Castelar Street Elementary vs Charles H. Kim Elementary

Castelar Street Elementary and Charles H. Kim Elementary are both Los Angeles elementary schools serving kindergarten through early grades, but their MySchoolScout ratings diverge sharply. Charles H. Kim Elementary scores 9.6/10 against Castelar Street Elementary's 8.8/10 — a 0.8-point gap that reflects a dramatic difference in state standing. Charles H. Kim Elementary ranks #9 of 9,533 California schools, placing it in the top fraction of a percent statewide, while Castelar Street Elementary ranks #354 of 9,533 — itself an elite result, but trailing Kim by 345 positions.

Academically, Charles H. Kim Elementary holds a 9.5/10 versus Castelar Street Elementary's 8.7/10, a gap of 0.8 points. On growth — how much students advance relative to peers with similar starting points — Kim again leads with 9.8/10 to Castelar's 9.0/10. Both scores are strong in isolation, but Kim's near-perfect growth figure signals that students there are consistently outpacing comparable peers across the state, not merely arriving prepared.

The two schools serve economically similar populations: Castelar Street Elementary reports 85% of students on free or reduced-price lunch, Charles H. Kim Elementary 88% — meaning Kim's academic and growth advantages are not explained by family income differences. Enrollment at Castelar Street Elementary is 611 students versus 472 at Charles H. Kim Elementary, and the student-teacher ratio follows that pattern: 20.4:1 at Castelar Street Elementary compared to 18.2:1 at Charles H. Kim Elementary, giving Kim students meaningfully more daily teacher access.

One structural difference shapes the decision for families with older children: Castelar Street Elementary serves grades KG–08, running through middle school and removing one school transition from a child's elementary years. Charles H. Kim Elementary serves only KG–05, so families there will navigate a middle school search after fifth grade. The 3.9 miles between campuses keeps both within the same general section of Los Angeles, making geography a secondary factor for most families weighing these two schools.