Vermont Avenue Elementary vs Vernon City Elementary

Vermont Avenue Elementary ranks #367 of 9,533 California schools with an overall rating of 8.8 out of 10, while Vernon City Elementary sits at #44 of 9,533 statewide — a gap of more than 300 positions that signals a meaningful difference in measured school quality despite both schools serving the same city and grade band. The 0.6-point overall rating gap (8.8 vs. 9.4) understates the distance in state standing: Vernon City Elementary places in roughly the top 0.5% of all California schools, while Vermont Avenue Elementary, itself a strong performer, sits in the top 4%.

The academic score delta drives most of that gap. Vermont Avenue Elementary scores 7.8 out of 10 on academics versus Vernon City Elementary's 9.1 — a 1.3-point difference that reflects a concrete gap in measured proficiency outcomes. Both schools post strong growth scores, with Vermont Avenue Elementary at 9.5 and Vernon City Elementary at 9.8, meaning students at both campuses gain ground relative to peers statewide. Growth is the one dimension where the two schools are nearly matched; the divergence is almost entirely in tested academic achievement levels.

Vermont Avenue Elementary enrolls 356 students across kindergarten through fifth grade at a student-teacher ratio of 20.9:1. Vernon City Elementary is a smaller campus, serving 135 students through sixth grade at a ratio of 19.3:1 — 1.6 fewer students per teacher on average, which translates to more individualized attention. Both schools serve economically similar populations: 90% of Vermont Avenue Elementary students qualify for free or reduced lunch versus 96% at Vernon City Elementary, so neither school has a demographic advantage in the traditional sense; Vernon City Elementary achieves its higher academic scores with an even higher-need student body.

Vernon City Elementary extends one additional grade year through sixth grade, while Vermont Avenue Elementary tops out at fifth, meaning families at Vermont Avenue Elementary will navigate a middle school transition one year earlier. Both schools are elementary campuses separated by 4.0 miles within Los Angeles, giving families in between a genuine choice rather than a default assignment based on geography alone.