Dr. Theodore T. Alexander Jr. Science Center

Tucked into the University Park neighborhood near USC's campus, Dr. Theodore T. Alexander Jr. Science Center is a charter elementary with a science-forward identity that gives it a distinct feel among LA's crowded school landscape. Families drawn to hands-on learning and a curriculum that takes STEM seriously from the earliest grades tend to find a good home here, and the school's above-average English and math scores suggest the academics hold up across the board. The surrounding area is dense, urban, and culturally rich — close to Exposition Park, the Natural History Museum, and the energy of a major university — making it a fitting backdrop for a school that wants kids thinking like scientists.