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Emerson Elementary

Q: Is Emerson Elementary a good school?

Emerson Elementary ranks 667 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

667^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 89% of California elementary schools

Summary

Emerson Elementary is a well-regarded K-5 public school serving 283 students in the highly-ranked Berkeley Unified district, performing consistently above state averages in English and Math.

Academically, Emerson is a strong school, but a closer look reveals important nuances. While its overall test scores are high, there is a noticeable drop in 4th-grade math performance compared to other grades, and science proficiency lags behind its other subjects. The school's chronic absenteeism rate of 15.6% is higher than the district average and several nearby schools like Berkeley Arts Magnet at Whittier (6.8%) and John Muir Elementary (8.9%), which may impact learning. Compared to its peers, Emerson performs similarly to John Muir but slightly below the top-tier Berkeley Arts Magnet, and it outperforms other neighbors like Sylvia Mendez Elementary.

The school's location near the Oakland Unified district border highlights stark differences in educational resources; nearby Oakland schools like Chabot Elementary achieve solid results despite their district's challenges, while others like Sankofa United Elementary face significant hurdles. For Emerson to reach the very top tier of local schools, key areas for focus include addressing the 4th-grade academic dip, reducing absenteeism, and boosting its science curriculum.

283

Students ?

21.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,973

Per pupil spending ?

29.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2800 Forest Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94705-1309

(510) 644-6890

District: Berkeley Unified

Students who attend Emerson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Willard Middle
High:	Berkeley High

Racial breakdown:

White:

45.2%

African American:

16.6%

Two or more races:

15.2%

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Compare Emerson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 64th percentile in 2013 → 89th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (70% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 25 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

District avg68%

California avg41%

667^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 11%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From top 20% (2015) to top 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 11Elementary Schools in the Berkeley Unified

171^st of 1,543Berkeley Unified among California districts

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

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.8	667 of 5857	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	92.8	511 of 5869	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	90.7	664 of 5859	88.7%	★★★★☆
2022	91.9	599 of 5883	89.8%	★★★★☆
2019	86.1	844 of 5789	85.4%	★★★★☆
2018	84.8	901 of 5662	84.1%	★★★★☆
2017	91.3	565 of 5692	90.1%	★★★★★
2016	77.6	1213 of 5614	78.4%	★★★★☆
2015	80.1	1106 of 5611	80.3%	★★★★☆
2013	61.9	2004 of 5530	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.2	1930 of 5390	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	70.0	1486 of 5377	72.4%	★★★★☆
2010	71.8	1375 of 5314	74.1%	★★★★☆
2009	56.2	2112 of 5193	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	54.5	2132 of 5113	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	46.6	2520 of 5113	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	55.1	1960 of 4818	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	70.4	1320 of 4822	72.6%	★★★★☆
2004	79.7	903 of 4809	81.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.1	742 of 5597	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	90.0	618 of 5612	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	955 of 5609	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	85.9	820 of 5635	85.4%	★★★★☆
2019	85.3	806 of 5492	85.3%	★★★★☆
2018	82.8	921 of 5413	83.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	62.0	1535 of 4830	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	59.1	1900 of 5460	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.1	1404 of 5517	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	67.2	1379 of 5363	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	59.8	1695 of 5264	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.6	1970 of 5173	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.3	1061 of 5084	79.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.3	560 of 5628	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	93.3	402 of 5643	92.9%	★★★★★
2023	94.0	367 of 5638	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	94.4	350 of 5663	93.8%	★★★★★
2019	84.4	848 of 5510	84.6%	★★★★☆
2018	84.1	877 of 5431	83.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.1	193 of 2598	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	93.8	18 of 2651	99.3%	★★★★★
2023	91.4	63 of 2661	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	90.3	99 of 2726	96.4%	★★★★★
2019	84.5	290 of 2834	89.8%	★★★★☆
2018	88.4	137 of 2737	95.0%	★★★★★

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)

White (2025)93rd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)90th percentile~ school

Female (2025)87th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2018)68th percentile-16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)65th percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy76%+27 vs state

Mathematics69%+32 vs state

Science57%+24 vs state

★

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Schools Near Emerson Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)				% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Emerson Elementary	Public	K-5	2800 Forest Ave.	Berkeley	94705	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-6890	283	13	21.7	29.7%	128 (45.2%)	47 (16.6%)	42 (14.8%)	21 (7.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (15.2%)	89.8	667^th of 5857 public elementary schools	88.6%		92.8	511^th of 5869 public elementary schools	91.3%	156	56.5	56.5	86.7	67.4	73.3	75.9	84.8	55.8	65.2	68.9							$24,973	$820	$24,153
John Muir Elementary	Public	K-5	2955 Claremont Ave.	Berkeley	94705	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-6410	293	14	20.9	30.7%	148 (50.5%)	27 (9.2%)	35 (11.9%)	33 (11.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (16.7%)	90.2	646^th of 5857 public elementary schools	89.0%		90.6	663^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	88.7%	17	54.0	54.0	70.5	83.7	69.4	73.8	70.5	74.4	65.1	69.3							$25,211	$902	$24,309
Sylvia Mendez Elementary	Public	K-5	2840 Ellsworth St.	Berkeley	94705	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-6290	379	18	21.0	27.4%	88 (23.2%)	29 (7.7%)	230 (60.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.9%)	76.2	1325^th of 5857 public elementary schools	77.4%		83.3	1029^th of 5869 public elementary schools	82.5%	296	37.9	37.9	59.6	68.9	65.0	64.3	55.8	62.2	50.0	55.4	93.3	97.3	97.3		97.3		$23,749	$711	$23,038
Chabot Elementary	Public	K-5	6686 Chabot Rd.	Oakland	94618	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2106	576	24	24.0	35.4%	229 (39.8%)	98 (17.0%)	95 (16.5%)	33 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	118 (20.5%)	91.7	567^th of 5857 public elementary schools	90.3%		92	569^th of 5869 public elementary schools	90.3%	2	63.6	63.6	71.7	71.8	71.6	71.7	77.8	70.6	63.6	71.0	95.2			98.1	95.2		$24,381	$4,027	$20,354
Peralta Elementary	Public	K-5	460 63rd St.	Oakland	94609	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-3145	355	12	30.8	30.4%	145 (40.8%)	29 (8.2%)	51 (14.4%)	30 (8.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	98 (27.6%)	90.4	635^th of 5857 public elementary schools	89.2%		89.8	714^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.8%	79	51.9	51.9	71.4	80.0	77.8	75.9	81.0	71.1	53.7	69.1	95.5			95.5		95.5	$23,556	$4,243	$19,313
Berkeley Independent Study K-8	Public	K-8	2701 Martin Luther King Jr Way	Berkeley	94703	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-6159	19	2	9.4	36.8%	4 (21.1%)	2 (10.5%)	7 (36.8%)	1 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (21.1%)								(n/a)						76.9				46.2							$88,030	$678	$87,352
Kaiser Early Childhood Center	Public	K	25 South Hill Ct.	Oakland	94618	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-8812	118	14	8.5	49.2%	33 (28.0%)	20 (16.9%)	35 (29.7%)	14 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	15 (12.7%)								(n/a)																	$25,479	$3,381	$22,098
Sankofa United Elementary	Public	K-5	581 61st St.	Oakland	94609	Alameda County	Oakland Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 879-2194	216	12	18.7	75.9%	36 (16.7%)	91 (42.1%)	45 (20.8%)	12 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (13.9%)	14.6	5300^th of 5857 public elementary schools	9.5%		42	3070^th of 5869 public elementary schools	47.7%	2230	15.4	15.4	0.0	29.0	21.4	17.4	0.0	29.0	7.7	14.7	68.3	68.3	73.2	70.7	70.7	70.7	$32,817	$4,510	$28,307
Washington Elementary	Public	K-5	2300 Martin Luther King Jr. Wa	Berkeley	94704	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-6310	401	16	24.6	33.4%	157 (39.2%)	42 (10.5%)	72 (18.0%)	48 (12.0%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	75 (18.7%)	92.2	530^th of 5857 public elementary schools	91.0%		91.6	601^st of 5869 public elementary schools	89.8%	71	63.9	63.9	68.9	70.6	77.4	72.3	73.8	75.0	67.2	72.1							$23,563	$581	$22,982
Malcolm X Elementary	Public	K-5	1731 Prince St.	Berkeley	94703	Alameda County	Berkeley Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 644-6313	469	23	20.3	31.6%	198 (42.2%)	74 (15.8%)	71 (15.1%)	39 (8.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (17.7%)	86	877^th of 5857 public elementary schools	85.0%		85.7	920^th of 5869 public elementary schools	84.3%	43	56.5	56.5	75.0	65.6	62.4	67.4	76.4	60.3	56.5	64.1							$25,419	$748	$24,671

Frequently Asked Questions about Emerson Elementary

What district is Emerson Elementary in?

Berkeley Unified

How many students attend Emerson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 283 students attended Emerson Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Emerson Elementary?

Students at Emerson Elementary are 45% White, 17% African American, 15% Two or more races, 15% Hispanic, 7% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Emerson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Emerson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Willard Middle
High : Berkeley High

Is Emerson Elementary a good school?

Emerson Elementary ranks 667^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

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