Harvard Elementary vs Alexandria Avenue Elementary

Alexandria Avenue Elementary and Harvard Elementary sit just 0.3 miles apart in Los Angeles and arrive at nearly identical overall ratings — both score 9.2/10 — but their California state ranks diverge slightly: Alexandria Avenue Elementary lands at #108 of 9,533 California schools while Harvard Elementary comes in at #122. For parents weighing two schools this close in quality, the differences worth examining lie in the details beneath that headline number.

On academics, Alexandria Avenue Elementary holds a modest edge with an 8.3/10 academic score versus Harvard Elementary's 8.1/10 — a 0.2-point gap that reflects a small but real difference in measured proficiency outcomes. Both schools match exactly on growth, each earning a 9.7/10 growth score, meaning students at both campuses are advancing at a comparably strong pace relative to their starting points. That shared growth strength signals that effective instruction is happening at both schools regardless of incoming skill levels.

Alexandria Avenue Elementary enrolls 503 students compared to Harvard Elementary's 250, making Harvard roughly half the size. That enrollment difference translates into a marginally smaller student-teacher ratio at Harvard Elementary — 17.9:1 versus Alexandria Avenue Elementary's 18.6:1 — a gap of 0.7 students per teacher. Both schools serve populations with very high rates of economic need: Alexandria Avenue Elementary reports 92% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, while Harvard Elementary's figure is 96%, indicating Harvard's student body skews slightly higher in concentrated poverty.

Both Alexandria Avenue Elementary and Harvard Elementary serve grades KG through 05, so families with elementary-age children will find the same grade span at either campus. The practical distinction is scale: Harvard Elementary's smaller enrollment creates a more intimate campus environment, while Alexandria Avenue Elementary's larger enrollment may support a broader range of extracurricular offerings and staff specializations.