's #8 California rank and perfect academic score reflect one of the highest-performing elementary schools in the state; Bushnell Way Elementary's #39 rank and maximal growth score reflect a school closing achievement gaps at an elite rate for its demographic.