Kentwood Elementary vs Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary

Kentwood Elementary and Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary sit 14.9 miles apart in Los Angeles, yet their overall ratings land nearly at opposite ends of the excellence spectrum. Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary earns a 9.4/10 overall rating and ranks #42 of 9,533 California schools, placing it in the top half-percent statewide. Kentwood Elementary scores 9.1/10 overall and holds a strong #168 in California — elite by any general standard, but a meaningful 126-position gap separates the two when state context matters to a family.

On the academic dimension, the schools are nearly tied: Kentwood Elementary posts a 9.1/10 academic score versus Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary's 9.0/10 — a difference too small to drive a decision. Growth is where Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary separates itself decisively. Its growth score of 9.9/10 outpaces Kentwood Elementary's 9.4/10 by half a point, signaling that students at Hamasaki are progressing faster relative to academic peers with similar starting points. For parents who prioritize year-over-year learning gains over baseline proficiency, that gap is real and consistent with the school's top-42 statewide rank.

The two schools diverge sharply on demographics and resource indicators. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility — a standard proxy for community poverty — stands at 94% at Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary versus 31% at Kentwood Elementary. That 63-point difference means Hamasaki serves a vastly higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students and is producing its exceptional growth scores in that context, which speaks directly to instructional quality. Hamasaki also edges out Kentwood on student-teacher ratio: 20.0:1 versus Kentwood Elementary's 21.2:1. Enrollment at Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary is 340 students compared to Kentwood Elementary's 297, making Hamasaki the larger campus by about 15%.

Both schools serve grades KG–05 and operate within Los Angeles Unified. Their grade span is identical, so families with students in any elementary year will find the full range covered at either campus. The differentiating variables are growth trajectory, the population each school serves, and how dramatically Hamasaki's rank climbs when California's full 9,533-school field is the measuring stick.