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Costano Elementary

Q: Is Costano Elementary a good school?

Costano Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.8% of California elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Costano Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 369 students attended Costano Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Costano Elementary?

Students at Costano Elementary are 73% Hispanic, 12% Pacific Islander, 7% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% White.

Q: What schools do graduates of Costano Elementary attend?

Students who attend Costano Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Menlo-Atherton High

Public Grades K-5

5694^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of California elementary schools

Summary

Costano Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 369 students in the Ravenswood City Elementary district in East Palo Alto, an area facing significant economic challenges where nearly 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school faces considerable hurdles, with proficiency rates in English and math far below state averages, and it has been consistently ranked among the lowest-performing schools in California for the past decade. However, within its own district, Costano Elementary performs somewhat better than its peers like Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy and Belle Haven Elementary in core subjects. A major challenge is chronic absenteeism, with over 43% of students missing significant school, a rate higher than other district schools and more than double the state average.

The most striking finding is the extreme contrast with schools just a few miles away in the neighboring Palo Alto Unified and Menlo Park City Elementary districts, where schools like Ohlone Elementary and Laurel Elementary have proficiency rates above 80%. Despite receiving more funding per student than many similar schools and having a relatively low student-teacher ratio, Costano Elementary's academic results highlight the profound impact of community poverty and student attendance on school performance.

369

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$33,800

Per pupil spending ?

90%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2695 Fordham St.
East Palo Alto, CA 94303-1207

(650) 329-2830

District: Ravenswood City Elementary

Students who attend Costano Elementary usually attend:

High:

Menlo-Atherton High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.9%

Pacific Islander:

12.5%

African American:

7.3%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 33rd percentile in 2013 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (12% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (44% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school12%

District avg9%

California avg41%

5,694^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Elementary Schools in the Ravenswood City Elementary

1536^th of 1,543Ravenswood City Elementary 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.8	5694 of 5857	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.7	5820 of 5869	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.5	5797 of 5859	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.6	5831 of 5883	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	5456 of 5789	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.3	5236 of 5662	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.5	5637 of 5692	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.5	5571 of 5614	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	8.9	5533 of 5611	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	34.7	3692 of 5530	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.7	3481 of 5390	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	26.2	4249 of 5377	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	8.7	5202 of 5314	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.1	5154 of 5193	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.7	5074 of 5113	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	7.5	5030 of 5113	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	11.5	4560 of 4818	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	13.6	4425 of 4822	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	16.0	4272 of 4809	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	21.2	1967 of 2227	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	28.9	2621 of 3162	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.1	2807 of 3245	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	2911 of 3311	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	2885 of 3275	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.0	2130 of 3246	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.6	5452 of 5597	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.6	5586 of 5612	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.4	5516 of 5609	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.6	5553 of 5635	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	4783 of 5492	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	5205 of 5413	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.7	5029 of 5107	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.3	5075 of 5107	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.5	5064 of 5087	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	5061 of 5084	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.2	4823 of 4963	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	4453 of 4830	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	21.4	388 of 429	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	346 of 364	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.7	321 of 335	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.0	350 of 356	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.2	5348 of 5460	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	5435 of 5517	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	5293 of 5363	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.8	5228 of 5264	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.4	4818 of 5173	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	4679 of 5084	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.6	5453 of 5628	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.3	5574 of 5643	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.0	5617 of 5638	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.8	5642 of 5663	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.6	5366 of 5510	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	4681 of 5431	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	2.4	2 of 2	0.0%	★★★★☆
2022	30.1	2 of 3	33.3%	★★★★☆
2019	41.5	1 of 2	50.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	25.9	2273 of 2847	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	18.8	2238 of 2715	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	2192 of 2480	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	12.7	2300 of 2508	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	16.8	2148 of 2497	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	26.8	1759 of 2477	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	32.4	1632 of 2379	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	27.8	1708 of 2259	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	38.9	1391 of 2236	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	33.5	1487 of 2179	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	26.5	1564 of 2063	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	15.5	1785 of 2005	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	14.3	1795 of 1999	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	10.1	1681 of 1804	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	8.9	1694 of 1777	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	9.3	1688 of 1769	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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

Special Education (2025)20th percentile+17 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)17th percentile+16 vs school

Disabled (2022)12th percentile+11 vs school

Homeless (2025)10th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Pacific Islander (2023)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy16%-33 vs state

Mathematics12%-26 vs state

Science5%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Costano 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)	% 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 8th 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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th 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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Costano Elementary	Public	K-5	2695 Fordham St.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	Ravenswood City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 329-2830	369	22	17.1	90.0%	9 (2.4%)	27 (7.3%)	269 (72.9%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	46 (12.5%)	14 (3.8%)	8.8	5694^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.8%		6.7	5820^th of 5869 public elementary schools	0.8%	126	4.8		4.8	17.0	11.8	19.0				16.1	25.5	7.3	3.2				11.6	97.1		97.1			$33,800	$3,289	$30,511
Aspire East Palo Alto Charter	Public, Charter	K-8	1286 Runnymede St.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	Aspire East Palo Alto Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 614-9100	496	20	24.5	90.7%	3 (0.6%)	29 (5.8%)	428 (86.3%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.8%)	18 (3.6%)	9.5	5661^st of 5857 public elementary schools	3.3%		9.1	5727^th of 5869 public elementary schools	2.4%	66	7.4	16.0	11.5	22.2	10.9	9.3	5.0	15.8	30.0	15.2	31.5	7.3	1.9	10.2	5.5	26.0	13.5						$20,815	$2,465	$18,350
Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy	Public	K-5	2033 Pulgas Ave.	East Palo Alto	94303	San Mateo County	Ravenswood City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 329-2888	276	15	18.3	89.1%	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	263 (95.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.4%)	3 (1.1%)	4.5	5845^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.2%		5.2	5856^th of 5869 public elementary schools	0.2%	11	2.8		2.8	7.3	6.3	5.9				6.5	13.3	4.1	0.0				6.2	94.4		94.4			$30,376	$1,664	$28,712
Belle Haven Elementary	Public	K-5	415 Ivy Dr.	Menlo Park	94025	San Mateo County	Ravenswood City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 329-2898	312	15	20.8	87.5%	4 (1.3%)	18 (5.8%)	265 (84.9%)	4 (1.3%)	2 (0.6%)	13 (4.2%)	6 (1.9%)	4.9	5841^st of 5857 public elementary schools	0.3%		6.7	5822^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	0.8%	19	5.5		5.5	2.3	6.2	9.3				6.2	11.1	1.5	5.5				5.4	97.1		97.1			$32,679	$3,230	$29,449
KIPP Valiant Community Prep	Public, Charter	K-8	620 Willow Rd	Menlo Park	94025	San Mateo County	KIPP Valiant Community Prep District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 422-4022	587	31	19.0	90.8%	4 (0.7%)	13 (2.2%)	545 (92.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.6%)	6 (1.0%)	10.9	5575^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.8%		14	5395^th of 5869 public elementary schools	8.1%	180	0.0	14.8	8.7	9.3	21.4	10.5	11.9	37.2	29.1	21.5	30.2	21.4	12.3	12.1	20.9	25.9	20.0	93.0	95.8	93.0	95.8	93.0	$44,090	$3,942	$40,148
Duveneck Elementary	Public	K-5	705 Alester Ave.	Palo Alto	94303	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 322-5946	376	18	21.2	13.6%	75 (19.9%)	6 (1.6%)	74 (19.7%)	167 (44.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	45 (12.0%)	95.8	257^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.6%		97	161^st of 5869 public elementary schools	97.3%	96	69.0		69.0	80.4	78.1	85.7				81.7	76.6	72.7	80.3				76.6	94.6		96.4		96.4	$29,186	$947	$28,239
Laurel Elementary	Public	K-5	95 Edge Rd.	Atherton	94027	San Mateo County	Menlo Park City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 324-0186	658	37	17.6	12.6%	259 (39.4%)	6 (0.9%)	148 (22.5%)	149 (22.6%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.2%)	88 (13.4%)	97.1	143^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	97.6%		96.7	195^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.7%	52	72.5		72.5	77.3	84.4	88.1				83.2	78.2	85.4	89.0				84.1	97.2		98.2			$27,486	$407	$27,079
Addison Elementary	Public	K-5	650 Addison Ave.	Palo Alto	94301	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 322-5935	366	19	19.6	17.2%	124 (33.9%)	8 (2.2%)	82 (22.4%)	85 (23.2%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	58 (15.8%)	93.5	438^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.5%		91.7	594^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.9%	156	67.2		67.2	76.3	72.1	80.3				76.1	70.0	80.6	67.2				73.1	96.2		96.2	96.2	96.2	$27,941	$1,120	$26,821
Walter Hays Elementary	Public	K-5	1525 Middlefield Rd.	Palo Alto	94301	Santa Clara County	Palo Alto Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 322-5956	305	15	20.5	17.0%	71 (23.3%)	6 (2.0%)	60 (19.7%)	131 (43.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.6%)	32 (10.5%)	94.6	361^st of 5857 public elementary schools	93.8%		96.3	239^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.9%	122	65.8		65.8	68.9	83.7	75.7				76.0	78.7	80.0	79.0				79.2	90.5				92.9	$30,130	$947	$29,183
Encinal Elementary	Public	K-5	195 Encinal Ave.	Atherton	94027	San Mateo County	Menlo Park City Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 326-5164	604	39	15.4	15.6%	219 (36.3%)	4 (0.7%)	175 (29.0%)	110 (18.2%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.3%)	87 (14.4%)	91.9	558^th of 5857 public elementary schools	90.5%		94.3	404^th of 5869 public elementary schools	93.1%	154	55.5		55.5	64.6	80.4	77.8				74.4	69.8	80.6	71.3				74.1	98.0					$28,208	$499	$27,709

Frequently Asked Questions about Costano Elementary

What schools do graduates of Costano Elementary attend?

Students who attend Costano Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Menlo-Atherton High

What is the racial makeup of Costano Elementary?

Students at Costano Elementary are 73% Hispanic, 12% Pacific Islander, 7% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% White.

Is Costano Elementary a good school?

Costano Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.8% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Costano Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 369 students attended Costano Elementary.

What district is Costano Elementary in?

Ravenswood City Elementary

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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.