Darby Avenue Elementary vs Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy

Darby Avenue Elementary and Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy are separated by just 2.4 miles in Northridge, California, yet their MySchoolScout ratings sit nearly level: Darby Avenue Elementary earns a 9.1/10 overall against Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy's 9.0/10, a gap of 0.1 points. The state rank tells a similar story — Darby Avenue Elementary places #225 of 9,533 California schools while Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy lands at #282 of 9,533 — meaning both schools outperform the vast majority of the state, but Darby Avenue Elementary holds a modest edge in the standings.

Academically, Darby Avenue Elementary scores 9.4/10 versus Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy's 9.1/10, a delta of 0.3 points on the academic dimension. On growth, the schools are nearly identical: Darby Avenue Elementary posts a 9.2/10 against Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy's 9.1/10, a difference of just 0.1 points. Both schools demonstrate that students are progressing at strong rates year over year, though Darby Avenue Elementary's academic score gives it a slight lead in measured proficiency outcomes.

The demographic profiles diverge more sharply. Darby Avenue Elementary enrolls 390 students while Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy serves 519 — 33% more students. Dearborn's free and reduced-price lunch rate stands at 74%, compared to 56% at Darby Avenue Elementary, indicating that Dearborn serves a substantially higher share of economically disadvantaged families. The student-teacher ratio at Darby Avenue Elementary is 20.5:1 versus 21.6:1 at Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy, a modest but real difference that translates to slightly more teacher attention per student at Darby.

Both schools run kindergarten through fifth grade, so grade-range is not a differentiating factor for families with elementary-age children. The structural distinction is governance: Darby Avenue Elementary is a traditional public school, while Dearborn Elementary Charter Academy operates as a charter. Charter status typically comes with an enrollment application or lottery process and may offer a distinct instructional model or culture, factors worth investigating directly with each school before making a decision.