Vernon City Elementary vs Charles H. Kim Elementary

Vernon City Elementary and Charles H. Kim Elementary are both high-performing Los Angeles elementary schools, but Charles H. Kim Elementary holds a measurable edge at the top of California's rankings. Charles H. Kim Elementary sits at #9 of 9,533 California schools while Vernon City Elementary ranks #44 of 9,533 — both elite positions, though the 35-rank gap at that tier reflects a real performance difference. On the composite rating, Charles H. Kim Elementary scores 9.6/10 against Vernon City Elementary's 9.4/10, a 0.2-point gap that narrows considerably when you examine individual components.

Academically, Charles H. Kim Elementary leads with a 9.5/10 academic score compared to Vernon City Elementary's 9.1/10 — a 0.4-point delta that accounts for most of the overall rating difference. Growth tells a different story entirely: both schools post identical growth scores of 9.8/10, meaning students at Vernon City Elementary are gaining ground at the same exceptional rate as their peers at Charles H. Kim Elementary. For families weighing trajectory against absolute achievement level, that tied growth score signals that Vernon City Elementary is closing whatever academic gap exists, not widening it.

Vernon City Elementary enrolls 135 students against Charles H. Kim Elementary's 472 — a 3.5x difference that shapes daily school life considerably. Vernon City Elementary's smaller population typically means more direct access to teachers and administration. The student-teacher ratio at Vernon City Elementary is 19.3:1 versus 18.2:1 at Charles H. Kim Elementary, so Charles H. Kim Elementary has a slight structural class-size advantage despite its much larger enrollment. On economic need, Vernon City Elementary serves a higher-poverty population, with 96% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch compared to 88% at Charles H. Kim Elementary.

One structural distinction separates the schools at the grade level: Vernon City Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade, giving families one additional year before the transition to middle school, while Charles H. Kim Elementary runs kindergarten through fifth grade only. Families who prefer to minimize school transitions or want a single campus through sixth grade will find Vernon City Elementary's grade span a practical advantage, regardless of the ranking gap.