Charles H. Kim Elementary vs Dr. Lawrence H. Moore Math Science Technology Academy

Charles H. Kim Elementary holds a 0.9-point overall rating advantage over Dr. Lawrence H. Moore Math Science Technology Academy — 9.6/10 versus 8.7/10. That gap carries serious weight in context: Kim ranks #9 of 9,533 California elementary schools, placing it in the top 0.1% statewide, while Moore ranks #457, which is still an excellent result — top 5% — but a different tier entirely. Both schools sit 6.7 miles apart in Los Angeles and serve the same grade span, KG–05, so families choosing between them are comparing genuine academic performance differences, not program or grade-level fit.

On academics, Charles H. Kim Elementary scores 9.5/10 versus Dr. Lawrence H. Moore Math Science Technology Academy's 8.2/10 — a 1.3-point delta that reflects a meaningful gap in measured proficiency. Growth scores are closer: Kim posts 9.8/10 and Moore posts 9.2/10, a 0.6-point difference that still favors Kim. What stands out is that both schools show strong upward momentum for their students, but Kim sustains that trajectory from a higher proficiency baseline, a combination that is genuinely rare at this scale.

The demographic picture separates these schools sharply. Both serve high-poverty populations — free or reduced lunch eligibility runs 88% at Charles H. Kim Elementary and 97% at Dr. Lawrence H. Moore Math Science Technology Academy, meaning Moore's student body includes proportionally more economically disadvantaged children. Class sizes diverge as well: Kim's student-teacher ratio is 18.2:1 versus Moore's 21.9:1, a difference of nearly four students per teacher. Kim's lower ratio means more individual instructional contact time. Enrollment is comparable — 472 at Kim, 504 at Moore — so neither school is notably larger.

Dr. Lawrence H. Moore Math Science Technology Academy's name signals a STEM-centered programmatic identity, which is a structural distinction from the general-curriculum model at Charles H. Kim Elementary. Families specifically seeking an early STEM focus will find that framing built into Moore's mission from kindergarten onward. Kim, by contrast, delivers its exceptional outcomes — the #9 statewide ranking, 9.5 academic score — within a traditional elementary structure.