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Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

Summary

Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 303 students in grades PK-8 in Phoenix, Arizona. The school is part of the Phoenix Elementary District, which is ranked 388 out of 540 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary faces significant academic challenges, with consistently low standardized test scores and a statewide ranking in the bottom 15% of Arizona elementary schools. The school's student population is predominantly Hispanic (75.58%), which is significantly higher than nearby schools like Augustus H. Shaw Montessori and Khalsa Montessori Elementary School - Phoenix, which have more diverse student populations. The school's academic performance, as measured by test scores, is below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with only 24% of 3rd graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 41%.

The school's academic challenges may be linked to its high percentage of students (71.62%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a predominantly low-income population. However, the school's performance on standardized tests for English Language Learners (ELL) is relatively strong, ranking in the top 30% of Arizona elementary schools for this subgroup. This indicates that the school may be providing effective support and resources for its ELL students, despite the overall academic struggles.

189

Students ?

8.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,053

Per pupil spending ?

71.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

915 E Palm Ln
Phoenix, AZ 85006-2116

(602) 257-3853

District: Phoenix Elementary District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

66.1%

White:

11.6%

African American:

7.4%

See top rated Arizona public schools

Compare Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2012 → 13th in 2023

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 8 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg28%

Arizona avg43%

Not ranked this year

Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

135^th of 289Phoenix Elementary District among Arizona districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	16.5	1081 of 1245	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.0	996 of 1226	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.4	982 of 1039	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	29.8	756 of 1109	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	25.8	808 of 1106	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.1	795 of 1079	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	37.6	531 of 955	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	12.5	1012 of 1079	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	19.9	1043 of 1158	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	23.1	1000 of 1141	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	21.2	916 of 1075	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.6	895 of 1090	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.7	944 of 1062	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	26.0	769 of 895	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	46.6	291 of 975	70.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	24.4	908 of 1219	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.7	1020 of 1219	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	734 of 1023	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	20.6	989 of 1170	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.4	921 of 1198	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.3	589 of 911	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.3	275 of 423	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	20.5	965 of 1116	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.7	480 of 820	41.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	15.8	1094 of 1216	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.3	943 of 1220	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.4	698 of 1032	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	14.0	1008 of 1027	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	28.1	590 of 654	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	38.5	483 of 820	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.1	710 of 1201	40.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	33.3	711 of 1024	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.9	668 of 1161	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	21.1	675 of 854	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	666 of 832	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	532 of 711	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.0	559 of 695	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.9	611 of 677	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.2	647 of 690	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	27.6	634 of 787	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	15.2	710 of 772	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	31.2	494 of 685	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	55.2	290 of 692	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	16.0	604 of 663	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	51.4	99 of 606	83.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	22.0	642 of 806	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.6	730 of 820	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	436 of 624	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	24.9	579 of 760	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.9	597 of 802	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.8	372 of 543	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	29.3	504 of 717	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.8	332 of 503	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	23.0	624 of 810	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.6	534 of 818	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	20.2	495 of 617	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	33.6	257 of 390	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	42.9	377 of 789	52.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	16.6	708 of 780	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

English Language Learner (2021)70th percentile+51 vs school

Special Education (2023)41st percentile+28 vs school

Homeless (2021)35th percentile+16 vs school

White (2023)31st percentile+17 vs school

Female (2023)26th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2023)15th percentile~ school

African American (2021)14th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)14th percentile~ school

Male (2023)10th percentile-3 vs school

Native American (2021)10th percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)2nd percentile-17 vs school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2021)84th percentile+64 vs school

Special Education (2021)52nd percentile+32 vs school

Native American (2021)34th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)30th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2023)24th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2023)23rd percentile~ school

Female (2023)20th percentile~ school

White (2021)9th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%~ state avg

Mathematics37%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				AASA English Language Arts (2025)						AASA Mathematics (2025)						AzSCI Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	AASA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	AASA English Language Arts 4th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 5th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AzSCI Science 5th Grade	AzSCI Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	915 E Palm Ln	Phoenix	85006	Maricopa County	Phoenix Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 257-3853	189	22	8.5		22 (11.6%)	14 (7.4%)	125 (66.1%)	6 (3.2%)	9 (4.8%)	1 (0.5%)	12 (6.3%)								(n/a)		47.0						37.0							$14,053	$1,448	$455	$3,352	$11,294	$856	$12,150
Phoenix #1 iAcademy	Public, Virtual	K-8	1817 N 7th St	Phoenix	85006	Maricopa County	Phoenix Elementary District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(602) 257-3755	0	2	11.2		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)																$00			$00
Augustus H. Shaw Montessori	Public	PK, KG-8	2301 N 13th St	Phoenix	85006	Maricopa County	Phoenix Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 257-3914	476	22	21.5		145 (30.5%)	27 (5.7%)	243 (51.1%)	7 (1.5%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (10.3%)	85.2	115^th of 909 public elementary schools	87.3%		79.1	172^nd of 912 public elementary schools	81.1%	57	67.0	79.0	65.0	80.0	91.0	96.0	50.0	63.0	55.0	57.0	80.0	83.0	65.0	92.0	$10,902	$35	$251	$320	$9,747	$870	$10,617
Khalsa Montessori Elementary School - Phoenix	Public, Charter	K-8	2536 N 3rd St	Phoenix	85004	Maricopa County	Khalsa Montessori Elementary Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 252-3759	118	14	8.2		59 (50.0%)	4 (3.4%)	28 (23.7%)	4 (3.4%)	3 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (16.9%)								(n/a)		87.0													$12,694	$1,829	$305	$3,962	$5,228	$5,332	$10,560
Whittier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2000 N 16th St	Phoenix	85006	Maricopa County	Phoenix Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 257-3925	453	27	16.8		12 (2.6%)	24 (5.3%)	394 (87.0%)	3 (0.7%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.2%)								(n/a)				16.0	18.0										$9,008	$971	$314	$2,256	$7,094	$629	$7,723
Garfield School	Public	PK, KG-8	811 N 13th St	Phoenix	85006	Maricopa County	Phoenix Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 257-3863	403	28	14.3		12 (3.0%)	45 (11.2%)	332 (82.4%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.0%)								(n/a)		27.0													$11,818	$1,585	$389	$3,559	$9,124	$720	$9,844
ASU Preparatory Academy- Phoenix Elementary	Public, Charter	K-4	735 E Fillmore St	Phoenix	85006	Maricopa County	ASU Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 496-3100	443	31	14.2		25 (5.6%)	56 (12.6%)	332 (74.9%)	3 (0.7%)	9 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.8%)								(n/a)		30.0					18.0									$00			$00
Kenilworth Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1210 N 5th Ave	Phoenix	85003	Maricopa County	Phoenix Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 257-3889	0	29	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	25.8	610^th of 909 public elementary schools	32.9%		26.1	622^nd of 912 public elementary schools	31.8%	12	29.0	45.0	35.0	27.0	41.0	39.0	33.0	22.0	26.0	27.0				20.0	$9,653	$1,156	$336	$2,648	$7,289	$872	$8,161
Thomas A Edison School	Public	PK, KG-8	804 N 18th St	Phoenix	85006	Maricopa County	Phoenix Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 257-3848	0	28	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)							22.0								$11,273	$1,233	$328	$2,794	$9,406	$306	$9,712
Faith North Early Childhood Learning Center	Public	PK-K	910 E Washington St	Phoenix	85034	Maricopa County	Phoenix Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 257-3901	103	6	17.9		9 (8.7%)	16 (15.5%)	74 (71.8%)	3 (2.9%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)															$40,707	$14,110	$749	$28,970	$22,731	$3,117	$25,848

Frequently Asked Questions about Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School

What district is Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School in?

Phoenix Elementary District

How many students attend Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 189 students attended Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School?

Students at Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary School are 66% Hispanic, 12% White, 7% African American, 6% Two or more races, 5% American Indian, 3% Asian.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.