Victoria Elementary vs Everett A. Rea Elementary

Victoria Elementary and Everett A. Rea Elementary sit 0.9 miles apart in Costa Mesa and are separated by just 0.1 points overall — Victoria Elementary at 9.1/10 versus Everett A. Rea Elementary at 9.0/10. In California's state rankings, Victoria Elementary lands at #243 of 9,533 schools while Everett A. Rea Elementary holds #301 of 9,533, a gap of 58 positions that places both schools comfortably in the top 4% of the state.

Academically, the two schools are nearly tied: Victoria Elementary scores 8.1/10 and Everett A. Rea Elementary scores 8.0/10, a difference of just 0.1 points. Where the schools diverge more meaningfully is in student growth — Everett A. Rea Elementary earns a 9.6/10 growth score versus Victoria Elementary's 9.4/10. That 0.2-point edge suggests students at Rea are making slightly faster year-over-year academic progress relative to their starting points, a metric that matters more than snapshot proficiency for students entering below grade level.

The demographic and resource profiles differ substantially. Victoria Elementary enrolls 293 students with a student-teacher ratio of 16.3:1, while Everett A. Rea Elementary enrolls 346 students at 18.2:1 — nearly two additional students per teacher on average. The free and reduced-price lunch rates tell an even starker story: 61% at Victoria Elementary versus 93% at Everett A. Rea Elementary, indicating that Rea serves a significantly higher-need population and likely receives additional Title I federal funding directed toward those students.

Both schools serve grades KG through 06, so families with children across early and upper elementary ages have equivalent grade access at either campus. The 53-student enrollment gap means Victoria Elementary runs notably smaller overall, which may translate to more familiar staff-to-family relationships. Rea's higher growth score, however, suggests its teachers are effective at accelerating progress even within a higher-need student body — a signal of instructional quality that parents weighing equity-focused environments should weigh heavily.