Sunset Elementary vs Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary

Sunset Elementary and Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary sit just 4.8 miles apart in San Francisco, yet the data reveals meaningful differences beneath a nearly identical headline rating. Sunset Elementary earns a 9.2/10 overall versus Lilienthal's 9.1/10 — a slim 0.1-point gap — but state rank context sharpens the picture: Sunset Elementary places #180 of 9,533 California schools while Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary ranks #253 of the same pool. Both are genuinely exceptional schools by any statewide measure, but Sunset holds a consistent edge across every scored dimension.

Academically, the delta is narrow but real. Sunset Elementary scores 9.9/10 versus Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary's 9.7/10 — a 0.2-point difference that places both schools in the top tier statewide. The growth score gap is wider: Sunset Elementary posts a 9.4/10 compared to Lilienthal's 8.8/10, a 0.6-point difference indicating that students at Sunset are accelerating relative to academic peers at a meaningfully faster rate. For families who weight year-over-year academic progress as heavily as absolute proficiency, that distinction matters.

The two schools diverge sharply on size and demographics. Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary enrolls 670 students — 267 more than Sunset Elementary's 403. That larger enrollment pairs with a notably better student-teacher ratio at Lilienthal: 22.3:1 versus Sunset's 26.9:1, meaning the average Lilienthal classroom has roughly four fewer students per teacher. Sunset Elementary serves a higher share of economically disadvantaged families, with 34% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch compared to Lilienthal's 21%. That 13-point gap reflects meaningfully different community compositions within the same city.

The grade structure is the most concrete program-level difference between the two campuses. Sunset Elementary serves kindergarten through 5th grade only, while Lilienthal (Claire) Elementary extends through 8th grade — a KG–08 configuration that keeps students on one campus through middle school. Families who want continuity and fewer school transitions during a child's formative years will find Lilienthal's extended span a practical advantage, regardless of where the overall rating lands.