Kentwood Elementary vs Sierra Vista Elementary

Sierra Vista Elementary and Kentwood Elementary both earn top marks in Los Angeles, but the gap between them is more significant than the headline ratings suggest. Kentwood Elementary sits at #168 of 9,533 California schools — an outstanding result — yet Sierra Vista Elementary holds the #1 rank of 9,533, a distinction no other elementary in the state can claim. That translates to a 0.7-point overall rating difference, with Sierra Vista at 9.8/10 and Kentwood at 9.1/10.

The academic and growth numbers tell the same story. Sierra Vista Elementary scores 9.5/10 on academics versus Kentwood Elementary's 9.1/10 — a meaningful 0.4-point delta. The growth gap is even starker: Sierra Vista earns a perfect 10.0/10 growth score against Kentwood's 9.4/10. That growth figure matters for families focused not just on where students arrive, but on how much they gain each year regardless of starting point.

The two schools serve very different student populations. Kentwood Elementary enrolls 297 students — nearly double Sierra Vista Elementary's 151 — and operates at a student-teacher ratio of 21.2:1 compared to Sierra Vista's 16.8:1. That 4.4-student gap per classroom is real. Sierra Vista also serves a substantially higher-need population: 84% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus 31% at Kentwood. Sierra Vista's #1 state ranking achieved against that demographic profile makes its performance particularly notable.

One structural difference: Sierra Vista Elementary extends through 6th grade while Kentwood Elementary caps at 5th, meaning Sierra Vista families avoid a school transition one year earlier. The two schools sit 16.8 miles apart within Los Angeles, so overlap in enrollment zones is limited, but families who relocate for a school assignment — or who live near the boundary — face a genuine choice between a top-decile school and the top school in California.