Murchison Street Elementary vs Charles H. Kim Elementary

Charles H. Kim Elementary ranks #9 of 9,533 California schools, placing it in the top 0.1% statewide. Murchison Street Elementary earns an impressive #171 of 9,533 — still top 2% in the state — but the gap between them is significant. The overall ratings reflect this: Charles H. Kim Elementary scores 9.6/10 against Murchison Street Elementary's 9.1/10, a 0.5-point difference that understates how much wider the state-rank separation actually is between these two Los Angeles schools located 6.5 miles apart.

The academic scores tell the sharpest story. Charles H. Kim Elementary holds a 9.5/10 academic score versus Murchison Street Elementary's 7.5/10 — a 2-point gap on a 10-point scale that represents a meaningful difference in tested proficiency. Growth scores, however, are virtually identical: Murchison Street Elementary posts a 9.9/10 versus Charles H. Kim Elementary's 9.8/10. That near-perfect growth score at Murchison signals that students there are advancing at an exceptional rate year over year, even as their starting proficiency levels sit lower. Families should weigh both dimensions: Kim leads on absolute academic performance, while Murchison matches or edges it on student progress.

Murchison Street Elementary serves 367 students compared to Charles H. Kim Elementary's 472, and carries a free and reduced-price lunch rate of 97% versus 88% at Kim. That 9-percentage-point FRL gap reflects meaningfully different socioeconomic compositions. Murchison's student-teacher ratio of 17.5:1 is modestly tighter than Kim's 18.2:1, offering slightly more classroom contact per student despite the higher-need population it serves.

One structural difference shapes long-term planning: Murchison Street Elementary serves grades KG–06, covering all of elementary school through sixth grade, while Charles H. Kim Elementary serves grades KG–05 only. Families enrolling at Kim will need to plan a school transition one year earlier.