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Ford Elementary

Public Grades K-6

5722^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ford Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 371 students in Richmond, California, operating within the West Contra Costa Unified school district, and it faces significant academic and attendance challenges common to its immediate area.

Academically, the school is struggling, ranking in the bottom 2% of all California elementary schools, with low proficiency rates in English, math, and science. This performance is similar to several nearby schools like Dover Elementary and Edward M. Downer Elementary, though it performs better than the lowest-ranked Grant Elementary. A major concern is chronic absenteeism, with 38.9% of students missing too much school, which is higher than the district and state averages but shows improvement from pandemic-era peaks and is lower than the severe rate at Stege Elementary.

The school's funding per student has decreased notably in recent years, and it operates with a higher student-teacher ratio than most neighboring district schools. Within the community, Michelle Obama Elementary demonstrates that better results are possible, ranking significantly higher. The data suggests that Ford Elementary's challenges are part of a broader, concentrated pattern affecting multiple local schools, indicating that solutions may require both school-specific focus and wider community support to address issues like attendance.

371

Students ?

23.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

85.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2711 Maricopa Ave.
Richmond, CA 94804-1091

(510) 231-1421

District: West Contra Costa Unified

Students who attend Ford Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Helms Middle
High:	Richmond High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

86.3%

Asian:

5.9%

African American:

4.3%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 8th percentile in 2013 → 2nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (23% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg27%

California avg41%

5,722^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 19% (2015) to bottom 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

29^th of 37Elementary Schools in the West Contra Costa Unified

1110^th of 1,543West Contra Costa 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	8.3	5722 of 5857	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.4	5448 of 5869	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.2	5687 of 5859	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.8	5683 of 5883	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.3	4966 of 5789	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	5226 of 5662	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	15.2	5098 of 5692	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.8	4645 of 5614	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	20.7	4549 of 5611	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.6	5075 of 5530	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	24.8	4326 of 5390	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	24.4	4372 of 5377	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.4	3750 of 5314	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	32.8	3512 of 5193	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.0	2550 of 5113	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	40.0	2904 of 5113	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	27.2	3504 of 4818	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	15.6	4285 of 4822	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	13.9	4415 of 4809	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	37.3	2016 of 3162	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.5	3163 of 3245	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.4	2986 of 3311	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.7	2300 of 3275	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	2574 of 3246	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	10.1	5421 of 5597	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	5348 of 5612	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.4	5476 of 5609	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.2	5469 of 5635	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.3	5069 of 5492	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.6	5090 of 5413	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.9	5025 of 5107	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	4665 of 5107	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.7	4959 of 5087	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.4	4972 of 5084	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.5	4065 of 4963	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	4431 of 4830	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.3	5264 of 5460	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	5118 of 5517	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	5135 of 5363	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.1	5017 of 5264	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.2	4212 of 5173	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.1	4659 of 5084	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	5552 of 5628	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	5094 of 5643	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	5454 of 5638	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.0	5444 of 5663	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	24.0	4291 of 5510	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	4850 of 5431	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)36th percentile+29 vs school

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

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Reading100%+92 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy14%-35 vs state

Listening14%-12 vs state

Mathematics9%-28 vs state

Science6%-26 vs state

Writing4%-13 vs state

Overall3%-7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ford Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)					CSA Spanish Listening (2025)					CSA Spanish Writing (2025)					CSA Spanish Reading (2025)					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 (2025)
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	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	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
Ford Elementary	Public	K-6	2711 Maricopa Ave.	Richmond	94804	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1421	371	16	23.1	85.4%	7 (1.9%)	16 (4.3%)	320 (86.3%)	22 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.3%)	8.3	5722^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	2.3%		13.4	5448^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.2%	274	10.0	0.0	0.0		2.7	30.0	0.0	13.8		13.7	10.5	4.2	0.0		4.2	5.3	0.0	0.0		1.4	6.3		6.3	5.1	6.0	15.4	25.9			13.9	20.0	8.2	2.0	9.4			9.3	80.0	86.7	88.3	90.0	86.7	91.7
Edward M. Downer Elementary	Public	K-6	1231 18th St.	San Pablo	94806	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 234-3851	388	18	21.7	96.1%	4 (1.0%)	23 (5.9%)	344 (88.7%)	12 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.3%)	11.7	5526^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.7%		13	5477^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.7%	49	20.5	4.0	3.9		11.6	54.6	12.0	42.3		40.0	29.6	4.0	3.9		15.8	9.1	4.0	3.9		6.3	5.1		5.1	16.2	1.9	7.1	28.3			13.9	22.5	5.5	8.5	23.8			15.7	89.1	95.3	93.8	90.6	93.8	93.8
Grant Elementary	Public	K-6	2400 Downer Ave.	Richmond	94804	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1422	551	26	21.1	73.7%	23 (4.2%)	23 (4.2%)	470 (85.3%)	24 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (1.6%)	4.7	5844^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.2%		6.1	5837^th of 5869 public elementary schools	0.5%	7	4.8	16.0	4.0		7.6	42.9	16.0	32.0		32.6	7.1	16.0	0.0		7.6	2.4	16.7	0.0		5.5	5.2		5.2	4.8	5.0	8.0	10.6			6.7	9.0	5.1	2.6	2.3			5.2	90.0			93.0	95.0
Cesar E. Chavez Elementary	Public	K-6	960 17th St.	Richmond	94801	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1418	408	17	24.0	97.8%	10 (2.5%)	9 (2.2%)	367 (90.0%)	12 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	6 (1.5%)	5.8	5815^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.7%		7	5812^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.0%	3																					3.7		3.7	11.3	5.0	1.9	15.2			8.1	8.1	10.2	3.8	8.9			7.8	90.4	95.9	94.5	94.5	93.2	97.3
Dover Elementary	Public	K-6	1870 19th St.	San Pablo	94806	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1420	458	20	22.9	91.9%	5 (1.1%)	12 (2.6%)	407 (88.9%)	21 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	7 (1.5%)	9.2	5673^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	3.1%		10.1	5685^th of 5869 public elementary schools	3.1%	12	9.1	3.9	4.6	4.0	5.3	68.2	7.7	50.0	12.0	32.6	4.6	30.8	0.0	12.0	12.6	0.0	3.9	4.6	4.0	3.2	1.5		1.5	8.2	12.5	4.6	31.3			14.3	10.9	12.9	0.0	17.2			10.2
Riverside Elementary	Public	K-6	1300 Amador St.	Richmond	94806	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1409	343	16	21.5	66.8%	21 (6.1%)	46 (13.4%)	205 (59.8%)	48 (14.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	19 (5.5%)	11.3	5550^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.2%		22.8	4599^th of 5869 public elementary schools	21.6%	951																					12.2		12.2	6.5	15.0	22.5	23.9			18.1	9.7	16.7	10.2	13.0			12.5
Michelle Obama Elementary	Public	K-6	629 42nd st	Richmond	94805	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1456	431	19	22.3	77.7%	28 (6.5%)	30 (7.0%)	305 (70.8%)	40 (9.3%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	24 (5.6%)	19	4922^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	16.0%		21.8	4700^th of 5869 public elementary schools	19.9%	222																					14.3		14.3	14.1	33.3	18.2	13.7			19.8	22.7	42.4	19.6	9.4			23.9
Voices College-Bound Language Academy at W. Contra Costa County	Public, Charter	K-8	201 28th St.	Richmond	94804	Contra Costa County	Voices College-Bound Lang Academy @ W. Contra Costa County	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 480-0540	343	10	34.3	81.0%	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.9%)	333 (97.1%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	10.3	5615^th of 5857 public elementary schools	4.1%		16.7	5151^st of 5869 public elementary schools	12.2%	464																					7.7		8.7	17.0	15.0	19.4	22.0			18.4	18.2	10.0	2.6	17.1			12.6	94.0			94.0		96.0	$39,831	$38,952	$879
Peres Elementary	Public	K-8	719 Fifth St.	Richmond	94801	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1407	538	26	21.0	95.0%	2 (0.4%)	68 (12.6%)	446 (82.9%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.6%)	5.4	5827^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.5%		7.1	5811^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.0%	16																					0.0	3.5	1.8	10.6	8.5	5.8	5.3	3.8	12.3	7.9	19.7	6.8	1.9	1.8	1.9	8.8	7.3	96.1			96.1
Verde Elementary	Public	K-8	2000 Giaramita St.	Richmond	94801	Contra Costa County	West Contra Costa Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 231-1408	341	14	24.3	72.4%	6 (1.8%)	19 (5.6%)	300 (88.0%)	11 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	6.2	5804^th of 5857 public elementary schools	0.9%		6.7	5821^st of 5869 public elementary schools	0.8%	17																					6.3	0.0	3.9	5.9	3.1	6.7	14.6	14.6	13.0	10.0	5.9	2.9	10.0	11.8	23.7	5.3	10.6

Frequently Asked Questions about Ford Elementary

Is Ford Elementary a good school?

Ford Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.3% of California elementary schools.

What district is Ford Elementary in?

West Contra Costa Unified

What schools do graduates of Ford Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ford Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Helms Middle
High : Richmond High

How many students attend Ford Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 371 students attended Ford Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Ford Elementary?

Students at Ford Elementary are 86% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 4% African American, 2% White, 1% Two or more races.

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.