Hollywood Senior High vs Boyle Heights Sci Tech Engr and Math Magnet

Boyle Heights Sci Tech Engr and Math Magnet outscores Hollywood Senior High by 0.9 points overall — 9.5/10 versus 8.6/10. The state rank gap makes the distance even more concrete: Boyle Heights sits at #35 of 9,533 California high schools, while Hollywood Senior High ranks #688 of 9,533. Both schools are traditional four-year high schools in Los Angeles, just 8.6 miles apart, yet their positions in the California landscape differ sharply. Hollywood Senior High's top-700 finish places it well above the state median; Boyle Heights occupies a top-half-percent spot statewide.

Boyle Heights Sci Tech Engr and Math Magnet leads Hollywood Senior High on every measured academic dimension. Its academic score of 9.0/10 is 1.2 points above Hollywood Senior High's 7.8/10. The growth gap is wider: Boyle Heights posts a 9.7/10 growth score against Hollywood Senior High's 7.8/10 — a 1.9-point difference signaling that students at Boyle Heights advance substantially faster relative to their starting points. A school can post strong academic numbers simply by enrolling already-high-performing students; Boyle Heights does both, which is what a top-35 state rank alongside a 9.7 growth score confirms.

Hollywood Senior High enrolls 1,052 students compared to Boyle Heights Sci Tech Engr and Math Magnet's 131, making Hollywood roughly eight times larger. The student-teacher ratio is 16.2:1 at Hollywood versus 14.6:1 at Boyle Heights, giving Boyle Heights a modest class-size edge. Both schools serve predominantly high-need populations: 90% of Hollywood Senior High students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and 98% at Boyle Heights. That Boyle Heights reaches its #35 state rank with near-universal economic need among its students gives those academic and growth figures additional weight.

The key structural difference is program type. Boyle Heights is a dedicated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math magnet — its small enrollment and focused curriculum are features of that design, not incidental. Hollywood Senior High is a comprehensive neighborhood high school serving the full curricular range: electives, athletics, arts, and general academics at conventional scale. Both serve grades 9–12, so the choice turns on whether a family wants a deep STEM-magnet experience in a 131-student cohort or a full-spectrum high school at ten times the size.