Is Emerson Elementary a good school?

Yes. Emerson Elementary ranks in the top 8.7% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Emerson Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 270 students attended Emerson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Emerson Elementary?

Students at Emerson Elementary are 44% White, 16% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 13% African American, 11% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Emerson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Emerson Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Willard Middle High : Berkeley High

Emerson Elementary

Summary:

Emerson Elementary is a public elementary school in Berkeley, California, serving 270 students in grades K-5. As part of the Berkeley Unified School District, Emerson consistently outperforms state and district averages in academic assessments, particularly in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics.

Emerson Elementary's academic performance is especially impressive, with 75.57% of students proficient or better in ELA/Literacy, compared to 69.94% for the Berkeley Unified district and 47.04% for the state of California. The school's performance in Science is also strong, with 62% of students proficient or better, compared to 55.5% for the district and 30.7% for the state. Emerson's performance is particularly noteworthy for male students, who rank in the top 401 out of 5,636 California elementary schools in ELA/Literacy and the top 368 out of 5,650 in Mathematics.

Emerson Elementary also stands out for its relatively low chronic absenteeism rate of 18.3%, compared to higher rates at nearby Sylvia Mendez Elementary (17.3%) and Washington Elementary (22.6%). Additionally, Emerson has a lower percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (27.41%) compared to some nearby schools, such as Sankofa United Elementary (61.85%).

Detail:

Public K-5

2800 Forest Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94705-1309

(510) 644-6890

District: Berkeley Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
510^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,219

Students who attend Emerson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Willard Middle
High:	Berkeley High

Student/teacher ratio: 18.6

Number of students: 270

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.4%

Hispanic:

16.3%

Two or more races:

14.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 27.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Emerson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Emerson Elementary ranks better than 91.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 3^rd among 11 ranked elementary schools in the Berkeley Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 92.84. (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 Emerson Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (44.4%), Hispanic (16.3%), two or more races (14.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 27.4% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Emerson Elementary is 18.6. 6 elementary schools in the Berkeley Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Emerson Elementary employs 14.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Emerson Elementary is $10,219, which is the highest among 11 elementary schools in the Berkeley Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Emerson Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Emerson Elementary 510^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Emerson Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Berkeley Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Berkeley Unified 190^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Emerson Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Emerson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	79.73	903^rd	4809	81.2%
2005	70.38	1320^th	4822	72.6%
2006	55.06	1960^th	4818	59.3%
2007	46.57	2520^th	5113	50.7%
2008	54.51	2132^nd	5113	58.3%
2009	56.16	2112^th	5193	59.3%
2010	71.82	1375^th	5314	74.1%
2011	70.04	1486^th	5377	72.4%
2012	62.21	1930^th	5390	64.2%
2013	61.94	2004^th	5530	63.8%
2015	80.09	1106^th	5611	80.3%
2016	77.60	1213^th	5614	78.4%
2017	91.26	565^th	5692	90.1%
2018	84.78	901^st	5662	84.1%
2019	86.12	844^th	5789	85.4%
2022	91.94	599^th	5883	89.8%
2023	90.65	665^th	5874	88.7%
2024	92.84	510^th	5862	91.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Emerson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	72.28	1061^st	5084	79.1%
2019	56.62	1970^th	5173	61.9%
2022	59.80	1695^th	5264	67.8%
2023	67.19	1380^th	5374	74.3%
2024	67.09	1401^st	5511	74.6%

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

Rank History for Female students at Emerson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	82.76	921^st	5413	83.0%
2019	85.29	806^th	5492	85.3%
2022	85.89	820^th	5635	85.4%
2023	83.58	956^th	5617	83.0%
2024	89.99	618^th	5605	89.0%

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

Rank History for Male students at Emerson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	84.11	877^th	5431	83.9%
2019	84.41	848^th	5510	84.6%
2022	94.38	350^th	5663	93.8%
2023	93.97	368^th	5650	93.5%
2024	93.29	401^st	5636	92.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Emerson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	61.96	1535^th	4830	68.2%

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

Rank History for White students at Emerson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	88.38	137^th	2737	95.0%
2019	84.45	290^th	2834	89.8%
2022	90.26	99^th	2726	96.4%
2023	91.38	63^rd	2662	97.6%
2024	93.78	18^th	2647	99.3%

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

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Enrollment information for Emerson Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	139	167	11	12	1	n/a	n/a	0	330
1989	161	162	10	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	344
1990	155	165	8	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	343
1991	164	151	12	18	0	n/a	n/a	0	345
1992	139	161	12	11	0	n/a	n/a	0	323
1993	120	163	19	17	0	n/a	n/a	0	319
1994	99	143	26	18	1	n/a	n/a	0	287
1995	95	144	15	27	2	n/a	n/a	0	283
1996	95	144	15	27	2	n/a	n/a	0	283
1997	107	169	17	28	1	n/a	n/a	0	322
1998	103	173	13	29	0	n/a	n/a	0	318
1999	83	152	11	35	1	n/a	n/a	44	326
2000	86	132	11	39	0	n/a	n/a	46	314
2001	86	142	18	39	0	n/a	n/a	52	337
2002	75	115	21	34	0	n/a	n/a	52	297
2003	75	115	21	34	0	n/a	n/a	52	297
2004	74	95	18	34	0	n/a	n/a	51	272
2005	73	98	17	36	0	n/a	n/a	50	274
2006	71	90	21	38	0	n/a	n/a	57	277
2007	78	89	23	45	0	n/a	n/a	55	290
2008	74	86	21	52	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	233
2009	82	76	24	61	0	1	63	0	307
2010	97	71	28	77	0	1	40	0	314
2011	97	71	28	74	0	1	35	0	306
2012	96	66	23	63	0	1	42	0	291
2013	96	63	21	63	0	1	44	0	288
2014	105	62	22	68	0	1	39	0	297
2015	116	62	23	49	0	0	45	0	295
2016	116	65	26	54	0	0	44	0	305
2017	115	51	29	58	0	0	51	0	304
2018	133	43	32	58	0	0	54	0	320
2019	131	42	35	55	1	0	56	0	320
2020	143	32	36	52	1	0	53	0	317
2021	134	33	32	60	1	0	48	0	308
2022	130	37	30	44	1	0	39	0	281
2023	120	34	30	44	2	0	40	0	270

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 Emerson Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	330	12.0	27.5	n/a
1989	344	13.0	26.4	n/a
1990	343	15.0	22.8	n/a
1991	345	15.0	23.0	n/a
1992	323	15.2	21.2	37.2
1993	319	14.0	22.8	40.8
1994	287	13.0	22.1	53.7
1995	283	10.0	28.3	43.8
1996	283	10.0	28.3	43.8
1997	322	15.6	20.6	46
1998	318	14.6	21.8	40.9
1999	326	15.0	21.7	48.9
2000	314	21.0	15.0	52.6
2001	337	21.0	16.0	63.9
2002	297	16.4	18.1	57.6
2003	297	16.4	18.1	57.6
2004	272	14.4	18.9	71
2005	274	15.7	17.5	56.3
2006	277	17.8	15.6	65
2007	290	17.8	16.3	64.3
2008	233	20.6	11.3	62.2
2009	307	19.4	14.3	50.2
2010	314	17.6	17.8	52.5
2011	306	n/a	n/a	55.6
2012	291	11.2	25.8	n/a
2013	288	11.7	24.5	48.3
2014	297	12.7	23.2	41.8
2015	295	14.0	21.0	35.3
2016	305	15.0	20.3	41.3
2017	304	15.0	20.2	37.8
2018	320	16.5	19.3	37.2
2019	320	15.5	20.6	34.4
2020	317	n/a	n/a	28.1
2021	308	15.2	20.2	27.9
2022	281	15.0	18.6	29.5
2023	270	14.5	18.6	27.4

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 Emerson Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	330	12.0	27.5	n/a
1989	344	13.0	26.4	n/a
1990	343	15.0	22.8	n/a
1991	345	15.0	23.0	n/a
1992	323	15.2	21.2	37.2
1993	319	14.0	22.8	40.8
1994	287	13.0	22.1	53.7
1995	283	10.0	28.3	43.8
1996	283	10.0	28.3	43.8
1997	322	15.6	20.6	46
1998	318	14.6	21.8	40.9
1999	326	15.0	21.7	48.9
2000	314	21.0	15.0	52.6
2001	337	21.0	16.0	63.9
2002	297	16.4	18.1	57.6
2003	297	16.4	18.1	57.6
2004	272	14.4	18.9	71
2005	274	15.7	17.5	56.3
2006	277	17.8	15.6	65
2007	290	17.8	16.3	64.3
2008	233	20.6	11.3	62.2
2009	307	19.4	14.3	50.2
2010	314	17.6	17.8	52.5
2011	306	n/a	n/a	55.6
2012	291	11.2	25.8	n/a
2013	288	11.7	24.5	48.3
2014	297	12.7	23.2	41.8
2015	295	14.0	21.0	35.3
2016	305	15.0	20.3	41.3
2017	304	15.0	20.2	37.8
2018	320	16.5	19.3	37.2
2019	320	15.5	20.6	34.4
2020	317	n/a	n/a	28.1
2021	308	15.2	20.2	27.9
2022	281	15.0	18.6	29.5
2023	270	14.5	18.6	27.4

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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