You live on the Westside — or you're thinking about moving there. You've Googled "best elementary schools" and gotten a dozen listicles that all cite GreatSchools ratings without questioning what those ratings actually measure.
Here's a different approach. We pulled the 2025 CAASPP data for every elementary school in the Westside zip codes (90024, 90025, 90034, 90064, 90066, 90291, 90292, 90402, 90403, 90404), ran it through our composite methodology, and ranked them. The results include some surprises.
The top 10
| Rank | School | Score | State Rank | Exceeded % | Growth | Absent % | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Overland Avenue Elementary | 80.0 | #16 | 70.3% | +3.3 | 5.8% | Neighborhood |
| 2 | Canyon Charter Elementary | 76.2 | #80 | 60.9% | +6.1 | 7.5% | Charter |
| 3 | Clover Avenue Elementary | 75.1 | #99 | 65.7% | −3.9 | 8.1% | Neighborhood |
| 4 | Franklin Elementary | 73.0 | #169 | 57.7% | +3.7 | 11.8% | Neighborhood |
| 5 | Mar Vista Elementary | 72.1 | #202 | 54.8% | −1.1 | 6.8% | Neighborhood |
| 6 | Warner Avenue Elementary | 71.3 | #248 | 58.6% | −6.9 | 8.3% | Neighborhood |
| 7 | Broadway Elementary | 70.7 | #271 | 64.0% | −6.2 | 18.2% | Neighborhood |
| 8 | Castle Heights Elementary | 69.7 | #323 | 53.2% | −2.7 | 9.0% | Neighborhood |
| 9 | Roosevelt Elementary | 67.2 | #437 | 47.5% | +4.9 | 11.3% | Neighborhood |
| 10 | Edison Elementary | 66.6 | #483 | 50.3% | −10.9 | 11.6% | Neighborhood |
Score is our composite score (0–100). Growth is the grade 3→5 proficiency change in percentage points. Absent % is chronic absenteeism rate. All data from 2025 CAASPP and CDE reporting. Full methodology →
What stands out
Overland Avenue is quietly one of the best schools in California
Not just on the Westside. Not just in LA. Overland Avenue Elementary ranks #16 in the entire state on our composite, with a 99.7th percentile score. Over 70% of students exceed the state standard — not just meet it, exceed it. Growth is positive. Chronic absenteeism is a remarkably low 5.8%.
This is an LAUSD neighborhood school in the 90064 zip code. Not a charter. Not a magnet. Not a school that selects its students. It's just a really good neighborhood school that flies under the radar because it doesn't have a marketing budget.
If you live in Overland Avenue's attendance area, you might already have access to a top-20 school in California without knowing it. See the full profile →
Canyon Charter has the highest growth on this list
Canyon Charter in Santa Monica Canyon (90402) has a +6.1 percentage point growth trajectory from 3rd to 5th grade — the highest on this list. That means 5th graders are outperforming 3rd graders by a meaningful margin, which suggests the school is genuinely adding value, not just serving kids who arrive already ahead.
As a charter school, Canyon requires a lottery for admission (siblings get priority). It's also one of the Westside's more sought-after schools. The data suggests the reputation is earned. See the full profile →
Clover Avenue's exceeded rate is remarkable — but watch the growth
Clover Avenue in Palms (90034) has 65.7% of students exceeding the standard, which is exceptional. But the growth trajectory is −3.9, meaning 5th graders score slightly lower than 3rd graders. This could mean the school is drawing high-performing students who are already ahead when they arrive, rather than dramatically accelerating growth.
Is that bad? Not necessarily. A school with nearly two-thirds of students exceeding standard is doing something right. But it's worth knowing the distinction between a school that attracts strong students and one that makes students stronger. See the full profile →
Broadway Elementary: the data tells two stories
Broadway in Venice (90291) has a 64% exceeded rate — the fourth highest on this list. On a rating that only shows "met or exceeded," it would look fantastic.
But chronic absenteeism is 18.2%, and growth trajectory is −6.2. That's a school where a lot of kids are scoring well but attendance is a real problem and performance is declining from 3rd to 5th grade. It still ranks in our top 10 because the raw achievement is so high, but these are flags worth investigating if you're considering Broadway. Visit the school. Ask about attendance. See the full profile →
The Santa Monica schools: solid but not dominant
Franklin and Roosevelt (both Santa Monica-Malibu Unified) and Edison (also SMUSD) are all on this list. Franklin at #4 is the standout, with the best growth trajectory (+3.7) among the SMUSD schools and strong fundamentals.
But here's what's interesting: none of the SMUSD schools crack the top 3, despite Santa Monica's reputation and property values. The top 3 are all LAUSD schools — two neighborhood schools and one charter. The "better school district" assumption doesn't always hold when you look at individual schools rather than district averages.
Neighborhood schools dominate
Nine of the top 10 are neighborhood schools. Only one is a charter (Canyon Charter at #2). Zero are magnets — the nearest magnet that landed on our data, Westside Global Awareness Magnet, scored 33.8, ranking it well below every other school in these zip codes.
This challenges a common assumption: that you need to win a lottery to access a great school on the Westside. For most of these zip codes, the neighborhood school is the best available option.
Just outside the top 10
A few schools barely missed the cut and are worth mentioning:
- Fairburn Avenue Elementary (90024) — Score 66.2, with a 55.3% exceeded rate. Strong achievement but a −8.4 growth trajectory and 16.2% absenteeism dragged the composite down. Profile →
- Richland Avenue Elementary (90064) — Score 65.5, same zip code as #1 Overland Avenue. The contrast is sharp: Richland has a −11.7 growth trajectory despite decent raw scores. Profile →
- Westwood Charter Elementary (90025) — Score 64.6, a charter in Westwood. 51.3% exceeded rate but a concerning −13.7 growth decline. Profile →
What the numbers can't tell you
Every school on this list has things test scores miss:
- School culture varies hugely between these campuses. Some Westside schools have an intense academic pressure-cooker feel. Others are warm and community-oriented. You'll only know by visiting.
- Diversity ranges significantly. Some of these schools are quite homogeneous. Others reflect the Westside's actual demographic mix. The data doesn't capture this directly.
- Special programs — dual language, gifted, arts integration — differ by school and matter enormously for specific kids. Our composite doesn't weight these because they're not in the test data.
- After-school and enrichment programs vary. Some schools have robust options; others don't. For working parents, this can be a deciding factor that no ranking captures.
We show you the data we have. We can't show you the data we don't. Visit the schools.
Sample size and limitations
A few things to keep in mind when reading this list:
- Scores are based on 2025 CAASPP data. This is the most recent available as of this writing. One year's data can be noisy, especially for smaller schools.
- Small schools are more volatile. Schools testing fewer than 100 students per grade can swing significantly year to year. Richland Avenue (428 total tested) and Brockton Avenue (348 total tested) have wider confidence intervals than Overland (876 total tested).
- Growth is a proxy. We're comparing 3rd graders to 5th graders in the same year, not tracking the same kids over time. Demographic shifts between cohorts can affect this metric.
- "Westside" is our defined geography. We used zip codes 90024, 90025, 90034, 90064, 90066, 90291, 90292, 90402, 90403, and 90404. Your definition of the Westside may differ. Explore all LA County schools →
How to actually get your kid into these schools
For the nine neighborhood schools on this list, the answer is simple: live in the attendance area. You can look up your assigned school through LAUSD's school finder tool. If you're considering a move, check the attendance boundaries before you sign a lease.
For Canyon Charter (#2), you'll need to go through their lottery process. Check their website for application deadlines, typically in the fall for the following school year. Sibling and neighborhood priority apply.
For all schools: tour first, decide second. A school that ranks #1 on our list might not be the right fit for your kid. And a school that ranks #15 might be exactly what they need. The data gives you a starting point. The visit gives you the rest.