Farmdale Elementary vs Charles H. Kim Elementary

Charles H. Kim Elementary ranks #9 of 9,533 California schools, placing it in the top 0.1% statewide. Farmdale Elementary earns a strong #71 in that same pool — top 1% — but the 62-position gap between two schools 7.4 miles apart in Los Angeles represents a meaningful difference in demonstrated outcomes. Both schools serve kindergarten through fifth grade, so families are comparing like-for-like programs across similar grade spans.

On academics, Charles H. Kim Elementary scores 9.5/10 versus Farmdale Elementary's 8.5/10 — a full point separating two otherwise high-performing schools. That delta reflects a consistent pattern at the state rank level, where Kim's #9 position signals performance well above nearly every school in California. The one area Farmdale Elementary pulls ahead is student growth: its 10.0/10 growth score edges Charles H. Kim Elementary's 9.8/10, indicating that Farmdale students gain ground at an exceptional rate relative to academic starting points, a signal of strong instructional practice regardless of baseline proficiency levels.

Both schools serve high-need populations, with free and reduced lunch rates of 85% at Farmdale Elementary and 88% at Charles H. Kim Elementary — meaning both campuses are delivering top-tier results despite substantial economic disadvantage among their students. Charles H. Kim Elementary carries a larger enrollment at 472 students versus Farmdale Elementary's 317, and its student-teacher ratio of 18.2:1 is modestly tighter than Farmdale's 19.8:1, giving Kim families slightly more per-student instructional access on average.

Both schools cover the same KG–05 grade span and operate within the Los Angeles Unified School District. The 0.3-point overall rating gap — 9.6/10 for Charles H. Kim Elementary against 9.3/10 for Farmdale Elementary — narrows when growth is weighted heavily, since Farmdale's perfect growth score is the stronger number in that single dimension. Parents prioritizing absolute academic achievement levels will find a clear advantage at Kim; those weighting how much students improve year-over-year will find Farmdale's growth score compelling.