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Carlton Elementary

Public Grades K-5

417^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 93% of California elementary schools

Summary

Carlton Elementary is a highly-regarded K-5 public school serving 656 students in San Jose, part of the top-performing Union Elementary School District.

The school consistently ranks in the top 10% of California elementary schools, with particular strengths in mathematics and an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 2.1%, which is the best among nearby schools like Oster Elementary and Capri Elementary. It achieves these strong results efficiently, with moderate per-student spending compared to peers such as Louise Van Meter Elementary. While maintaining high performance, recent years show a slight dip in its statewide ranking, a trend also seen in test scores that may reflect a post-pandemic adjustment or increased competition.

Compared to other high-performing schools in its district, like Alta Vista Elementary, Carlton holds its own but has an opportunity to strengthen its science program. The school's performance is relatively consistent across different student groups, though some variations exist that the school can address. Overall, Carlton Elementary remains a standout choice for its academic rigor, remarkable student attendance, and effective use of resources.

656

Students ?

25.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,413

Per pupil spending ?

5.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2421 Carlton Ave.
San Jose, CA 95124-4949

(408) 356-1141

District: Union Elementary

Students who attend Carlton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Union Middle
High:	Leigh High

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

47.3%

White:

31.1%

Hispanic:

11.6%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 93rd percentile in 2013 → 93rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (74% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 7% of California elementary schools

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 26 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school74%

District avg73%

California avg41%

417^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 7%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Union Elementary

79^th of 1,543Union 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	93.7	417 of 5857	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	95.7	288 of 5869	95.1%	★★★★★
2023	97.4	153 of 5859	97.4%	★★★★★
2022	97.9	110 of 5883	98.1%	★★★★★
2019	96.1	212 of 5789	96.3%	★★★★★
2018	95.7	235 of 5662	95.8%	★★★★★
2017	96.9	179 of 5692	96.9%	★★★★★
2016	95.9	246 of 5614	95.6%	★★★★★
2015	95.0	328 of 5611	94.2%	★★★★★
2013	91.4	371 of 5530	93.3%	★★★★★
2012	90.5	399 of 5390	92.6%	★★★★★
2011	91.2	365 of 5377	93.2%	★★★★★
2010	92.6	295 of 5314	94.4%	★★★★★
2009	89.2	515 of 5193	90.1%	★★★★★
2008	84.4	780 of 5113	84.7%	★★★★☆
2007	88.1	621 of 5113	87.9%	★★★★☆
2006	79.9	972 of 4818	79.8%	★★★★☆
2005	88.4	573 of 4822	88.1%	★★★★☆
2004	85.4	697 of 4809	85.5%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.3	212 of 1203	82.4%	★★★★☆
2024	74.7	305 of 1205	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	83.0	85 of 1190	92.9%	★★★★★
2022	81.5	111 of 1154	90.4%	★★★★★
2019	81.1	115 of 1149	90.0%	★★★★★
2018	83.5	50 of 1071	95.3%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	85.9	249 of 2585	90.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	90.9	531 of 5597	90.5%	★★★★★
2024	93.7	384 of 5612	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.3	183 of 5609	96.7%	★★★★★
2022	96.9	155 of 5635	97.2%	★★★★★
2019	95.3	209 of 5492	96.2%	★★★★★
2018	94.7	240 of 5413	95.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.8	624 of 5107	87.8%	★★★★☆
2024	89.0	391 of 5107	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	97.3	97 of 5084	98.1%	★★★★★
2019	84.5	535 of 4963	89.2%	★★★★☆
2018	89.5	323 of 4830	93.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	98.5	79 of 5517	98.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.1	325 of 5628	94.2%	★★★★★
2024	95.9	201 of 5643	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	97.0	148 of 5638	97.4%	★★★★★
2022	97.9	88 of 5663	98.4%	★★★★★
2019	95.6	201 of 5510	96.4%	★★★★★
2018	95.2	233 of 5431	95.7%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	68.7	228 of 670	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	81.8	89 of 669	86.7%	★★★★☆
2022	84.7	48 of 610	92.1%	★★★★★
2018	60.5	157 of 339	53.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	61.6	750 of 2847	73.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	64.9	947 of 2598	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.5	647 of 2651	75.6%	★★★★☆
2023	77.4	528 of 2661	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	83.9	307 of 2726	88.7%	★★★★☆
2019	80.7	445 of 2834	84.3%	★★★★☆
2018	79.4	470 of 2737	82.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)99th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)94th percentile~ school

Female (2025)91st percentile~ school

Disabled (2019)90th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)88th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2025)82nd percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2025)74th percentile-19 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)66th percentile-29 vs school

White (2025)64th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics79%+42 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy74%+25 vs state

Science58%+26 vs state

2.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, October 31, 2015

Im a parent of a student there and also a resident who lives nearby. In general its a decent school and has a close nit parent community. Unfortunately the school jumped in too soon on the Common Core changes and the myopic focus on test scores, before the new curriculum and teacher training was really ready.
This has led to our children being somewhat experimented on with different methods and a lot of frustration by Parents who are bearing the brunt of the a massive homework overload. Teachers are in constant out of class training trying to figure how hoe to make the core work. There is also a myopic focus on getting "technology" in to the class room for the sake of looking like they are doing something with it. The lack of communication on this whole effort doesn't help.
The high number of full days off and reduced days the kids are not in school needs to be considered by working parents who need to pay for after school child care.
If they can get a focus back on just letting teachers teach kids full time, 5 days a week in the classroom and doing the job, then this will be a great little school. Close Quote

Schools Near Carlton 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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Carlton Elementary	Public	K-5	2421 Carlton Ave.	San Jose	95124	Santa Clara County	Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 356-1141	656	26	25.7	5.3%	204 (31.1%)	7 (1.1%)	76 (11.6%)	310 (47.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (9.0%)	93.7	417^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.9%		95.7	288^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.1%	129	58.3		58.3	73.8	74.3	73.3				73.8	82.2	81.7	73.8				79.3		$15,413	$1,016	$14,397
Alta Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	200 Blossom Valley Rd.	Los Gatos	95032	Santa Clara County	Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 356-6146	584	23	25.9	6.8%	207 (35.4%)	1 (0.2%)	66 (11.3%)	251 (43.0%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (9.4%)	96.2	223^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	96.2%		95	344^th of 5869 public elementary schools	94.1%	121	69.5		69.5	73.9	78.2	85.2				78.8	82.0	82.1	81.7				82.0		$16,532	$1,399	$15,133
Farnham Charter	Public, Charter	K-5	15711 Woodard Rd.	San Jose	95124	Santa Clara County	Cambrian	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 377-3321	372	16	23.2	24.2%	90 (24.2%)	13 (3.5%)	123 (33.1%)	92 (24.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (14.5%)	75.5	1352^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	76.9%		75.3	1359^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.8%	7	52.3		52.3	51.0	54.2	61.5				56.0	58.8	52.5	60.0				57.1		$11,895	$1,459	$10,436
Blossom Hill Elementary	Public	K-5	16400 Blossom Hill Rd.	Los Gatos	95032	Santa Clara County	Los Gatos Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 335-2100	530	22	24.0	7.0%	236 (44.5%)	2 (0.4%)	46 (8.7%)	183 (34.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	62 (11.7%)	95.7	264^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.5%		96	260^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.6%	4	68.2		68.2	70.8	86.7	81.8				80.6	75.0	85.7	73.9				78.7		$17,125	$851	$16,274
Oster Elementary	Public	K-5	1855 Lencar Way	San Jose	95124	Santa Clara County	Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 266-8121	627	24	26.0	12.8%	148 (23.6%)	6 (1.0%)	112 (17.9%)	323 (51.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.1%)	95.1	326^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.4%		96.4	221^st of 5869 public elementary schools	96.2%	105	69.0		69.0	78.1	71.6	80.8				76.7	82.4	73.0	84.0				79.6	98.4	$15,968	$1,010	$14,958
Village	Public, Charter	K-5	825 West Parr Ave.	Campbell	95008	Santa Clara County	Campbell Union	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 341-7042	198	9	23.2	16.2%	92 (46.5%)	2 (1.0%)	36 (18.2%)	39 (19.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (14.1%)	88.5	741^st of 5857 public elementary schools	87.3%		78.2	1231^st of 5869 public elementary schools	79.0%	490	64.7		64.7	66.7	73.0	67.7				69.4	55.6	73.0	70.6				67.4	90.0	$19,494	$888	$18,606
Louise Van Meter Elementary	Public	K-5	16445 Los Gatos Blvd.	Los Gatos	95032	Santa Clara County	Los Gatos Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 335-2250	507	24	21.1	6.7%	222 (43.8%)	6 (1.2%)	54 (10.7%)	159 (31.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (13.0%)	93.1	463^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	92.1%		88.5	788^th of 5869 public elementary schools	86.6%	325	68.9		68.9	74.2	63.0	78.9				72.0	80.9	72.8	78.9				77.5		$19,996	$1,548	$18,448
Capri Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	850 Chapman Ave.	Campbell	95008	Santa Clara County	Campbell Union	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 364-4260	457	21	21.7	31.7%	118 (25.8%)	25 (5.5%)	151 (33.0%)	111 (24.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (10.9%)	82.7	1038^th of 5857 public elementary schools	82.3%		89.9	708^th of 5869 public elementary schools	87.9%	330	55.4		55.4	53.6	73.2	62.2				63.1	64.8	69.3	52.7				62.3		$19,319	$1,069	$18,250
Noddin Elementary	Public	K-5	1755 Gilda Way	San Jose	95124	Santa Clara County	Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 356-2126	500	22	22.7	15.2%	127 (25.4%)	5 (1.0%)	95 (19.0%)	231 (46.2%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	37 (7.4%)	91.9	557^th of 5857 public elementary schools	90.5%		88.5	785^th of 5869 public elementary schools	86.6%	228	51.2		51.2	76.5	80.2	72.1				76.4	81.7	80.2	60.5				74.1		$15,015	$1,140	$13,875
Steindorf STEAM K-8 Magnet	Public	K-8	3001 Ross Ave.	San Jose	95124	Santa Clara County	Cambrian	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 377-3022	491	21	23.0	4.7%	160 (32.6%)	11 (2.2%)	47 (9.6%)	208 (42.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (13.2%)	96.7	174^th of 5857 public elementary schools	97.0%		95.6	297^th of 5869 public elementary schools	94.9%	123	78.0	76.7	77.3	81.3	76.7	83.1	78.0	89.7	78.3	81.1	93.8	81.7	86.4	69.5	89.7	83.3	83.7		$10,706	$1,381	$9,325

Frequently Asked Questions about Carlton Elementary

Is Carlton Elementary a good school?

Yes. Carlton Elementary ranks in the top 7.1% of California elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Carlton Elementary attend?

Students who attend Carlton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Union Middle
High : Leigh High

How many students attend Carlton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 656 students attended Carlton Elementary.

What district is Carlton Elementary in?

Union Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Carlton Elementary?

Students at Carlton Elementary are 47% Asian, 31% White, 12% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 1% African American.

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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.