William R. Anton Elementary vs Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary

William R. Anton Elementary ranks #815 of 9,533 California schools, a solid standing that still sits more than 700 places behind Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary, which holds the #68 statewide rank out of 9,533 schools. That gap translates directly into the overall ratings: Anton earns an 8.5 out of 10 while Hamasaki reaches 9.4 out of 10 — a 0.9-point difference that places Hamasaki among the top 1% of California elementary schools.

The academic score drives most of that separation. William R. Anton Elementary scores 7.3 out of 10 on academics against Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary's 9.0 — a 1.7-point delta that is the single largest difference between the two schools. Growth tells a tighter story: Anton's 9.4 growth score is strong by any measure, and Hamasaki's 9.9 edges it by just half a point, meaning both schools are highly effective at moving students forward year over year relative to peers. Hamasaki's advantage lies primarily in absolute proficiency levels, not in the pace of student improvement.

Both schools serve nearly identical socioeconomic populations — Anton at 95% free and reduced lunch eligibility, Hamasaki at 94% — which makes Hamasaki's academic score even more notable, as it achieves top-tier proficiency with a high-need student body. Enrollment differs by 116 students: Anton serves 456 while Hamasaki serves 340. Student-teacher ratios are nearly identical at 19.8:1 and 20.0:1 respectively, so neither school offers a meaningful class-size advantage.

The schools diverge slightly in grade span: William R. Anton Elementary covers kindergarten through sixth grade, while Morris K. Hamasaki Elementary runs kindergarten through fifth grade only. Families with rising sixth-graders would face a school transition one year earlier at Hamasaki. The two campuses sit just 1.4 miles apart in Los Angeles, so geography is unlikely to be a deciding factor for most families weighing this choice.