City Terrace Elementary vs Sierra Vista Elementary

Sierra Vista Elementary holds a 1.0-point overall rating advantage over City Terrace Elementary — 9.8/10 versus 8.8/10 — but the state rank gap is the more striking figure. Sierra Vista Elementary sits at #1 of 9,533 California schools while City Terrace Elementary ranks #356, meaning Sierra Vista is at the very top of the state and City Terrace lands in the top 4 percent. Both outcomes represent strong schools just 2.8 miles apart in Los Angeles, yet the distance in rank is substantial.

Academically, Sierra Vista Elementary scores 9.5/10 versus City Terrace Elementary's 9.0/10 — a half-point gap that signals Sierra Vista's higher tested proficiency. The growth score tells a sharper story: Sierra Vista Elementary earns a perfect 10.0/10 in student growth against City Terrace Elementary's 8.4/10, a 1.6-point delta that reflects how much academic progress students make year over year beyond what demographics predict. For families who care about whether a school is actively accelerating learning — not just starting from a strong baseline — Sierra Vista's growth figure is the decisive number.

On equity and environment, City Terrace Elementary enrolls 332 students compared to Sierra Vista Elementary's 151, making it a noticeably larger campus. Sierra Vista Elementary's student-teacher ratio is tighter at 16.8:1 versus City Terrace Elementary's 18.4:1, translating to roughly 1.6 fewer students per teacher — a modest but real difference in classroom attention. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility runs 84% at Sierra Vista Elementary versus 75% at City Terrace Elementary, indicating Sierra Vista serves a higher-poverty population while still achieving its top-ranked outcomes.

One structural difference separates the schools at the grade level: Sierra Vista Elementary extends through 6th grade while City Terrace Elementary caps at 5th grade. Families with a rising 6th grader would face a school transition one year earlier at City Terrace. Both schools serve kindergarten through their respective top grades, so the gap only affects planning for that final elementary year.