Is Kester Avenue Elementary a good school?

Yes. Kester Avenue Elementary ranks in the top 8.4% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Kester Avenue Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 882 students attended Kester Avenue Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Kester Avenue Elementary?

Students at Kester Avenue Elementary are 34% Hispanic, 31% White, 19% Two or more races, 11% Asian, 5% African American.

What schools do graduates of Kester Avenue Elementary attend?

Students who attend Kester Avenue Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Van Nuys Middle High : Van Nuys Senior High

Kester Avenue Elementary

Summary:

Kester Avenue Elementary is a high-performing public elementary school in Van Nuys, California, serving 836 students in grades K-5. This school consistently ranks among the top 10% of elementary schools in the state, with exceptional academic achievement and equity in student outcomes.

Kester Avenue Elementary excels in academic performance, with proficiency rates significantly higher than the Los Angeles Unified and California state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. The school's performance is particularly noteworthy for its diverse student subgroups, including Asian, African American, Hispanic, White, and Special Education students, as well as students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, often ranking in the top 10-20% of California schools for these groups. Additionally, Kester Avenue Elementary has relatively low chronic absenteeism rates compared to the district and state.

When compared to nearby schools in the same district, Kester Avenue Elementary significantly outperforms them on academic measures, with much higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The only nearby school that comes close to Kester Avenue's performance is Hesby Oaks Leadership Charter, another high-performing public school in the area. While Kester Avenue's overall performance is exceptional, there are a few areas, such as chronic absenteeism and student-teacher ratio, where the school could potentially improve.

Detail:

Public K-5

5353 Kester Ave.
Van Nuys, CA 91411-4022

(818) 787-6751

District: Los Angeles Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
492^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,487

Students who attend Kester Avenue Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Van Nuys Middle
High:	Van Nuys Senior High

Student/teacher ratio: 25.2

Number of students: 882

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

33.8%

White:

31.4%

Two or more races:

18.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 45.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Kester Avenue Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Kester Avenue Elementary ranks better than 91.6% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 26^th among 486 ranked elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 93.25. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Kester Avenue Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (33.8%), White (31.4%), two or more races (18.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 45.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Kester Avenue Elementary is 25.2. 496 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Kester Avenue Elementary employs 35 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Kester Avenue Elementary is $8,487. 495 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Kester Avenue Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Kester Avenue Elementary 492^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Kester Avenue Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Los Angeles Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Los Angeles Unified 871^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Kester Avenue Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	84.27	733^rd	4809	84.8%
2005	88.33	576^th	4822	88.1%
2006	86.39	669^th	4818	86.1%
2007	88.09	620^th	5113	87.9%
2008	87.47	633^rd	5113	87.6%
2009	81.37	931^st	5193	82.1%
2010	76.98	1131^st	5314	78.7%
2011	78.56	1083^rd	5377	79.9%
2012	81.24	955^th	5390	82.3%
2013	88.59	554^th	5530	90.0%
2015	91.33	553^rd	5611	90.1%
2016	90.07	614^th	5614	89.1%
2017	88.83	709^th	5692	87.5%
2018	88.07	736^th	5662	87.0%
2019	93.12	432^nd	5789	92.5%
2022	94.13	429^th	5883	92.7%
2023	91.55	601^st	5874	89.8%
2024	93.25	492^nd	5862	91.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	64.35	137^th	339	59.6%
2019	76.09	90^th	445	79.8%
2023	47.43	407^th	669	39.2%
2024	54.90	361^st	669	46.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	38.48	1883^rd	3275	42.5%
2024	39.55	1855^th	3160	41.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	98.60	44^th	2420	98.2%
2024	94.92	113^th	2634	95.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	91.76	226^th	5084	95.6%
2019	96.07	104^th	5173	98.0%
2022	97.04	112^th	5264	97.9%
2023	92.35	296^th	5374	94.5%
2024	91.26	398^th	5511	92.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	86.22	756^th	5413	86.0%
2019	91.62	459^th	5492	91.6%
2022	91.90	521^st	5635	90.8%
2023	85.47	869^th	5617	84.5%
2024	93.24	417^th	5605	92.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	91.85	129^th	2128	93.9%
2019	99.18	23^rd	2585	99.1%
2022	95.86	92^nd	2227	95.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	87.38	721^st	5431	86.7%
2019	92.29	431^st	5510	92.2%
2022	94.40	347^th	5663	93.9%
2023	93.62	388^th	5650	93.1%
2024	91.21	529^th	5636	90.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	74.72	263^rd	1071	75.4%
2019	80.63	120^th	1149	89.6%
2022	86.09	33^rd	1154	97.1%
2023	83.44	74^th	1190	93.8%
2024	78.34	205^th	1203	83.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	95.44	21^st	747	97.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	84.29	521^st	4830	89.2%
2019	94.48	151^st	4963	97.0%
2022	97.68	82^nd	5084	98.4%
2023	91.94	285^th	5098	94.4%
2024	95.43	155^th	5102	97.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Kester Avenue Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	79.61	465^th	2737	83.0%
2019	85.57	250^th	2834	91.2%
2022	88.68	154^th	2726	94.4%
2023	89.82	113^th	2662	95.8%
2024	85.54	227^th	2647	91.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, May 31, 2013

Excellent school, teachers are very involved with the students and the students receive the one on one attention they deserve. I am also very happy with the reward system set up by the school and teachers for individual accomplishments, it seems as though my step son is always coming home with some type of award for his accomplishments and he is always very proud of them. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Kester Avenue Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	293	54	100	281	6	n/a	n/a	0	734
1989	284	57	101	318	4	n/a	n/a	0	764
1990	280	57	102	341	3	n/a	n/a	0	783
1991	240	65	94	353	3	n/a	n/a	0	755
1992	214	70	89	332	3	n/a	n/a	0	708
1993	229	69	103	330	6	n/a	n/a	0	737
1994	211	80	117	324	3	n/a	n/a	0	735
1995	227	89	116	384	3	n/a	n/a	0	819
1996	227	89	116	384	3	n/a	n/a	0	819
1997	218	82	109	373	5	n/a	n/a	0	787
1998	218	105	125	383	6	n/a	n/a	0	837
1999	254	106	136	469	7	n/a	n/a	0	972
2000	243	96	131	468	12	n/a	n/a	0	950
2001	248	80	109	476	11	n/a	n/a	0	924
2002	259	99	111	445	6	n/a	n/a	0	920
2003	259	99	111	445	6	n/a	n/a	0	920
2004	272	95	117	447	3	n/a	n/a	0	934
2005	251	84	92	442	8	n/a	n/a	0	877
2006	266	89	95	391	4	n/a	n/a	0	845
2007	271	87	96	352	2	n/a	n/a	16	824
2008	295	71	100	349	3	n/a	n/a	0	818
2009	308	74	95	359	5	5	26	0	872
2010	311	71	99	406	6	4	30	0	927
2011	341	83	124	423	9	6	0	0	986
2012	307	81	124	432	8	5	0	0	957
2013	299	74	122	422	16	3	0	0	936
2014	326	75	127	392	12	3	1	0	936
2015	313	73	100	393	1	2	75	0	957
2016	342	77	102	376	0	3	77	0	977
2017	376	79	91	381	0	2	71	0	1000
2018	398	76	97	372	1	0	78	0	1022
2019	443	95	117	378	0	3	1	0	1037
2020	412	62	92	367	0	1	64	0	998
2021	380	61	84	351	0	2	68	0	946
2022	281	47	83	322	0	1	107	0	841
2023	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	836	836
2024	277	44	98	298	0	1	164	0	882

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Kester Avenue Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	734	29.0	25.3	n/a
1989	764	28.0	27.2	n/a
1990	783	28.0	27.9	n/a
1991	755	28.5	26.4	n/a
1992	708	29.0	24.4	58.1
1993	737	29.5	25.0	56.9
1994	735	28.8	25.5	57.3
1995	819	30.7	26.7	61.7
1996	819	30.7	26.7	61.7
1997	787	35.0	22.5	53.5
1998	837	35.0	23.9	64.8
1999	972	44.0	22.1	67.2
2000	950	47.0	20.2	69.2
2001	924	46.0	20.1	63.2
2002	920	45.5	20.2	66.5
2003	920	45.5	20.2	66.5
2004	934	45.0	20.8	65.4
2005	877	42.5	20.6	61.7
2006	845	42.0	20.1	58.5
2007	824	39.0	21.1	54.2
2008	818	46.5	17.6	54.3
2009	872	42.0	19.0	49.3
2010	927	39.0	23.7	50.8
2011	986	n/a	n/a	47.7
2012	957	37.5	25.5	n/a
2013	936	37.0	25.2	42.9
2014	936	38.0	24.6	56.2
2015	957	38.0	25.1	52.8
2016	977	38.0	25.7	49.9
2017	1000	39.0	25.6	52.3
2018	1022	40.0	25.5	52.7
2019	1037	39.0	26.5	51
2020	998	n/a	n/a	50.4
2021	946	39.0	24.2	51.2
2022	841	38.0	22.1	47.4
2023	836	33.0	25.3	47.7
2024	882	35.0	25.2	45.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Kester Avenue Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	734	29.0	25.3	n/a
1989	764	28.0	27.2	n/a
1990	783	28.0	27.9	n/a
1991	755	28.5	26.4	n/a
1992	708	29.0	24.4	58.1
1993	737	29.5	25.0	56.9
1994	735	28.8	25.5	57.3
1995	819	30.7	26.7	61.7
1996	819	30.7	26.7	61.7
1997	787	35.0	22.5	53.5
1998	837	35.0	23.9	64.8
1999	972	44.0	22.1	67.2
2000	950	47.0	20.2	69.2
2001	924	46.0	20.1	63.2
2002	920	45.5	20.2	66.5
2003	920	45.5	20.2	66.5
2004	934	45.0	20.8	65.4
2005	877	42.5	20.6	61.7
2006	845	42.0	20.1	58.5
2007	824	39.0	21.1	54.2
2008	818	46.5	17.6	54.3
2009	872	42.0	19.0	49.3
2010	927	39.0	23.7	50.8
2011	986	n/a	n/a	47.7
2012	957	37.5	25.5	n/a
2013	936	37.0	25.2	42.9
2014	936	38.0	24.6	56.2
2015	957	38.0	25.1	52.8
2016	977	38.0	25.7	49.9
2017	1000	39.0	25.6	52.3
2018	1022	40.0	25.5	52.7
2019	1037	39.0	26.5	51
2020	998	n/a	n/a	50.4
2021	946	39.0	24.2	51.2
2022	841	38.0	22.1	47.4
2023	836	33.0	25.3	47.7
2024	882	35.0	25.2	45.4

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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