Farmdale Elementary vs Glen Alta Elementary

Glen Alta Elementary edges out Farmdale Elementary by 0.1 points overall — 9.4 versus 9.3 out of 10 — but the state rank gap is more telling: Glen Alta sits at #41 of 9,533 California schools while Farmdale ranks #71 of 9,533. Both schools sit in the top 1% statewide, and just 1.3 miles apart in Los Angeles, making this a genuinely close call for families in the area.

Academically, the two schools are nearly identical: Farmdale Elementary scores 8.5/10 versus Glen Alta Elementary's 8.6/10, a one-tenth difference that is practically negligible. Where Farmdale pulls ahead decisively is in growth — its 10.0/10 growth score beats Glen Alta's 9.7/10, meaning Farmdale is pushing students forward at a measurably faster rate relative to their starting points. For families prioritizing year-over-year academic progress, Farmdale's perfect growth score is a concrete advantage.

The demographic and structural differences between the two schools are significant. Farmdale Elementary enrolls 317 students against Glen Alta Elementary's 116, nearly three times the size. Glen Alta's student-teacher ratio of 14.5:1 offers considerably more individual attention than Farmdale's 19.8:1. On economic need, Glen Alta's free and reduced lunch rate of 97% is 12 points higher than Farmdale's 85%, indicating Glen Alta serves a higher-poverty population and is still achieving elite statewide results under those conditions.

One structural difference sets the schools apart beyond elementary grades: Glen Alta Elementary serves students through 8th grade (KG–08), while Farmdale Elementary tops out at 5th grade (KG–05). For families who want to keep their child in the same school community through middle school, Glen Alta eliminates an additional school transition. Farmdale's larger enrollment also suggests broader extracurricular options typical of bigger campuses, though Glen Alta's smaller cohort may offer a tighter-knit environment from kindergarten through graduation.