Kentwood Elementary vs Multnomah Street Elementary

Multnomah Street Elementary ranks #20 of 9,533 California schools, placing it among the top 0.2% statewide. Kentwood Elementary earns a strong #168 in that same pool — top 2% — but the 148-rank gap between these two Los Angeles elementary schools is substantial. On the 10-point overall scale, Multnomah Street Elementary scores 9.5 to Kentwood Elementary's 9.1, a 0.4-point difference that reflects a consistent performance edge across multiple rating dimensions.

Academically, Multnomah Street Elementary leads Kentwood Elementary 9.3 to 9.1 on the academic score. The growth gap is wider: Multnomah Street Elementary posts a 9.8 growth score against Kentwood Elementary's 9.4, a 0.4-point delta that signals Multnomah's students are advancing at a faster pace relative to their starting points. Growth scores measure year-over-year student progress rather than absolute proficiency, so Multnomah's edge here suggests strong instructional momentum regardless of where students enter.

Demographically, these schools serve meaningfully different populations despite sitting 14.2 miles apart in the same city. Multnomah Street Elementary enrolls 336 students with 71% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Kentwood Elementary is smaller at 297 students with 31% FRL — roughly half the economic need. Multnomah Street Elementary's higher ratings achieved against a higher-need population make its performance particularly notable. On class size, Multnomah Street Elementary also holds an edge with a 19.8:1 student-teacher ratio compared to Kentwood Elementary's 21.2:1, meaning students at Multnomah average about 1.4 fewer classmates per teacher.

Both schools serve grades KG through 05, so grade span is not a differentiating factor for families choosing between them. The performance gap between these schools is consistent rather than isolated to a single metric — Multnomah Street Elementary outperforms Kentwood Elementary on overall rating, academic score, growth score, and student-teacher ratio simultaneously, while doing so with a significantly higher proportion of economically disadvantaged students.