Is Serra (Junipero) Elementary a good school?

Serra (Junipero) Elementary ranks 3342 nd of 5862 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Serra (Junipero) Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 253 students attended Serra (Junipero) Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Serra (Junipero) Elementary?

Students at Serra (Junipero) Elementary are 73% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 9% Two or more races, 4% African American, 3% White, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Serra (Junipero) Elementary attend?

Students who attend Serra (Junipero) Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Hoover (Herbert) Middle High : Academy (The)- SF @McAteer High : Asawa (Ruth) SF School of the Arts A Public School High : Balboa High High : Burton (Phillip and Sala) Academic High High : Galileo High High : Jordan (June) School for Equity High : Lincoln (Abraham) High High : Lowell High High : Marshall (Thurgood) High High : Mission High High : O'Connell (John) High High : S.F. International High High : Wallenberg (Raoul) Traditional High High : Washington (George) High

Serra (Junipero) Elementary

Summary:

Serra (Junipero) Elementary is a public elementary school in San Francisco, California, serving 253 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the San Francisco Unified School District, which is ranked 651 out of 1,568 districts in the state.

Serra (Junipero) Elementary faces several key challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, low academic performance, and a high percentage of students from low-income families. The school's chronic absenteeism rate has risen significantly from 18.7% in 2017-2018 to 52.9% in 2021-2022, notably higher than the district average of 25.1%. Academically, the school's performance on the Smarter Balanced Assessments is significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 35.51% of Serra (Junipero) Elementary students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 53.73% in the San Francisco Unified School District and 47.04% statewide. The school also has a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, reaching 69.96% in 2022-2023, higher than the district average and several nearby schools like Hillcrest Elementary (84.23%) and Taylor (Edward R.) Elementary (83.87%).

The school's declining performance and ranking are also concerning. Serra (Junipero) Elementary's statewide ranking has steadily declined over the past decade, from a high of 2,261 out of 5,614 California elementary schools in 2015-2016 to a low of 4,714 out of 5,883 in 2021-2022. While the school is located in the same district as nearby schools, its academic performance is generally lower, and its chronic absenteeism rates are significantly higher, suggesting that the school may face unique challenges or have different student demographics that contribute to its underperformance compared to its neighbors.

Detail:

Public K-5

625 Holly Park Cir.
San Francisco, CA 94110-5815

(415) 695-5685

District: San Francisco Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
3342^nd of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,103

Students who attend Serra (Junipero) Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hoover (Herbert) Middle
High:	Academy (The)- SF @McAteer
	Asawa (Ruth) SF School of the Arts A Public School
	Balboa High
	Burton (Phillip and Sala) Academic High
	More...
	Galileo High
	Jordan (June) School for Equity
	Lincoln (Abraham) High
	Lowell High
	Marshall (Thurgood) High
	Mission High
	O'Connell (John) High
	S.F. International High
	Wallenberg (Raoul) Traditional High
	Washington (George) High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.0

Number of students: 253

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

73.1%

Asian:

9.5%

Two or more races:

8.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 70%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Serra (Junipero) Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Serra (Junipero) Elementary ranks worse than 57% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 47^th among 71 ranked elementary schools in the San Francisco Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 37.25. (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 Racial makeup is: Hispanic (73.1%), Asian (9.5%), two or more races (8.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 70% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Serra (Junipero) Elementary is 20, which is the 25^th best among 71 elementary schools in the San Francisco Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Serra (Junipero) Elementary employs 12.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Serra (Junipero) Elementary is $6,103, which is the highest among 72 elementary schools in the San Francisco Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Serra (Junipero) Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Serra (Junipero) Elementary 3342^nd of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Serra (Junipero) Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

San Francisco Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks San Francisco Unified 651^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Serra (Junipero) Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Serra (Junipero) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	18.76	4042^nd	4809	15.9%
2005	18.90	4044^th	4822	16.1%
2006	32.41	3150^th	4818	34.6%
2007	37.85	3053^rd	5113	40.3%
2008	35.98	3203^rd	5113	37.4%
2009	42.22	2926^th	5193	43.7%
2010	25.99	4155^th	5314	21.8%
2011	19.66	4709^th	5377	12.4%
2012	15.01	4957^th	5390	8.0%
2013	20.28	4715^th	5530	14.7%
2015	27.92	3867^th	5611	31.1%
2016	54.63	2261^st	5614	59.7%
2017	42.16	2964^th	5692	47.9%
2018	40.92	3091^st	5662	45.4%
2019	26.45	4234^th	5789	26.9%
2022	21.30	4714^th	5883	19.9%
2023	31.50	3765^th	5874	35.9%
2024	37.25	3342^nd	5862	43.0%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Serra (Junipero) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	56.02	1008^th	3246	68.9%
2019	52.95	1092^nd	3275	66.7%
2022	29.68	2633^rd	3311	20.5%
2023	53.15	1046^th	3250	67.8%
2024	42.60	1636^th	3160	48.2%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Serra (Junipero) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	51.74	2246^th	5084	55.8%
2019	30.78	3809^th	5173	26.4%
2022	26.44	4124^th	5264	21.7%
2023	38.40	3191^st	5374	40.6%
2024	40.25	3116^th	5511	43.5%

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

Rank History for Female students at Serra (Junipero) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	44.56	2803^rd	5413	48.2%
2019	26.94	4080^th	5492	25.7%
2022	18.25	4870^th	5635	13.6%
2023	22.88	4439^th	5617	21.0%
2024	37.67	3212^th	5605	42.7%

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

Rank History for Male students at Serra (Junipero) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	37.17	3207^th	5431	41.0%
2019	28.48	3896^th	5510	29.3%
2022	25.96	4136^th	5663	27.0%
2023	44.81	2753^rd	5650	51.3%
2024	37.77	3222^nd	5636	42.8%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Serra (Junipero) Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	49.18	2280^th	4830	52.8%
2019	31.92	3560^th	4963	28.3%
2022	20.92	4449^th	5084	12.5%
2023	29.41	3761^st	5098	26.2%
2024	33.49	3451^st	5102	32.4%

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%

by a parent
Monday, August 12, 2013

I love this school!! My daughter has been in attendance here since kinder. I had a wonderful relationship with her teacher Mrs.Applin she's a great teacher for getting young ones over the transition of starting school. As my daughter started 1st grade her teacher Mrs.Hong( another one of J.Serras wonderful teachers) was warm and friendly and quickly became a smiling inspiration to her students. Not to say the least about anyone on their staff but they are under the always smiling but watchful eye of their principal Ms.Cheung who is fun and energetic and knows all of the students by first name. Well I can go on and on but I just thought to give credit where credit is due.

P.S. "The kids are also GREAT!!! Close Quote

Enrollment information for Serra (Junipero) Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	37	39	77	108	4	n/a	n/a	0	265
1989	47	38	79	108	2	n/a	n/a	0	274
1990	48	38	72	101	3	n/a	n/a	0	262
1991	42	31	79	103	3	n/a	n/a	0	258
1992	39	27	90	101	2	n/a	n/a	0	259
1993	37	25	95	101	2	n/a	n/a	0	260
1994	29	31	94	95	1	n/a	n/a	0	250
1995	20	33	91	121	1	n/a	n/a	0	266
1996	20	33	91	121	1	n/a	n/a	0	266
1997	16	27	99	115	1	n/a	n/a	0	258
1998	12	37	100	132	1	n/a	n/a	0	282
1999	10	37	104	126	1	n/a	n/a	0	278
2000	9	38	102	137	0	n/a	n/a	0	286
2001	12	36	97	141	1	n/a	n/a	2	289
2002	8	31	96	130	0	n/a	n/a	10	275
2003	8	31	96	130	0	n/a	n/a	10	275
2004	7	27	90	141	1	n/a	n/a	8	274
2005	7	24	80	147	4	n/a	n/a	10	272
2006	2	28	66	146	3	n/a	n/a	8	253
2007	4	23	58	151	3	n/a	n/a	21	260
2008	6	21	53	163	4	n/a	n/a	0	247
2009	9	16	40	174	4	10	19	0	272
2010	7	19	37	174	4	7	21	0	269
2011	19	14	38	174	3	8	20	0	276
2012	14	14	29	194	3	6	21	0	281
2013	9	18	23	199	1	3	29	0	282
2014	15	26	27	210	1	3	16	0	298
2015	13	20	27	207	0	6	18	0	291
2016	16	21	24	202	1	10	16	0	290
2017	12	18	20	203	1	8	22	0	284
2018	16	11	21	196	1	6	18	0	269
2019	22	15	24	191	1	3	30	0	286
2020	19	15	26	191	1	3	34	0	289
2021	21	14	23	191	1	3	39	0	292
2022	12	13	20	191	0	1	30	0	267
2023	8	11	24	185	0	3	22	0	253

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 Serra (Junipero) Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	265	11.5	23.0	n/a
1989	274	11.7	23.4	n/a
1990	262	11.5	22.7	n/a
1991	258	11.6	22.2	n/a
1992	259	11.8	21.9	81.1
1993	260	10.5	24.8	75.8
1994	250	10.6	23.6	81.6
1995	266	11.0	24.2	89.8
1996	266	11.0	24.2	89.8
1997	258	13.0	19.8	86
1998	282	15.0	18.8	94.7
1999	278	14.6	19.0	88.1
2000	286	14.6	19.6	94.8
2001	289	14.6	19.8	84.3
2002	275	15.6	17.6	86.8
2003	275	15.6	17.6	86.8
2004	274	15.8	17.3	91.7
2005	272	16.8	16.2	90.5
2006	253	17.8	14.2	0
2007	260	17.3	15.0	89.1
2008	247	17.5	14.1	85.8
2009	272	16.0	16.0	82.7
2010	269	17.0	15.8	83.3
2011	276	n/a	n/a	87.7
2012	281	15.0	18.7	85.4
2013	282	14.0	20.1	83.7
2014	298	13.0	22.9	91.3
2015	291	12.0	24.2	91.8
2016	290	14.0	20.7	91
2017	284	12.0	23.6	86.6
2018	269	13.0	20.6	74.3
2019	286	10.5	27.2	75.5
2020	289	n/a	n/a	70.6
2021	292	13.5	21.6	67.1
2022	267	14.0	19.0	59.6
2023	253	12.6	20.0	70

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 Serra (Junipero) Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	265	11.5	23.0	n/a
1989	274	11.7	23.4	n/a
1990	262	11.5	22.7	n/a
1991	258	11.6	22.2	n/a
1992	259	11.8	21.9	81.1
1993	260	10.5	24.8	75.8
1994	250	10.6	23.6	81.6
1995	266	11.0	24.2	89.8
1996	266	11.0	24.2	89.8
1997	258	13.0	19.8	86
1998	282	15.0	18.8	94.7
1999	278	14.6	19.0	88.1
2000	286	14.6	19.6	94.8
2001	289	14.6	19.8	84.3
2002	275	15.6	17.6	86.8
2003	275	15.6	17.6	86.8
2004	274	15.8	17.3	91.7
2005	272	16.8	16.2	90.5
2006	253	17.8	14.2	0
2007	260	17.3	15.0	89.1
2008	247	17.5	14.1	85.8
2009	272	16.0	16.0	82.7
2010	269	17.0	15.8	83.3
2011	276	n/a	n/a	87.7
2012	281	15.0	18.7	85.4
2013	282	14.0	20.1	83.7
2014	298	13.0	22.9	91.3
2015	291	12.0	24.2	91.8
2016	290	14.0	20.7	91
2017	284	12.0	23.6	86.6
2018	269	13.0	20.6	74.3
2019	286	10.5	27.2	75.5
2020	289	n/a	n/a	70.6
2021	292	13.5	21.6	67.1
2022	267	14.0	19.0	59.6
2023	253	12.6	20.0	70

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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