Is Garfield Elementary a good school?

Garfield Elementary ranks in the bottom 6.7% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Garfield Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 498 students attended Garfield Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Garfield Elementary?

Students at Garfield Elementary are 57% Hispanic, 18% African American, 17% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Garfield Elementary attend?

Students who attend Garfield Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Roosevelt Middle High : Oakland High

Garfield Elementary

Summary:

Garfield Elementary is a public elementary school in Oakland, California, serving 498 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Oakland Unified School District, which has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Garfield Elementary faces significant challenges, including a dramatic increase in chronic absenteeism, from 11.4% in 2017-2018 to 64.1% in 2022-2023, which is much higher than the district and state averages. Academically, the school's performance is significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 16.3% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 17.84% in Mathematics, compared to 33.09% and 25.56% for the district, respectively. The school's performance varies across different student groups, with African American and English Language Learner students performing relatively better than Asian, Hispanic, and Low Socioeconomic Status students.

When compared to nearby schools in the same district, such as International Community Elementary and Think College Now Elementary, the performance gaps are less pronounced but still significant. However, when looking at charter schools in the area, such as Achieve Academy and Lazear Charter Academy, their academic performance is generally higher than Garfield Elementary, suggesting that alternative educational models may be more effective in this community.

Detail:

Public K-5

1640 22nd Ave.
Oakland, CA 94606-4710

(510) 879-2118

District: Oakland Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
5467^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,844

Students who attend Garfield Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Roosevelt Middle
High:	Oakland High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.1

Number of students: 498

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.0%

African American:

18.1%

Asian:

17.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 96.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Garfield Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Garfield Elementary ranks worse than 93.3% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 32^nd among 49 ranked elementary schools in the Oakland Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 13.09. (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 Garfield Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (57%), African American (18.1%), Asian (17.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 96.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary is 22.1, which is the 16^th best among 49 elementary schools in the Oakland Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Garfield Elementary employs 22.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Garfield Elementary is $6,844, which is the 16^th highest among 49 elementary schools in the Oakland Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Garfield Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Garfield Elementary 5467^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Garfield Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Oakland Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Oakland Unified 1160^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Garfield Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	21.82	3803^rd	4809	20.9%
2005	22.06	3826^th	4822	20.7%
2006	24.43	3694^th	4818	23.3%
2007	18.72	4398^th	5113	14.0%
2008	13.98	4718^th	5113	7.7%
2009	12.93	4854^th	5193	6.5%
2010	23.34	4346^th	5314	18.2%
2011	27.89	4140^th	5377	23.0%
2012	13.74	5034^th	5390	6.6%
2013	14.23	5096^th	5530	7.8%
2015	18.26	4812^th	5611	14.2%
2016	13.79	5154^th	5614	8.2%
2017	15.08	5107^th	5692	10.3%
2018	12.41	5295^th	5662	6.5%
2019	17.25	5053^rd	5789	12.7%
2022	13.50	5494^th	5883	6.6%
2023	12.52	5524^th	5874	6.0%
2024	13.09	5467^th	5862	6.7%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.76	2739^th	3246	15.6%
2019	46.28	1427^th	3275	56.4%
2022	34.80	2217^th	3311	33.0%
2023	29.25	2585^th	3250	20.5%
2024	25.73	2802^nd	3160	11.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	18.95	2236^th	2420	7.6%
2024	18.68	2466^th	2634	6.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.76	4669^th	5084	8.2%
2019	25.06	4224^th	5173	18.3%
2022	15.38	4948^th	5264	6.0%
2023	15.33	5017^th	5374	6.6%
2024	15.96	5084^th	5511	7.7%

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

Rank History for Homeless students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	12.54	354^th	364	2.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.18	5120^th	5413	5.4%
2019	18.34	4767^th	5492	13.2%
2022	17.39	4949^th	5635	12.2%
2023	18.59	4835^th	5617	13.9%
2024	19.26	4772^nd	5605	14.9%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	20.83	1934^th	2128	9.1%
2019	18.09	2489^th	2585	3.7%
2022	23.86	1805^th	2227	18.9%

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

Rank History for Male students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	13.97	5031^st	5431	7.4%
2019	17.74	4843^rd	5510	12.1%
2022	10.91	5509^th	5663	2.7%
2023	9.84	5530^th	5650	2.1%
2024	9.01	5536^th	5636	1.8%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	2.48	1043^rd	1071	2.6%
2019	6.05	1070^th	1149	6.9%
2022	5.68	1072^nd	1154	7.1%
2023	4.89	1112^th	1190	6.6%
2024	7.91	1092^nd	1203	9.2%

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

Rank History for African American students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	14.86	679^th	700	3.0%
2019	19.94	664^th	747	11.1%
2022	31.89	442^nd	663	33.3%
2023	27.74	500^th	662	24.5%
2024	24.60	481^st	593	18.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	13.97	4553^rd	4830	5.7%
2019	20.84	4314^th	4963	13.1%
2022	12.12	4946^th	5084	2.7%
2023	12.08	4951^st	5098	2.9%
2024	11.81	4930^th	5102	3.4%

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

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent on FaceBook
Monday, July 25, 2011

I Attended Garfield School Back in the 1980. Started in 4th Grade with Mrs Walker. Cool Bad @$$ teacher with A Cool Vive and A Bunch of Cool Students, 5th Grade With Mrs Churchill Beautiful Teacher who Wouldn't Fall in Love At that Age and as Beautiful she Was (I Was One Of them lol). 6th Grade Mrs Frere, A Strong Lady that She Was there tho do her Job And That was It no joking Around. Thanks To this tallented Ladies Show us How to Respect Others and Do the Right Thing. i thing the System Back then Was More Positive than todays. Thank You Teachers from Garfield School. like They Say Our School Is Our Second HOME. with This I Continue to Show my Family How We Suposted to be respectful to Others same Rules as i Was thought. Garfield Was a "A+" in My Books in My Time, Thank You. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Garfield Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	14	334	301	393	5	n/a	n/a	0	1047
1989	17	318	382	399	4	n/a	n/a	0	1120
1990	12	261	404	396	4	n/a	n/a	0	1077
1991	13	292	487	408	3	n/a	n/a	0	1203
1992	18	258	543	408	2	n/a	n/a	0	1229
1993	15	275	513	437	4	n/a	n/a	0	1244
1994	18	239	567	379	1	n/a	n/a	0	1204
1995	17	235	547	412	1	n/a	n/a	0	1212
1996	17	235	547	412	1	n/a	n/a	0	1212
1997	18	301	548	427	6	n/a	n/a	0	1300
1998	12	243	448	373	2	n/a	n/a	0	1078
1999	12	229	427	369	2	n/a	n/a	2	1041
2000	14	242	398	367	4	n/a	n/a	0	1025
2001	8	177	355	397	5	n/a	n/a	0	942
2002	8	141	343	375	1	n/a	n/a	2	870
2003	8	141	343	375	1	n/a	n/a	2	870
2004	3	97	329	370	1	n/a	n/a	0	800
2005	1	112	286	362	1	n/a	n/a	11	773
2006	0	94	261	331	1	n/a	n/a	27	714
2007	0	86	239	298	1	n/a	n/a	69	693
2008	1	79	216	296	1	n/a	n/a	0	593
2009	4	96	207	323	1	4	52	0	687
2010	11	102	207	310	2	5	14	0	651
2011	12	92	182	273	4	4	14	0	581
2012	13	83	174	278	4	8	6	0	566
2013	12	100	183	274	3	5	5	0	582
2014	11	101	200	271	4	8	9	0	604
2015	15	89	206	258	4	8	8	0	588
2016	13	98	196	275	2	6	16	0	606
2017	9	103	184	284	3	3	17	0	603
2018	13	108	192	303	2	8	28	0	654
2019	17	120	187	307	2	8	27	0	668
2020	18	123	151	320	2	6	25	0	645
2021	9	120	138	297	1	6	33	0	604
2022	13	94	102	281	1	3	28	2	524
2023	8	90	85	284	0	3	27	1	498

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 Garfield Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1047	49.0	21.3	n/a
1989	1120	52.0	21.5	n/a
1990	1077	47.0	22.9	n/a
1991	1203	51.9	23.1	n/a
1992	1229	52.7	23.3	76.7
1993	1244	49.0	25.4	59
1994	1204	50.0	24.1	90.4
1995	1212	48.0	25.3	73.5
1996	1212	48.0	25.3	73.5
1997	1300	49.1	26.5	86.1
1998	1078	53.1	20.3	83.7
1999	1041	52.0	20.0	72.6
2000	1025	52.0	19.7	64.2
2001	942	49.0	19.2	83.9
2002	870	45.0	19.3	85.6
2003	870	45.0	19.3	85.6
2004	800	40.0	20.0	85.8
2005	773	39.0	19.8	86.9
2006	714	36.0	19.8	88.9
2007	693	38.0	18.2	94.1
2008	593	41.0	14.5	86.7
2009	687	39.6	16.5	62.2
2010	651	36.0	18.0	89.7
2011	581	n/a	n/a	90.7
2012	566	25.0	22.6	88.7
2013	582	27.0	21.5	99.5
2014	604	26.0	23.2	92.2
2015	588	26.0	22.6	87.6
2016	606	25.0	24.2	94.6
2017	603	25.0	24.1	89.9
2018	654	25.0	26.1	92.7
2019	668	29.0	23.0	91.9
2020	645	n/a	n/a	89.3
2021	604	27.0	22.3	92.2
2022	524	26.0	20.1	93.3
2023	498	22.5	22.1	96.2

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 Garfield Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1047	49.0	21.3	n/a
1989	1120	52.0	21.5	n/a
1990	1077	47.0	22.9	n/a
1991	1203	51.9	23.1	n/a
1992	1229	52.7	23.3	76.7
1993	1244	49.0	25.4	59
1994	1204	50.0	24.1	90.4
1995	1212	48.0	25.3	73.5
1996	1212	48.0	25.3	73.5
1997	1300	49.1	26.5	86.1
1998	1078	53.1	20.3	83.7
1999	1041	52.0	20.0	72.6
2000	1025	52.0	19.7	64.2
2001	942	49.0	19.2	83.9
2002	870	45.0	19.3	85.6
2003	870	45.0	19.3	85.6
2004	800	40.0	20.0	85.8
2005	773	39.0	19.8	86.9
2006	714	36.0	19.8	88.9
2007	693	38.0	18.2	94.1
2008	593	41.0	14.5	86.7
2009	687	39.6	16.5	62.2
2010	651	36.0	18.0	89.7
2011	581	n/a	n/a	90.7
2012	566	25.0	22.6	88.7
2013	582	27.0	21.5	99.5
2014	604	26.0	23.2	92.2
2015	588	26.0	22.6	87.6
2016	606	25.0	24.2	94.6
2017	603	25.0	24.1	89.9
2018	654	25.0	26.1	92.7
2019	668	29.0	23.0	91.9
2020	645	n/a	n/a	89.3
2021	604	27.0	22.3	92.2
2022	524	26.0	20.1	93.3
2023	498	22.5	22.1	96.2

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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