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Ernesto Galarza Elementary

Public Grades K-5

5662^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ernesto Galarza Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 322 students in the San Jose Unified district, located in a high-need community where over three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, the school faces significant challenges, with its most recent test scores placing it in the bottom 3% of all California schools; for example, only about 14% of students are proficient in English and 12% in math, which is dramatically lower than nearby schools like Booksin Elementary (over 73% proficient in ELA) and Schallenberger Elementary (over 57% proficient). Chronic absenteeism, at 28.7%, is also a serious concern and is nearly double the rate of some higher-performing neighboring schools, though it has improved from higher levels in recent years.

A particularly interesting finding is that Hammer Montessori at Galarza Elementary operates in the same building but as a separate school with much higher test scores and lower absenteeism, showing that outcomes can vary greatly even in the same location. While many schools with similar student economic needs also struggle, such as Washington Elementary, others like Canoas Elementary perform better, indicating that a high-need population does not solely determine a school's results.

322

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,740

Per pupil spending ?

77.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1610 Bird Ave.
San Jose, CA 95125-1821

(408) 535-6671

District: San Jose Unified

Students who attend Ernesto Galarza Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Willow Glen Middle
High:	Willow Glen High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.4%

White:

5.6%

Asian:

5.6%

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Compare Ernesto Galarza Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 24th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (13% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (29% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school13%

District avg45%

California avg41%

5,662^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 20 pts since 2015

From bottom 24% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd of 27Elementary Schools in the San Jose Unified

788^th of 1,543San Jose 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	9.4	5662 of 5857	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	5652 of 5869	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	5153 of 5859	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.6	5391 of 5883	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.7	1189 of 1417	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	4956 of 5789	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.6	5139 of 5662	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	19.5	4734 of 5692	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	20.6	4563 of 5614	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.5	4290 of 5611	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	15.7	5005 of 5530	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	31.7	3822 of 5390	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	33.7	3702 of 5377	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	31.2	3761 of 5314	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	21.5	4325 of 5193	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	24.8	3987 of 5113	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	21.0	4214 of 5113	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	17.0	4210 of 4818	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	15.4	4298 of 4822	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	13.6	4442 of 4809	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	24.3	2106 of 2585	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	1930 of 2128	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	42.9	1622 of 3162	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.2	2933 of 3245	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.6	2965 of 3311	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.0	555 of 602	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	39.6	1807 of 3275	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.3	2379 of 3246	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.9	5377 of 5597	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	5404 of 5612	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	5115 of 5609	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	4963 of 5635	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.0	970 of 1267	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.8	4809 of 5492	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.7	5149 of 5413	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	4949 of 5107	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	4905 of 5107	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	4550 of 5087	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.9	4955 of 5084	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.2	4366 of 4963	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.5	4440 of 4830	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.4	5260 of 5460	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	5317 of 5517	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.9	4453 of 5363	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.1	5146 of 5264	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.9	974 of 1110	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.6	4185 of 5173	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	4849 of 5084	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.3	5419 of 5628	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	5406 of 5643	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.8	4734 of 5638	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.1	5296 of 5663	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.9	1108 of 1272	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.4	4432 of 5510	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.3	4636 of 5431	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)49th percentile+45 vs school

Disabled (2019)19th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy15%-34 vs state

Mathematics12%-25 vs state

Science11%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ernesto Galarza 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 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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hammer Montessori at Galarza Elementary	Public	K-5	1610 Bird Ave.	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6671	309	13	23.7	20.1%	90 (29.1%)	14 (4.5%)	88 (28.5%)	62 (20.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (17.2%)	92	545^th of 5857 public elementary schools	90.7%		89.1	743^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	87.3%	198	64.0		64.0	67.3	71.9	72.0				70.4	76.4	73.7	72.0				74.1							$18,463	$730	$17,733
Ernesto Galarza Elementary	Public	K-5	1610 Bird Ave.	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6671	322	14	22.5	77.3%	18 (5.6%)	10 (3.1%)	262 (81.4%)	18 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.3%)	9.4	5662^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	3.3%		10.7	5652^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	3.7%	10	10.9		10.9	8.3	20.0	15.4				14.7	12.2	19.2	5.5				12.2	93.3				93.3		$21,740	$896	$20,844
Willow Glen Elementary	Public	K-5	1425 Lincoln Ave.	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6265	660	32	20.7	35.9%	171 (25.9%)	19 (2.9%)	368 (55.8%)	30 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	71 (10.8%)	58.3	2151^st of 5857 public elementary schools	63.3%		71.3	1535^th of 5869 public elementary schools	73.8%	616	33.3		33.3	45.0	61.1	52.0				52.3	50.5	45.7	34.6				43.6	95.7						$21,383	$892	$20,491
Rocketship Alma Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	198 West Alma Ave.	San Jose	95110	Santa Clara County	Rocketship Alma Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(877) 806-0920	532	17	32.2	80.5%	7 (1.3%)	50 (9.4%)	451 (84.8%)	20 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	30.8	3891^st of 5857 public elementary schools	33.6%		41.2	3105^th of 5869 public elementary schools	47.1%	786	17.6		17.6	28.1	27.3	40.0				31.6	35.4	33.3	33.8				34.2							$18,658	$1,765	$16,893
River Glen	Public	K-8	1088 Broadway	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6240	463	16	29.3	46.9%	41 (8.9%)	5 (1.1%)	391 (84.4%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.9%)	55.5	2277^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.1%		48.4	2642^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	55.0%	365	27.3	44.7	35.3	40.0	50.9	45.5	74.5	66.0	51.1	54.2	38.2	49.1	29.1	51.0	41.7	36.2	40.8							$20,522	$752	$19,770
Washington Elementary	Public	K-5	100 Oak St.	San Jose	95110	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6261	329	17	19.3	83.0%	4 (1.2%)	1 (0.3%)	316 (96.0%)	4 (1.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	8.7	5699^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.7%		13.4	5445^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.2%	254	11.1		11.1	9.8	3.6	19.2				10.7	17.0	16.1	7.4				13.5	96.5					96.5	$23,656	$1,463	$22,193
Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	788 Locust St.	San Jose	95110	Santa Clara County	Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(877) 806-0920	454	17	27.5	79.5%	8 (1.8%)	48 (10.6%)	376 (82.8%)	15 (3.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	45	2882^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	50.8%		49.6	2581^st of 5869 public elementary schools	56.0%	301	20.7		20.7	30.0	51.5	44.8				41.3	35.8	51.5	39.0				41.8	83.2	85.2	94.1	84.2	86.1	84.2	$21,822	$2,777	$19,045
Canoas Elementary	Public	K-5	880 Wren Dr.	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6391	282	17	16.8	71.6%	15 (5.3%)	23 (8.2%)	204 (72.3%)	25 (8.9%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (3.9%)	33.5	3679^th of 5857 public elementary schools	37.2%		37.1	3366^th of 5869 public elementary schools	42.6%	313	20.7		20.7	37.5	22.7	50.0				34.8	47.5	17.4	31.0				31.3							$34,389	$10,403	$23,986
Gardner Elementary	Public	K-5	502 Illinois Ave.	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6225	385	21	18.5	70.1%	18 (4.7%)	11 (2.9%)	334 (86.8%)	9 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.1%)	14.9	5270^th of 5857 public elementary schools	10.0%		21.9	4684^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.2%	586	13.6		13.6	18.3	25.0	26.8				23.0	21.7	19.3	13.8				18.5							$21,101	$786	$20,315
Booksin Elementary	Public	K-5	1590 Dry Creek Rd.	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6213	715	31	22.8	11.9%	309 (43.2%)	4 (0.6%)	147 (20.6%)	142 (19.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	111 (15.5%)	93.3	454^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.2%		93.8	442^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	92.5%	12	64.4		64.4	64.5	77.7	78.8				73.7	75.9	85.4	68.1				76.2							$19,212	$414	$18,798

Frequently Asked Questions about Ernesto Galarza Elementary

How many students attend Ernesto Galarza Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 322 students attended Ernesto Galarza Elementary.

What district is Ernesto Galarza Elementary in?

San Jose Unified

What schools do graduates of Ernesto Galarza Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ernesto Galarza Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Willow Glen Middle
High : Willow Glen High

What is the racial makeup of Ernesto Galarza Elementary?

Students at Ernesto Galarza Elementary are 81% Hispanic, 6% White, 6% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American.

Is Ernesto Galarza Elementary a good school?

Ernesto Galarza Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.3% of California elementary schools.

Rate Ernesto Galarza 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.