Multnomah Street Elementary vs Third Street Elementary

Third Street Elementary ranks #8 of 9,533 California schools while Multnomah Street Elementary ranks #20 of 9,533 — both are elite performers sitting at the very top of the state, separated by just 0.1 overall rating points (9.6 vs. 9.5). That gap is narrow enough that neither school is a clear statewide underperformer, but Third Street Elementary's position 12 spots higher on a list of nearly 9,500 schools reflects a consistent edge across multiple scoring dimensions.

The sharpest academic difference sits in the proficiency scores: Third Street Elementary earns a 10.0 academic score versus Multnomah Street Elementary's 9.3 — a 0.7-point gap that, at this tier, is meaningful. Growth scores are nearly identical (9.9 vs. 9.8), meaning both schools accelerate students at comparable rates year over year. Third Street Elementary's academic ceiling is simply higher, suggesting stronger absolute proficiency outcomes in tested subjects.

On demographics and classroom structure, the two schools diverge significantly. Multnomah Street Elementary enrolls 336 students against Third Street Elementary's 691 — roughly half the size — and operates at a 19.8:1 student-teacher ratio compared to Third Street Elementary's 22.3:1. Parents who prioritize smaller class sizes and tighter adult-to-student contact will find Multnomah Street Elementary more favorable on those measures. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility tells a different equity story: 71% of Multnomah Street Elementary students qualify versus 43% at Third Street Elementary, indicating that Multnomah serves a substantially higher proportion of lower-income families while still achieving near-top statewide rankings.

Both schools serve grades KG through 05 and sit 8.1 miles apart within Los Angeles. The grade span is identical, so neither school has a structural advantage in continuity of enrollment for elementary-age children. The core distinction between the two is the trade-off between Third Street Elementary's higher academic proficiency ceiling and Multnomah Street Elementary's lower student-teacher ratio and broader socioeconomic diversity — both factors that matter depending on what a family values most in an elementary placement.