Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Kester Avenue Elementary

Public Grades K-5

424^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of California elementary schools

Summary

Kester Avenue Elementary is a large, high-performing public elementary school serving 886 students in grades K-5 within the Los Angeles Unified district in Van Nuys, consistently ranking among the top 15% of schools in California.

What truly sets Kester apart is its exceptional academic achievement and its success with all students. Proficiency rates in English, math, and science are nearly double the district and state averages. Impressively, the school delivers these outstanding results while serving a diverse community, with nearly half of its students coming from low-income backgrounds. The school's low chronic absenteeism rate, about half the district average, reflects a strong, supportive school culture that keeps kids engaged and learning.

Kester stands out dramatically compared to many nearby schools like Van Nuys Elementary, Columbus Avenue Elementary, and Bassett Street Elementary, which have much lower test scores despite similar or higher per-student spending. This makes Kester a beacon of consistent excellence and efficiency in the area, demonstrating that a traditional public school can achieve results rivaling high-performing charters like Hesby Oaks Leadership Charter, even with a more diverse student population.

886

Students ?

24.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,040

Per pupil spending ?

47%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5353 Kester Ave.
Van Nuys, CA 91411-4022

(818) 787-6751

District: Los Angeles Unified

Students who attend Kester Avenue Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Van Nuys Middle
High:	Van Nuys Senior High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

33.7%

White:

28.3%

Two or more races:

20.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Kester Avenue Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 90th percentile in 2013 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (73% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of California elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Los Angeles Unified

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school73%

District avg39%

California avg41%

424^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

31^st of 487Elementary Schools in the Los Angeles Unified

791^st of 1,543Los Angeles Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.7	424 of 5857	92.8%	★★★★★
2024	93.2	493 of 5869	91.6%	★★★★★
2023	91.5	600 of 5859	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	94.1	429 of 5883	92.7%	★★★★★
2019	93.1	432 of 5789	92.5%	★★★★★
2018	88.1	736 of 5662	87.0%	★★★★☆
2017	88.8	709 of 5692	87.5%	★★★★☆
2016	90.1	614 of 5614	89.1%	★★★★☆
2015	91.3	553 of 5611	90.1%	★★★★★
2013	88.6	554 of 5530	90.0%	★★★★☆
2012	81.2	955 of 5390	82.3%	★★★★☆
2011	78.6	1083 of 5377	79.9%	★★★★☆
2010	77.0	1131 of 5314	78.7%	★★★★☆
2009	81.4	931 of 5193	82.1%	★★★★☆
2008	87.5	633 of 5113	87.6%	★★★★☆
2007	88.1	620 of 5113	87.9%	★★★★☆
2006	86.4	669 of 4818	86.1%	★★★★☆
2005	88.3	576 of 4822	88.1%	★★★★☆
2004	84.3	733 of 4809	84.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	95.4	21 of 747	97.2%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.4	57 of 1203	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	78.3	205 of 1205	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	83.4	74 of 1190	93.8%	★★★★★
2022	86.1	33 of 1154	97.1%	★★★★★
2019	80.6	120 of 1149	89.6%	★★★★☆
2018	74.7	263 of 1071	75.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	95.9	92 of 2227	95.9%	★★★★★
2019	99.2	23 of 2585	99.1%	★★★★★
2018	91.9	129 of 2128	93.9%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	39.6	1856 of 3162	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.5	1883 of 3275	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.3	577 of 5597	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	93.2	417 of 5612	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	85.5	868 of 5609	84.5%	★★★★☆
2022	91.9	521 of 5635	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	91.6	459 of 5492	91.6%	★★★★★
2018	86.2	756 of 5413	86.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.9	170 of 5107	96.7%	★★★★★
2024	95.4	155 of 5107	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	91.9	284 of 5087	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	97.7	82 of 5084	98.4%	★★★★★
2019	94.5	151 of 4963	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	84.3	521 of 4830	89.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	91.9	286 of 5460	94.8%	★★★★★
2024	91.3	399 of 5517	92.8%	★★★★★
2023	92.4	295 of 5363	94.5%	★★★★★
2022	97.0	112 of 5264	97.9%	★★★★★
2019	96.1	104 of 5173	98.0%	★★★★★
2018	91.8	226 of 5084	95.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.0	331 of 5628	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	91.2	530 of 5643	90.6%	★★★★★
2023	93.6	387 of 5638	93.1%	★★★★★
2022	94.4	347 of 5663	93.9%	★★★★★
2019	92.3	431 of 5510	92.2%	★★★★★
2018	87.4	721 of 5431	86.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.7	402 of 718	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.9	362 of 670	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.4	407 of 669	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	76.1	90 of 445	79.8%	★★★★☆
2018	64.4	137 of 339	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	88.8	231 of 2847	91.9%	★★★★★
2024	94.9	113 of 2635	95.7%	★★★★★
2023	98.6	44 of 2420	98.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	85.1	233 of 2598	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	85.5	227 of 2651	91.4%	★★★★★
2023	89.8	113 of 2661	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	88.7	154 of 2726	94.4%	★★★★★
2019	85.6	250 of 2834	91.2%	★★★★★
2018	79.6	465 of 2737	83.0%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2019)97th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)97th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2022)96th percentile+3 vs school

Asian (2025)95th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile~ school

Male (2025)94th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)92nd percentile~ school

White (2025)91st percentile~ school

Female (2025)90th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)44th percentile-49 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)41st percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy78%+29 vs state

Mathematics73%+35 vs state

Science62%+29 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Kester Avenue Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

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

Schools Near Kester Avenue Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kester Avenue Elementary	Public	K-5	5353 Kester Ave.	Van Nuys	91411	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 787-6751	886	36	24.6	47.0%	251 (28.3%)	44 (5.0%)	299 (33.7%)	113 (12.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	179 (20.2%)	93.7	424^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.8%		93.2	493^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	91.6%	69	61.5		61.5	74.2	78.9	81.3				77.8	73.1	74.8	70.0				72.6	96.6			98.0	98.0		$18,040	$2,695	$15,345
Hesby Oaks Leadership Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	15530 Hesby St.	Encino	91403	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 528-7000	494	22	22.4	22.3%	318 (64.4%)	6 (1.2%)	74 (15.0%)	37 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	57 (11.5%)	92.5	509^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.3%		92.1	561^st of 5869 public elementary schools	90.4%	52	63.5	64.1	63.8	71.4	81.8	76.2	79.6	81.7	80.0	78.5	67.4	61.4	69.8	74.1	66.7	78.5	70.2							$16,787	$2,648	$14,139
Sylvan Park Elementary	Public	K-5	6238 Noble Ave.	Van Nuys	91411	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 988-4020	643	31	20.7	97.4%	24 (3.7%)	13 (2.0%)	578 (89.9%)	11 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.6%)	51.5	2527^th of 5857 public elementary schools	56.9%		29.6	3956^th of 5869 public elementary schools	32.6%	1429	23.8		23.8	44.6	43.1	48.0				45.2	52.9	46.1	36.6				45.3	97.8						$24,322	$4,729	$19,593
Chandler Elementary	Public	K-5	14030 Weddington St.	Sherman Oaks	91401	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 789-6173	450	21	21.4	56.4%	125 (27.8%)	25 (5.6%)	174 (38.7%)	21 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	104 (23.1%)	79.3	1180^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.9%		79	1198^th of 5869 public elementary schools	79.6%	18	47.5		47.5	67.2	58.5	57.4				61.1	66.7	55.6	57.4				60.1	80.9	87.6	94.4	88.8	88.8	89.9	$23,822	$3,897	$19,925
Sherman Oaks Elementary Charter	Public, Charter	K-5	14755 Greenleaf St.	Sherman Oaks	91403	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 784-8283	511	23	22.2	42.7%	201 (39.3%)	38 (7.4%)	135 (26.4%)	38 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	99 (19.4%)	81.9	1082^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	81.5%		78.6	1220^th of 5869 public elementary schools	79.2%	138	50.0		50.0	71.1	59.1	59.7				63.5	73.7	58.2	53.9				62.0	90.4	95.2	95.2	95.2	94.2	98.1	$22,508	$3,006	$19,502
Van Nuys Elementary	Public	K-5	6464 Sylmar Ave.	Van Nuys	91401	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 785-2195	459	22	20.8	96.9%	13 (2.8%)	5 (1.1%)	418 (91.1%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.3%)	28.6	4086^th of 5857 public elementary schools	30.2%		32.9	3693^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	37.1%	393	13.8		13.8	37.5	27.4	35.7				33.5	36.8	26.3	28.7				30.3							$27,984	$5,300	$22,684
Ararat Charter	Public, Charter	K-5	6555 Sylmar Ave.	Van Nuys	91401	Los Angeles County	Ararat Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 994-2904	333	15	22.9	83.8%	303 (91.0%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30.3	3942^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	32.7%		33.4	3644^th of 5869 public elementary schools	37.9%	298	16.4		16.4	42.9	27.8	41.8				37.6	35.7	27.8	18.2				27.3	80.4			82.6		87.0	$20,020	$2,175	$17,845
Columbus Avenue Elementary	Public	K-5	6700 Columbus Ave.	Van Nuys	91405	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 779-5440	382	19	20.1	96.1%	20 (5.2%)	5 (1.3%)	342 (89.5%)	10 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	26.6	4262^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	27.2%		15.7	5233^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	10.8%	971	16.4		16.4	34.9	28.6	35.8				33.2	39.7	20.9	19.4				26.7	87.2	94.7	95.7	94.7	93.6	93.6	$28,979	$6,246	$22,733
Bassett Street Elementary	Public	K-5	15756 Bassett St.	Lake Balboa	91406	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 782-1340	609	30	20.3	96.4%	21 (3.4%)	16 (2.6%)	535 (87.8%)	17 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.3%)	25	4407^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.8%		20.9	4780^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.6%	373	12.8		12.8	26.5	26.6	21.6				25.2	37.3	35.4	23.1				32.6	97.1	97.1		97.9			$25,366	$4,683	$20,683
Andres and Maria Cardenas Elementary	Public	K-5	6900 Calhoun Ave.	Van Nuys	91405	Los Angeles County	Los Angeles Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(818) 908-6700	423	19	22.8	96.9%	15 (3.5%)	7 (1.7%)	374 (88.4%)	15 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.8%)	16.9	5108^th of 5857 public elementary schools	12.8%		30.5	3889^th of 5869 public elementary schools	33.7%	1219	8.8		8.8	28.6	27.0	30.3				28.7	24.2	16.9	13.2				18.0	94.2	95.7		95.7	97.1	97.1	$29,759	$5,455	$24,304

Frequently Asked Questions about Kester Avenue Elementary

Is Kester Avenue Elementary a good school?

Yes. Kester Avenue Elementary ranks in the top 7.2% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Kester Avenue Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 886 students attended Kester Avenue Elementary.

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

What district is Kester Avenue Elementary in?

Los Angeles Unified

What is the racial makeup of Kester Avenue Elementary?

Students at Kester Avenue Elementary are 34% Hispanic, 28% White, 20% Two or more races, 13% Asian, 5% African American.

Rate Kester Avenue Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia Elementary School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Van Nuys, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Kester Avenue Elementary!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.