Commonwealth Avenue Elementary vs Sierra Vista Elementary

Sierra Vista Elementary holds the higher overall rating at 9.8 out of 10 compared to Commonwealth Avenue Elementary's 9.2 out of 10 — a 0.6-point gap that carries significant weight in state context. Sierra Vista Elementary ranks #1 of 9,533 schools in California, placing it at the absolute top of the state. Commonwealth Avenue Elementary ranks #110 of 9,533, which remains an elite standing — top 1.2% statewide — but the distance between these two schools in the California rankings is considerable despite their proximity of just 7.5 miles in Los Angeles.

On academic performance, Sierra Vista Elementary scores 9.5 out of 10 versus Commonwealth Avenue Elementary's 8.5 out of 10, a full point separating them. The growth score gap is narrower: Sierra Vista Elementary earns a perfect 10.0 while Commonwealth Avenue Elementary posts a strong 9.5. This means Sierra Vista Elementary leads on both the absolute level of student proficiency and the rate at which students are advancing year over year — a combination that places it among the rarest schools in the state.

Commonwealth Avenue Elementary enrolls 506 students compared to Sierra Vista Elementary's 151, making it more than three times larger. Despite the size difference, both schools serve similar populations on the economic indicator most used in federal reporting: 87% of Commonwealth Avenue Elementary students qualify for free or reduced lunch versus 84% at Sierra Vista Elementary — a three-point difference that suggests comparable socioeconomic contexts. The student-teacher ratio favors Sierra Vista Elementary slightly at 16.8 students per teacher versus Commonwealth Avenue Elementary's 17.4, though the practical difference in classroom size is modest.

The two schools differ in grade span: Commonwealth Avenue Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade, while Sierra Vista Elementary extends one year further through sixth grade, keeping students in the same school an additional year before the transition to middle school. Families with children close to that transition age gain an extra year of continuity at Sierra Vista Elementary, a structural difference that can matter for families planning ahead.