Figueroa Street Elementary vs Sierra Vista Elementary

Sierra Vista Elementary holds an overall rating of 9.8/10 against Figueroa Street Elementary's 8.6/10 — a 1.2-point gap that reflects a meaningful difference in measured school quality. The state rank gap is sharper still: Sierra Vista Elementary sits at #1 of 9,533 schools in California, while Figueroa Street Elementary ranks #542. Both are strong placements in absolute terms, but Sierra Vista's rank places it at the very top of every elementary school in the state.

On academic scores, Sierra Vista Elementary leads Figueroa Street Elementary 9.5 to 8.1 — a 1.4-point difference in tested proficiency outcomes. The growth score gap is narrower but still favors Sierra Vista: 10.0/10 versus Figueroa Street Elementary's 9.0/10. Figueroa Street's 9.0 growth score is notable — it signals that students there are making strong year-over-year gains relative to their starting points, which matters especially for families whose children may be entering below grade level.

The two schools serve very different populations. Figueroa Street Elementary enrolls 404 students — nearly triple Sierra Vista Elementary's 151 — and carries a student-teacher ratio of 21.3:1 versus Sierra Vista's 16.8:1, meaning Sierra Vista averages more than four fewer students per teacher. On economic indicators, 97% of Figueroa Street students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch compared to 84% at Sierra Vista. Figueroa Street's near-universal FRL rate reflects a student body facing significantly higher rates of economic hardship, yet its 9.0 growth score suggests the instructional program is producing real gains against that backdrop.

Sierra Vista Elementary extends one grade further, serving students through sixth grade (KG–06) compared to Figueroa Street Elementary's KG–05 cutoff. For families who want to keep a child in one building through the end of elementary, Sierra Vista's grade span offers an extra year before middle school transition. The two schools sit 13.3 miles apart within Los Angeles, so geographic proximity is unlikely to factor into most families' decisions — the choice is fundamentally one of school character and fit.