Is Emerson Elementary a good school?

Emerson Elementary ranks 4158 th of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Emerson Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 332 students attended Emerson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Emerson Elementary?

Students at Emerson Elementary are 38% African American, 22% White, 17% Hispanic, 16% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 2% Not Specified.

What schools do graduates of Emerson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Emerson Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Claremont Middle High : Oakland Technical High

Emerson Elementary

Summary:

Emerson Elementary is a public elementary school in Oakland, California, serving 334 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Oakland Unified School District, which has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Emerson Elementary faces significant challenges, including a dramatic increase in chronic absenteeism rates, from 19.1% in 2017-2018 to 67.9% in 2022-2023. This is much higher than the district and state averages. Academically, the school's performance is generally below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 31.2% of Emerson students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 33.09% for the district and 47.04% for the state. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with its African American, Hispanic, and low socioeconomic status students performing particularly poorly.

Emerson Elementary's challenges are not unique, as nearby schools like Piedmont Avenue Elementary and Sankofa United Elementary also struggle with high chronic absenteeism rates and relatively low academic performance compared to the state average. The exception is the high-performing schools in the Piedmont City Unified District, such as Beach Elementary and Havens Elementary, which consistently outperform Emerson Elementary and the state average. Addressing the underlying socioeconomic factors and providing targeted support to students and families will be crucial in improving Emerson Elementary's outcomes.

Detail:

Public K-5

4803 Lawton Ave.
Oakland, CA 94609-2208

(510) 879-2115

District: Oakland Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4158^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,799

Students who attend Emerson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Claremont Middle
High:	Oakland Technical High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.7

Number of students: 332

Racial breakdown:

African American:

38.3%

White:

22.3%

Hispanic:

17.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 77.4%

See top rated California elementary schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Emerson Elementary ranks worse than 70.9% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 21^st among 49 ranked elementary schools in the Oakland Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 27.39. (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: African American (38.3%), White (22.3%), Hispanic (17.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 77.4% 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 20.7, which is the 10^th best among 49 elementary schools in the Oakland Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Emerson Elementary employs 16 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Emerson Elementary is $8,799, which is the 7^th highest among 49 elementary schools in the Oakland Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Emerson Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Emerson Elementary 4158^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:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Oakland Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Oakland Unified 1160^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	11.26	4598^th	4809	4.4%
2005	15.22	4317^th	4822	10.5%
2006	10.95	4581^st	4818	4.9%
2007	8.25	4997^th	5113	2.3%
2008	8.44	4990^th	5113	2.4%
2009	10.87	4965^th	5193	4.4%
2010	16.55	4813^th	5314	9.4%
2011	7.21	5299^th	5377	1.5%
2012	11.67	5137^th	5390	4.7%
2013	9.84	5306^th	5530	4.1%
2015	7.59	5572^nd	5611	0.7%
2016	10.56	5404^th	5614	3.7%
2017	6.57	5633^rd	5692	1.0%
2018	7.69	5551^st	5662	2.0%
2019	5.79	5736^th	5789	0.9%
2022	30.95	3798^th	5883	35.4%
2023	46.50	2729^th	5874	53.5%
2024	27.39	4158^th	5862	29.1%

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	5.52	5054^th	5084	0.6%
2019	4.07	5162^nd	5173	0.2%
2022	22.08	4495^th	5264	14.6%
2023	49.09	2432^nd	5374	54.7%
2024	27.17	4217^th	5511	23.5%

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	3.97	5403^rd	5413	0.2%
2019	4.75	5478^th	5492	0.3%
2022	48.70	2489^th	5635	55.8%
2023	46.24	2623^rd	5617	53.3%
2024	26.69	4085^th	5605	27.1%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Emerson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	18.06	2491^st	2585	3.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Emerson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.69	4913^th	5431	9.5%
2019	8.01	5421^st	5510	1.6%
2022	19.82	4734^th	5663	16.4%
2023	40.22	3053^rd	5650	46.0%
2024	28.91	3924^th	5636	30.4%

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

Rank History for African American students at Emerson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.93	671^st	700	4.1%
2019	15.91	718^th	747	3.9%
2022	39.36	361^st	663	45.6%
2023	57.76	222^nd	662	66.5%
2024	34.32	372^nd	593	37.3%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Emerson Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	44.04	2675^th	5102	47.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic 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	19	372	24	41	0	n/a	n/a	0	456
1989	20	337	31	26	0	n/a	n/a	0	414
1990	20	333	32	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	420
1991	25	331	34	32	2	n/a	n/a	0	424
1992	44	289	43	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	411
1993	43	285	40	27	0	n/a	n/a	0	395
1994	18	302	58	32	4	n/a	n/a	0	414
1995	18	306	42	34	0	n/a	n/a	0	400
1996	18	306	42	34	0	n/a	n/a	0	400
1997	23	289	38	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	385
1998	36	287	36	42	0	n/a	n/a	0	401
1999	24	317	28	46	0	n/a	n/a	1	416
2000	21	291	21	43	0	n/a	n/a	2	378
2001	14	277	17	52	0	n/a	n/a	2	362
2002	7	251	16	62	0	n/a	n/a	3	339
2003	7	251	16	62	0	n/a	n/a	3	339
2004	8	197	19	59	0	n/a	n/a	5	288
2005	8	190	15	52	0	n/a	n/a	4	269
2006	6	180	12	32	0	n/a	n/a	9	239
2007	8	157	15	36	0	n/a	n/a	30	246
2008	7	161	12	44	1	n/a	n/a	0	225
2009	12	149	12	48	1	1	47	0	270
2010	13	166	17	54	1	2	33	0	286
2011	10	175	22	54	4	2	33	0	300
2012	18	162	22	56	1	2	17	0	278
2013	19	192	26	67	2	3	15	0	324
2014	31	204	23	60	3	0	14	0	335
2015	36	158	28	60	3	0	16	0	301
2016	43	161	30	58	2	0	20	0	314
2017	35	168	43	50	1	0	23	0	320
2018	40	150	41	51	1	0	31	0	314
2019	36	155	36	48	0	1	32	0	308
2020	50	143	40	49	0	0	41	0	323
2021	60	133	34	51	0	1	49	0	328
2022	68	130	20	46	1	0	51	1	317
2023	65	130	17	54	1	0	65	2	334
2024	74	127	14	57	0	0	54	6	332

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	456	18.0	25.3	n/a
1989	414	16.0	25.8	n/a
1990	420	15.0	28.0	n/a
1991	424	15.0	28.2	n/a
1992	411	15.2	27.0	70.3
1993	395	16.0	24.7	55.9
1994	414	14.0	29.6	78.7
1995	400	14.0	28.6	71.5
1996	400	14.0	28.6	71.5
1997	385	15.0	25.7	78.4
1998	401	20.0	20.1	77.1
1999	416	17.0	24.5	71.6
2000	378	19.0	19.9	73.1
2001	362	19.0	19.1	71.7
2002	339	20.2	16.8	20.8
2003	339	20.2	16.8	20.8
2004	288	17.6	16.4	80.9
2005	269	17.0	15.8	58.9
2006	239	16.0	14.9	72.2
2007	246	15.0	16.4	86.6
2008	225	16.0	14.1	75.6
2009	270	20.0	12.9	73
2010	286	16.4	17.4	65.7
2011	300	n/a	n/a	63
2012	278	13.0	21.3	65.1
2013	324	14.0	23.1	79.6
2014	335	14.0	23.9	82.4
2015	301	14.0	21.5	68.4
2016	314	13.0	24.1	78.3
2017	320	14.8	21.6	76.6
2018	314	12.5	25.1	73.9
2019	308	14.3	21.5	76
2020	323	n/a	n/a	71.5
2021	328	17.0	19.2	72
2022	317	14.0	22.6	73.2
2023	334	13.5	24.7	71.3
2024	332	16.0	20.7	77.4

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	456	18.0	25.3	n/a
1989	414	16.0	25.8	n/a
1990	420	15.0	28.0	n/a
1991	424	15.0	28.2	n/a
1992	411	15.2	27.0	70.3
1993	395	16.0	24.7	55.9
1994	414	14.0	29.6	78.7
1995	400	14.0	28.6	71.5
1996	400	14.0	28.6	71.5
1997	385	15.0	25.7	78.4
1998	401	20.0	20.1	77.1
1999	416	17.0	24.5	71.6
2000	378	19.0	19.9	73.1
2001	362	19.0	19.1	71.7
2002	339	20.2	16.8	20.8
2003	339	20.2	16.8	20.8
2004	288	17.6	16.4	80.9
2005	269	17.0	15.8	58.9
2006	239	16.0	14.9	72.2
2007	246	15.0	16.4	86.6
2008	225	16.0	14.1	75.6
2009	270	20.0	12.9	73
2010	286	16.4	17.4	65.7
2011	300	n/a	n/a	63
2012	278	13.0	21.3	65.1
2013	324	14.0	23.1	79.6
2014	335	14.0	23.9	82.4
2015	301	14.0	21.5	68.4
2016	314	13.0	24.1	78.3
2017	320	14.8	21.6	76.6
2018	314	12.5	25.1	73.9
2019	308	14.3	21.5	76
2020	323	n/a	n/a	71.5
2021	328	17.0	19.2	72
2022	317	14.0	22.6	73.2
2023	334	13.5	24.7	71.3
2024	332	16.0	20.7	77.4

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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