John Burroughs Middle vs Washington Irving Mid Sch Math Music and Engr Magnet

Washington Irving Mid Sch Math Music and Engr Magnet ranks #106 of 9,533 California schools, placing it in the top 2% statewide. John Burroughs Middle ranks #279 of 9,533 — still a strong top-3% showing, but 173 positions behind Washington Irving. The overall rating gap is narrow: Washington Irving scores 9.3/10 versus John Burroughs Middle's 9.0/10, a 0.3-point difference that nonetheless reflects a meaningful separation at the high end of the statewide distribution.

The academic picture splits in an interesting direction. John Burroughs Middle posts the stronger academic score at 9.0/10 compared to Washington Irving's 8.6/10 — a 0.4-point edge suggesting higher raw proficiency levels. Washington Irving flips the result on growth, scoring 9.6/10 versus John Burroughs Middle's 9.4/10, meaning students at the magnet school are outpacing their expected academic trajectories by a slightly wider margin. Parents weighing current achievement benchmarks against momentum will find each school leads on a different axis.

John Burroughs Middle enrolls 1,359 students against Washington Irving's 815, and that size difference carries through to classroom ratios. Washington Irving's student-teacher ratio of 16.0:1 versus John Burroughs Middle's 22.3:1 means roughly six fewer students per teacher — a structural difference that typically translates to more individualized instruction. On economic diversity, John Burroughs Middle serves a higher share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, 76% versus Washington Irving's 65%, reflecting a broader socioeconomic cross-section of the surrounding Los Angeles communities.

Washington Irving is a dedicated Math, Music, and Engineering magnet, meaning its curriculum is organized around those disciplines for all enrolled students across grades 6–8. John Burroughs Middle operates as a comprehensive neighborhood middle school covering the same grade span without a defined magnet focus, giving it a broader curricular range and a more open enrollment pathway. The two schools sit 6.6 miles apart within Los Angeles, making direct family comparison realistic for those whose geography overlaps both attendance zones or magnet eligibility areas.