Carthay Elementary Of Environmental Studies Magnet vs Third Street Elementary

Third Street Elementary ranks #8 of 9,533 schools in California, placing it among the top 0.1% statewide. Carthay Elementary Of Environmental Studies Magnet holds a strong rank of #217 — top 3% in the state — but the gap between these two Los Angeles schools is real: Third Street Elementary scores 9.6/10 overall versus Carthay's 9.0/10, a difference that reflects a meaningful performance delta at the top end of the scale.

Academically, Third Street Elementary earns a perfect 10.0/10 versus Carthay Elementary Of Environmental Studies Magnet's 9.0/10 — a full point separation. Growth scores are closer: Carthay reaches 9.5/10 against Third Street Elementary's 9.9/10, meaning both schools move students forward at an exceptional rate, but Third Street Elementary sustains that momentum more consistently. Together, these numbers signal that Third Street Elementary outperforms on both current attainment and year-over-year student progress.

The two schools serve meaningfully different populations. Carthay Elementary Of Environmental Studies Magnet enrolls 364 students compared to Third Street Elementary's 691 — a smaller, tighter campus by design. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility runs at 67% at Carthay versus 43% at Third Street Elementary, indicating Carthay draws from a higher-poverty catchment. Student-teacher ratios are nearly identical — 22.8:1 at Carthay and 22.3:1 at Third Street Elementary — so classroom size is not a differentiating factor between the two.

Both schools serve grades KG–05 and sit just 2.1 miles apart in Los Angeles. The defining programmatic distinction is Carthay Elementary Of Environmental Studies Magnet's magnet designation: it is structured around an environmental studies theme, attracting families who actively choose a curriculum framed around ecology and sustainability. Third Street Elementary operates as a traditional neighborhood elementary without a thematic strand, but its academic outcomes speak for themselves at the top of the state rankings.