Stella Elementary Charter Academy vs Third Street Elementary

Third Street Elementary ranks #8 of 9,533 schools in California, placing it in the top 0.1% statewide. Stella Elementary Charter Academy ranks #511 of 9,533 — a strong result by any measure, but the gap between the two schools is substantial. Third Street Elementary's overall rating of 9.6/10 sits 1.0 point above Stella Elementary Charter Academy's 8.6/10, and that difference is driven almost entirely by academic proficiency, not school quality across the board.

On academics, the delta is stark: Third Street Elementary scores a perfect 10.0/10 versus Stella Elementary Charter Academy's 7.9/10 — a 2.1-point gap that reflects meaningfully higher proficiency rates on California state assessments. Growth tells a different story. Stella Elementary Charter Academy earns a 10.0/10 growth score, a tenth of a point above Third Street Elementary's 9.9/10, indicating that Stella's students are advancing at an exceptional pace relative to academic starting points. For families whose children enter below grade level, Stella's top-tier growth score signals a school that consistently accelerates learning trajectories.

The two schools serve different populations. Stella Elementary Charter Academy enrolls 258 students — less than half of Third Street Elementary's 691 — and 91% of Stella's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 43% at Third Street Elementary. That 48-point FRL gap reflects a significant difference in the economic backgrounds of enrolled families. Student-teacher ratios are close: 23.5:1 at Stella Elementary Charter Academy versus 22.3:1 at Third Street Elementary, a difference unlikely to be felt in daily classroom experience.

One structural difference affects grade-level planning directly: Stella Elementary Charter Academy serves kindergarten through 4th grade, while Third Street Elementary extends through 5th grade. Families enrolling in Stella will need to identify a new school one year earlier. Third Street Elementary operates as a traditional LAUSD public school, while Stella Elementary Charter Academy is a charter, which may affect enrollment processes, lottery requirements, and school governance — practical considerations worth verifying before applying.