Canfield Avenue Elementary vs Carthay Elementary Of Environmental Studies Magnet

Canfield Avenue Elementary holds a narrow but meaningful edge in overall rating — 9.5/10 versus Carthay Elementary Of Environmental Studies Magnet's 9.0/10 — but the state rank gap tells a sharper story. Canfield Avenue Elementary sits at #17 of 9,533 schools in California, placing it in the top 0.2% statewide, while Carthay Elementary Of Environmental Studies Magnet ranks #217 of 9,533 — still an exceptional result, but 200 positions behind. Both schools sit just 1.4 miles apart in Los Angeles, making this a genuine neighborhood decision for many families.

On academic and growth metrics, Canfield Avenue Elementary leads across the board. Its academic score of 9.7/10 outpaces Carthay's 9.0/10 by 0.7 points, and its growth score of 9.8/10 edges Carthay's 9.5/10 — meaning students at Canfield are not only performing at a higher level but also progressing faster relative to peers with similar starting points. These margins are modest in absolute terms, but consistent across both dimensions, suggesting a sustained instructional advantage rather than a single-metric anomaly.

The two schools differ more substantially in their student populations. Canfield Avenue Elementary enrolls 296 students with 49% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, while Carthay Elementary Of Environmental Studies Magnet serves 364 students — 23% more — with 67% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. That 18-percentage-point FRL gap reflects meaningfully different socioeconomic profiles. Canfield also carries a slightly lower student-teacher ratio at 21.1:1 versus Carthay's 22.8:1, giving each teacher roughly one fewer student to manage on average.

Both schools serve grades KG through 5, so grade-span is not a differentiating factor. The key structural difference is Carthay's magnet designation in Environmental Studies, which shapes its enrollment model — families must apply and be selected, and the curriculum is organized around an environmental theme. Canfield Avenue Elementary operates as a traditional neighborhood school with no application requirement, offering a more straightforward enrollment path for families in its attendance zone.