Kentwood Elementary vs Third Street Elementary

Kentwood Elementary and Third Street Elementary are both highly rated Los Angeles elementary schools serving kindergarten through fifth grade, yet their state rankings reveal a meaningful gap. Kentwood Elementary sits at #168 of 9,533 California elementary schools — an exceptional placement — while Third Street Elementary ranks #8 of 9,533, placing it among the top fraction of a percent statewide. Both schools clear an extraordinarily high bar, but Third Street's position is rare by any measure.

On academic metrics, the separation is concrete. Third Street Elementary scores a perfect 10.0 out of 10 on academics versus Kentwood Elementary's 9.1 — a 0.9-point difference that reflects the state rank gap in measurable terms. Growth scores tell a similar story: Third Street Elementary earns a 9.9 versus Kentwood Elementary's 9.4, meaning students at Third Street are advancing at a pace that outpaces nearly every California school regardless of starting point. Kentwood's 9.4 growth score is itself strong, but the 0.5-point difference compounds over five elementary years.

The two schools diverge noticeably in scale and demographics. Third Street Elementary enrolls 691 students — more than double Kentwood Elementary's 297 — which shapes the daily experience for families who care about school size. Third Street serves a higher share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch (43% versus Kentwood's 31%), indicating it achieves its #8 state ranking while supporting a more economically diverse population. Student-teacher ratios are similar but slightly more favorable at Kentwood Elementary (21.2:1 versus 22.3:1 at Third Street), meaning slightly smaller class sizes on average.

Both schools cover the same grade span — kindergarten through fifth grade — and sit 8.5 miles apart within Los Angeles. The overall rating gap is 0.5 points (9.1 for Kentwood Elementary versus 9.6 for Third Street Elementary), which understates the academic delta. Families weighing the two should treat the state rank difference — #168 versus #8 — as the most telling single figure, since it positions these schools relative to the full California pool rather than against each other alone.