Hillside Elementary vs Charles H. Kim Elementary

Charles H. Kim Elementary ranks #9 out of 9,533 California schools, placing it in the top 0.1% statewide. Hillside Elementary earns a strong #219 in the same ranking pool — still top 3% in California — but the gap between ninth and 219th is significant for families weighing the most competitive elementary options in Los Angeles. The overall rating difference is 0.6 points, with Charles H. Kim Elementary at 9.6/10 against Hillside Elementary's 9.0/10.

The academic score is where the two schools diverge most sharply. Charles H. Kim Elementary scores 9.5/10 in academics against Hillside Elementary's 7.0/10 — a 2.5-point gap that reflects a meaningful difference in measured proficiency outcomes. On growth, however, both schools are identical: Hillside Elementary and Charles H. Kim Elementary each earn a 9.8/10, meaning students at both campuses advance at an exceptional rate regardless of where they start. Families prioritizing academic growth trajectories will find comparable outcomes at either school; families prioritizing absolute proficiency levels will find Charles H. Kim Elementary substantially ahead.

Hillside Elementary enrolls 101 students against Charles H. Kim Elementary's 472, a difference that shapes daily school life considerably. The smaller enrollment at Hillside translates directly into a student-teacher ratio of 14.4:1, compared to 18.2:1 at Charles H. Kim Elementary — roughly four fewer students per classroom on average. Both schools serve high proportions of economically disadvantaged students: free and reduced lunch eligibility sits at 91% at Hillside Elementary and 88% at Charles H. Kim Elementary, a difference of three percentage points that indicates nearly identical economic demographics despite the enrollment size gap.

Both Hillside Elementary and Charles H. Kim Elementary serve grades KG through 05 and are separated by 5.6 miles within Los Angeles. Neither school offers a grade-level or program distinction from the other at the structural level — both are standard K–5 elementary campuses — so the meaningful choice factors remain the academic score delta, the class size difference, and the statewide rank gap of 210 positions.