Fifty-Fourth Street Elementary vs Charles H. Kim Elementary

Fifty-Fourth Street Elementary and Charles H. Kim Elementary are both top-tier Los Angeles elementary schools, but Charles H. Kim Elementary holds a clear edge in state standing: ranked #9 of 9,533 California schools versus Fifty-Fourth Street Elementary's #18. That seven-spot gap matters more than the 0.1-point overall rating difference (9.6 vs. 9.5) suggests — Charles H. Kim Elementary sits in the top 0.1% of the state while Fifty-Fourth Street Elementary sits in the top 0.2%, both extraordinary, but Kim edges ahead on the absolute scale.

The academic scores tell the sharpest story. Charles H. Kim Elementary scores 9.5/10 academically against Fifty-Fourth Street Elementary's 8.7/10 — a 0.8-point gap that reflects a meaningful difference in tested proficiency outcomes. Fifty-Fourth Street Elementary counters with the stronger growth score: a perfect 10.0/10 versus Kim's 9.8/10. That near-perfect growth rating signals that Fifty-Fourth Street Elementary is accelerating student learning at an exceptional rate relative to similar-starting peers, even while its absolute academic score trails.

Charles H. Kim Elementary enrolls 472 students versus Fifty-Fourth Street Elementary's 232 — roughly twice the school population — while the student-teacher ratios are close: 18.2:1 at Kim and 17.8:1 at Fifty-Fourth Street. Both schools serve high-need populations, but Fifty-Fourth Street Elementary's free and reduced-price lunch rate of 94% runs six points above Kim's 88%, indicating a somewhat higher concentration of economically disadvantaged families at Fifty-Fourth Street.

One structural difference affects families with older elementary-age children directly: Fifty-Fourth Street Elementary serves grades KG–06, adding a sixth-grade year that Charles H. Kim Elementary does not offer, as Kim's range tops out at KG–05. Families with a rising sixth grader would face a middle school transition one year earlier at Kim. The two campuses sit 5.8 miles apart within Los Angeles Unified, so neighborhood proximity will likely drive eligibility before any other factor for most families.