Is Gardner Elementary a good school?

Gardner Elementary ranks in the bottom 20.2% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Gardner Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 397 students attended Gardner Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Gardner Elementary?

Students at Gardner Elementary are 88% Hispanic, 4% White, 4% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Gardner Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gardner Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Herbert Hoover Middle High : Abraham Lincoln High

Gardner Elementary

Summary:

Gardner Elementary is a public elementary school in San Jose, California, serving 389 students in grades K-5. It is part of the San Jose Unified School District, which is ranked 796 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Gardner Elementary faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates that have risen from 12.7% in 2017-2018 to 43.5% in 2022-2023, significantly higher than nearby schools like Washington Elementary (33.7%) and Willow Glen Elementary (27.9%). Academically, Gardner Elementary consistently underperforms the district and state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics, with only 29.89% and 19.78% of students, respectively, meeting or exceeding proficiency in 2023-2024, compared to 49.53% and 40.86% for the San Jose Unified School District, and 47.04% and 35.54% for California.

The school's subgroup performance is also a concern, with Hispanic students and English Language Learners performing significantly lower than state averages. Additionally, Gardner Elementary has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 67.44% to 68.12% over the past three school years, much higher than nearby schools like Hammer Montessori at Galarza Elementary (18.67%) and Willow Glen Elementary (35.34%). Addressing these challenges through targeted interventions and a comprehensive approach to school improvement could be crucial in helping Gardner Elementary better serve its students and community.

Detail:

Public K-5

502 Illinois Ave.
San Jose, CA 95125-1534

(408) 535-6225

District: San Jose Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4678^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,450

Students who attend Gardner Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Herbert Hoover Middle
High:	Abraham Lincoln High

Student/teacher ratio: 20.1

Number of students: 397

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

87.7%

White:

4.0%

African American:

3.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 74.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Gardner Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Gardner Elementary ranks worse than 79.8% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 17^th among 27 ranked elementary schools in the San Jose Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.95. (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 (87.7%), White (4%), African American (3.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 74.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Gardner Elementary is 20.1, which is the 12^th best among 27 elementary schools in the San Jose Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Gardner Elementary employs 19.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Gardner Elementary is $12,450, which is the 12^th highest among 27 elementary schools in the San Jose Unified School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Gardner Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Gardner Elementary 4678^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Gardner 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:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

San Jose Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks San Jose Unified 796^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Gardner Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Gardner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	12.65	4506^th	4809	6.3%
2005	7.16	4767^th	4822	1.1%
2006	10.58	4602^nd	4818	4.5%
2007	15.39	4617^th	5113	9.7%
2008	18.65	4423^rd	5113	13.5%
2009	35.23	3353^rd	5193	35.4%
2010	32.35	3669^th	5314	31.0%
2011	30.02	3979^th	5377	26.0%
2012	19.80	4658^th	5390	13.6%
2013	10.71	5265^th	5530	4.8%
2015	9.45	5497^th	5611	2.0%
2016	11.26	5356^th	5614	4.6%
2017	12.31	5338^th	5692	6.2%
2018	20.89	4609^th	5662	18.6%
2019	23.33	4507^th	5789	22.1%
2021	19.28	1177^th	1417	16.9%
2022	18.64	4994^th	5883	15.1%
2023	19.92	4863^rd	5874	17.2%
2024	21.95	4678^th	5862	20.2%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Gardner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.61	2679^th	3246	17.5%
2019	48.74	1316^th	3275	59.8%
2021	37.64	344^th	602	42.9%
2022	26.06	2876^th	3311	13.1%
2023	32.12	2388^th	3250	26.5%
2024	45.51	1443^rd	3160	54.3%

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

Rank History for Special Education students at Gardner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	78.21	372^nd	2634	85.9%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Gardner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	23.33	4243^rd	5084	16.5%
2019	25.13	4216^th	5173	18.5%
2021	23.51	941^st	1110	15.2%
2022	19.32	4694^th	5264	10.8%
2023	20.62	4664^th	5374	13.2%
2024	19.96	4779^th	5511	13.3%

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

Rank History for Female students at Gardner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.92	3695^th	5413	31.7%
2019	25.26	4206^th	5492	23.4%
2021	17.84	1101^st	1267	13.1%
2022	15.70	5127^th	5635	9.0%
2023	16.93	4968^th	5617	11.6%
2024	19.12	4787^th	5605	14.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Gardner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	15.34	4935^th	5431	9.1%
2019	22.59	4413^th	5510	19.9%
2021	22.91	987^th	1272	22.4%
2022	24.24	4302^nd	5663	24.0%
2023	25.47	4204^th	5650	25.6%
2024	26.07	4173^rd	5636	26.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Gardner Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.81	3840^th	4830	20.5%
2019	30.64	3648^th	4963	26.5%
2022	17.75	4654^th	5084	8.5%
2023	23.01	4259^th	5098	16.5%
2024	26.51	3989^th	5102	21.8%

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 Gardner Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	150	2	5	295	1	n/a	n/a	0	453
1989	180	2	2	286	0	n/a	n/a	0	470
1990	160	7	1	282	0	n/a	n/a	0	450
1991	157	7	1	306	0	n/a	n/a	0	471
1992	146	9	6	324	0	n/a	n/a	0	485
1993	106	9	7	370	0	n/a	n/a	0	492
1994	89	12	4	452	1	n/a	n/a	0	558
1995	105	12	8	444	6	n/a	n/a	0	575
1996	105	12	8	444	6	n/a	n/a	0	575
1997	87	13	12	455	8	n/a	n/a	0	575
1998	58	8	7	515	12	n/a	n/a	0	600
1999	45	10	7	552	13	n/a	n/a	0	627
2000	36	15	8	585	12	n/a	n/a	0	656
2001	27	12	8	604	6	n/a	n/a	0	657
2002	13	10	4	481	9	n/a	n/a	5	522
2003	13	10	4	481	9	n/a	n/a	5	522
2004	13	6	4	417	5	n/a	n/a	0	445
2005	14	7	7	436	5	n/a	n/a	3	472
2006	13	11	9	408	6	n/a	n/a	4	451
2007	16	10	10	422	3	n/a	n/a	3	464
2008	23	15	10	437	3	n/a	n/a	0	488
2009	25	25	12	471	4	1	10	0	548
2010	27	22	15	472	4	3	17	0	560
2011	26	19	12	502	7	3	15	0	584
2012	19	24	12	523	3	2	7	0	590
2013	13	16	12	495	3	2	8	0	549
2014	13	7	8	467	3	0	10	0	508
2015	16	7	8	435	4	0	7	0	477
2016	16	7	14	382	4	0	3	0	426
2017	16	10	12	346	2	0	4	0	390
2018	26	10	10	305	2	0	7	0	360
2019	30	15	7	325	2	0	8	0	387
2020	24	13	7	321	1	1	9	0	376
2021	22	8	4	300	1	0	9	0	344
2022	12	6	5	286	2	0	13	0	324
2023	16	11	7	343	2	0	10	0	389
2024	16	14	6	348	1	0	12	0	397

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 Gardner Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	453	29.0	15.6	n/a
1989	470	27.5	17.0	n/a
1990	450	26.7	16.8	n/a
1991	471	27.2	17.3	n/a
1992	485	27.6	17.5	67.8
1993	492	26.7	18.4	77.4
1994	558	25.4	22.0	76.3
1995	575	26.1	22.0	77.9
1996	575	26.1	22.0	77.9
1997	575	21.0	27.4	84.9
1998	600	26.0	23.1	80.3
1999	627	30.0	20.9	77.2
2000	656	30.0	21.9	70.7
2001	657	33.0	19.9	69.6
2002	522	32.0	16.3	92.1
2003	522	32.0	16.3	92.1
2004	445	29.0	15.3	86.3
2005	472	28.5	16.6	84.2
2006	451	28.0	16.1	82.8
2007	464	28.8	16.1	80.3
2008	488	29.0	16.8	84.6
2009	548	29.0	18.3	85.6
2010	560	25.0	22.4	75.2
2011	584	n/a	n/a	74.3
2012	590	22.6	26.1	n/a
2013	549	23.0	23.8	78.1
2014	508	20.1	25.2	76.8
2015	477	19.0	25.1	73.8
2016	426	18.0	23.6	72.3
2017	390	16.9	23.0	76.2
2018	360	14.6	24.5	73.6
2019	387	16.8	22.9	59.9
2020	376	n/a	n/a	65.7
2021	344	14.6	23.4	67.4
2022	324	16.8	19.2	67.6
2023	389	16.7	23.1	68.1
2024	397	19.7	20.1	74.1

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 Gardner Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	453	29.0	15.6	n/a
1989	470	27.5	17.0	n/a
1990	450	26.7	16.8	n/a
1991	471	27.2	17.3	n/a
1992	485	27.6	17.5	67.8
1993	492	26.7	18.4	77.4
1994	558	25.4	22.0	76.3
1995	575	26.1	22.0	77.9
1996	575	26.1	22.0	77.9
1997	575	21.0	27.4	84.9
1998	600	26.0	23.1	80.3
1999	627	30.0	20.9	77.2
2000	656	30.0	21.9	70.7
2001	657	33.0	19.9	69.6
2002	522	32.0	16.3	92.1
2003	522	32.0	16.3	92.1
2004	445	29.0	15.3	86.3
2005	472	28.5	16.6	84.2
2006	451	28.0	16.1	82.8
2007	464	28.8	16.1	80.3
2008	488	29.0	16.8	84.6
2009	548	29.0	18.3	85.6
2010	560	25.0	22.4	75.2
2011	584	n/a	n/a	74.3
2012	590	22.6	26.1	n/a
2013	549	23.0	23.8	78.1
2014	508	20.1	25.2	76.8
2015	477	19.0	25.1	73.8
2016	426	18.0	23.6	72.3
2017	390	16.9	23.0	76.2
2018	360	14.6	24.5	73.6
2019	387	16.8	22.9	59.9
2020	376	n/a	n/a	65.7
2021	344	14.6	23.4	67.4
2022	324	16.8	19.2	67.6
2023	389	16.7	23.1	68.1
2024	397	19.7	20.1	74.1

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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