Robert F. Kennedy Elementary vs Murchison Street Elementary

Robert F. Kennedy Elementary ranks #115 of 9,533 California schools while Murchison Street Elementary ranks #171 of 9,533 — both are exceptional, landing in the top 2% of the state. The overall rating gap is just 0.1 points (Robert F. Kennedy Elementary 9.2/10 vs. Murchison Street Elementary 9.1/10), meaning parents are choosing between two high-performing schools separated by 1.1 miles, not between a strong school and a weak one.

On academics, Robert F. Kennedy Elementary scores 8.0/10 versus Murchison Street Elementary's 7.5/10 — a half-point delta that reflects meaningfully higher current proficiency levels. Growth tells the opposite story: Murchison Street Elementary edges ahead with a 9.9/10 growth score compared to Robert F. Kennedy Elementary's 9.8/10, indicating students at Murchison are advancing at a fractionally faster rate relative to their starting points. Both schools are essentially elite performers on student progress, but Kennedy holds the edge in absolute academic attainment.

Robert F. Kennedy Elementary enrolls 176 students versus Murchison Street Elementary's 367 — Kennedy is roughly half the size, which likely contributes to its tighter student-teacher ratio of 16.0:1 compared to Murchison's 17.5:1. Both schools serve almost entirely low-income populations: free and reduced lunch eligibility stands at 93% at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary and 97% at Murchison Street Elementary. That near-identical demographic profile makes their academic competition especially meaningful — both schools are achieving top-2% state rankings with high-need student bodies.

Both schools serve grades KG–06, so families won't face a grade-coverage mismatch regardless of which they choose. The structural difference is size: Kennedy's 176-student enrollment creates a small-school environment where every student is more visible to staff, while Murchison's 367 students offer a broader peer group and likely more extracurricular and resource variety at scale. For families where classroom intimacy is the priority, the ratio and enrollment data both point toward Kennedy; for families who want a larger school community, Murchison delivers that without sacrificing academic outcomes.