Heinz Kaiser Elementary vs Everett A. Rea Elementary
Heinz Kaiser Elementary and Everett A. Rea Elementary are very closely rated, both scoring around 9.0 out of 10. In math proficiency, Heinz Kaiser Elementary leads at 67.0%.
Heinz Kaiser Elementary
Costa Mesa, CA
520 students
Everett A. Rea Elementary
Costa Mesa, CA
346 students
Ratings Comparison
| Metric | Heinz Kaiser Elementary | Everett A. Rea Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 9.0 / 10 | 9.0 / 10 |
| Academic Score | 9.4 | 8.0 |
| Growth Score | 9.0 | 9.6 |
| Diversity Index | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 36.2% | 92.8% |
| Environment Score | 8.4 | 9.2 |
| State Rank | #236 of 9,533 | #237 of 9,533 |
| State Percentile | 98th | 98th |
Test Scores
| Subject | Heinz Kaiser Elementary | Everett A. Rea Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| Math Proficiency | 67.0% | 28.0% |
| Math (State Avg) | — | — |
| ELA Proficiency | 69.0% | 34.0% |
| ELA (State Avg) | — | — |
School Details
| Detail | Heinz Kaiser Elementary | Everett A. Rea Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Elementary School | Elementary School |
| Grades | 3rd – 6th | Kindergarten – 6th |
| Enrollment | 520 | 346 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 20.8:1 | 18.2:1 |
| Per-Pupil Spending | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 36.2% | 92.8% |
| Chronic Absenteeism | — | — |
| District | Newport-Mesa Unified | Newport-Mesa Unified |
| City | Costa Mesa | Costa Mesa |
Neighborhood
| Metric | Costa Mesa (92626) | Costa Mesa (92626) |
|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $117,627 | $117,627 |
| Median Home Value | $1,037,700 | $1,037,700 |
| Median Rent | $2,520 | $2,520 |
| College Educated (Bachelor's+) | 46.3% | 46.3% |
| Poverty Rate | 8.5% | 8.5% |
| Avg Commute | 22 min | 22 min |
The data story: Heinz Kaiser Elementary vs Everett A. Rea Elementary
Heinz Kaiser Elementary and Everett A. Rea Elementary sit 1.4 miles apart in Costa Mesa, California, and are separated by just 0.2 overall rating points — Kaiser at 9.2/10 and Rea at 9.0/10. The state rank gap is more revealing: Kaiser lands at #174 of 9,533 California schools while Rea sits at #301 of 9,533, placing both schools firmly in the top 4% statewide. Either school is a strong choice in absolute terms; the differences lie in what kind of performance is driving each score.
The academic gap between the two schools is substantial. Heinz Kaiser Elementary scores a 9.4/10 on academic proficiency versus Everett A. Rea Elementary's 8.0/10 — a 1.4-point delta that reflects materially higher current proficiency on state assessments. Rea flips the advantage on growth: its 9.6/10 growth score beats Kaiser's 9.0/10, meaning Rea students are advancing at a faster-than-expected pace relative to their starting points. Families who prioritize where students currently land on proficiency benchmarks will favor Kaiser; families who want to see their child progress quickly from wherever they start will find Rea's growth trajectory compelling.
The demographic and structural differences between the two schools are stark. Everett A. Rea Elementary serves 93% of students on free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 36% at Heinz Kaiser Elementary — a gap of 57 percentage points that signals meaningfully different socioeconomic contexts and funding pressures. Kaiser enrolls 520 students to Rea's 346, and Kaiser's student-teacher ratio of 20.8:1 runs higher than Rea's 18.2:1, meaning Rea students get more adult attention per classroom on average despite the school's resource constraints.
One structural difference has immediate practical consequences: Heinz Kaiser Elementary serves grades 3 through 6 only, meaning families with kindergartners, first graders, or second graders cannot enroll there. Everett A. Rea Elementary serves kindergarten through grade 6, making it the only option of the two for families with younger elementary-age children. Kaiser's narrower grade band also means a later entry point and an earlier transition out, which affects how families plan school progression across the elementary years.
Editorial summary generated May 2026 · sonnet
Who each school fits
Heinz Kaiser Elementary
Heinz Kaiser Elementary fits families with a child entering third grade or above who prioritize high academic proficiency scores and whose child is already performing at or near grade level. With a 9.4/10 academic score and a top-175 California rank, it is the right choice for parents optimizing for current achievement benchmarks and who are comfortable with a larger class size of roughly 21 students per teacher.
Everett A. Rea Elementary
Everett A. Rea Elementary is the stronger fit for families with kindergartners or first and second graders — Kaiser cannot serve them at all. It is also the right call for parents whose child needs to build momentum from below grade level: the 9.6/10 growth score means Rea is exceptionally effective at accelerating students. The 18.2:1 student-teacher ratio also gives kids more direct teacher access than Kaiser despite the school operating in a high-poverty context.