Figueroa Street Elementary vs Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary

Figueroa Street Elementary ranks #812 out of 9,533 California schools, while Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary sits at #68 out of 9,533 — a 744-position gap that reflects a 0.9-point overall rating difference (8.5 vs. 9.4 out of 10). For parents weighing two solid Los Angeles elementary schools, that state-rank delta is the headline number: Hamasaki places in the top 1% of all California elementary schools, while Figueroa Street lands in the top 9%.

Academically, Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary scores 9.0 out of 10 versus Figueroa Street Elementary's 8.1 — a 0.9-point gap that translates to meaningfully higher tested proficiency. On growth, the spread widens further: Hamasaki earns a near-perfect 9.9 growth score compared to Figueroa Street's already-strong 9.0. Both schools are producing above-average academic progress, but Hamasaki's 9.9 growth score signals that students there are advancing faster relative to peers statewide regardless of starting point.

Demographically, the two schools are close. Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary enrolls 340 students versus Figueroa Street Elementary's 404, giving Hamasaki a slightly smaller community feel. The student-teacher ratio at Hamasaki is 20.0:1 against Figueroa Street's 21.3:1 — a modest but real difference of 1.3 students per classroom. Both schools serve predominantly high-need populations: Figueroa Street's free and reduced-price lunch rate is 97%, Hamasaki's is 94%, meaning economic context is nearly identical across both campuses.

Both Figueroa Street Elementary and Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary serve grades KG through 5 and sit 10 miles apart within Los Angeles Unified. The grade-span match means families are making a true apples-to-apples comparison — the same age range, the same district, the same general policy environment. The differentiating factors are Hamasaki's superior state ranking, its higher academic score, and its exceptional growth score, none of which reflect a structural program difference but rather measurable outcome gaps between two schools otherwise serving very similar student populations.