Soto Street Elementary vs Third Street Elementary

Third Street Elementary ranks #8 of 9,533 California schools, placing it in the top 0.1% statewide. Soto Street Elementary earns an 8.9 out of 10 overall — a genuinely strong score — but ranks #293 of 9,533, a gap that reflects meaningful differences in tested performance. The 0.7-point overall rating gap between these two Los Angeles elementary schools is driven primarily by academics, not by growth or school environment.

On academics, Third Street Elementary scores a perfect 10.0 out of 10 versus Soto Street Elementary's 7.9 — a 2.1-point delta that is the sharpest difference between the two schools. Growth scores are closer: Third Street Elementary earns a 9.9 versus Soto Street Elementary's 9.2, suggesting that Soto Street's students are advancing at a strong pace even if their absolute proficiency levels sit lower. Both schools demonstrate that students are learning relative to expectations, but Third Street Elementary leads on both dimensions.

The two schools serve very different student populations. Soto Street Elementary enrolls 205 students with 88% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high-poverty community. Third Street Elementary is more than three times larger at 691 students, with 43% on free or reduced lunch. The student-teacher ratio also diverges: Soto Street Elementary's 17.1-to-1 ratio is notably smaller than Third Street Elementary's 22.3-to-1, meaning Soto Street students get more individual teacher attention despite the school's lower absolute test scores.

On grade span, Soto Street Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade, giving families an additional year before middle school transition. Third Street Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade only. Both schools are 7.3 miles apart within Los Angeles, making cross-town enrollment a practical consideration. Families weighing proximity against performance have a clear academic leader in Third Street Elementary, while Soto Street Elementary offers a smaller, more intimate setting with an extended grade range for a predominantly low-income community.