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Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary

Q: Is Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary a good school?

Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary ranks in the bottom 21.1% of California elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 456 students attended Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary?

Students at Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary are 94% Hispanic, 3% African American, 1% White, 1% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary usually go on to attend: High : San Diego High

Public Grades K-5

4589^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Elementary Schools

Better than 21% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary is a San Diego-area K–5 school in San Diego Unified, serving 456 students. Its test results are stronger than those of nearby district schools in math and ELA, but remain below state and district results in all three tested subjects. Chronic absenteeism is also a major concern: in 2025–2026, 32% of students were chronically absent, compared with 18% statewide and 17% in the district. The most important finding for families is that attendance has improved considerably, but is still substantially worse than the state and district figures.

Math is Emerson’s clearest academic strength: its 28% proficiency rate was the highest among eight nearby San Diego Unified schools and about 10 percentage points above their 18% average. ELA was 28%, placing second among the seven nearby schools with comparable results; science was 15%, close to their 15% average. Yet Emerson remains below the state and district in every subject: math was 11 points below the state and 18 below the district, while ELA was 21 and 25 points lower, and science was 21 and 27 points lower. Attendance has fallen from 64% in 2021–2022, a 33-point improvement, but the latest rate is still higher than at five of the seven nearby district schools.

Results have moved in different directions over time: from 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, math rose from 18% to 28%, while ELA fell from 32% to 28% and science from 23% to 15%. SchoolDigger places Emerson in the 21st statewide percentile for 2025–2026 (rank 4,577 of 5,804; 1 star), up from the 8th percentile in 2023–2024; the district is at the 58th percentile (3 stars). Emerson’s 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 25.3:1, compared with 21.6:1 across nearby district schools with data. Its free/reduced lunch eligible rate was 97% in 2024–2025. SchoolDigger’s historical results also show a notably lower standing for the Special Education Students subgroup: the 6th statewide percentile in 2022–2023, compared with 25th overall, a 19-point difference; this is not a current subgroup result.

456

Students ?

25.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$31,319

Per pupil spending ?

96.7%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

92%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

3510 Newton Ave.
San Diego, CA 92113-3118

(619) 344-6200

District: San Diego Unified

Students who attend Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary usually attend:

High:

San Diego High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

94.3%

African American:

3.1%

White:

1.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 16th percentile in 2015 → 21st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (26% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (32% vs 18% California)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school26%

District avg48%

California avg42%

4,589^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 21%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From bottom 39% (2016) to bottom 21% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

99^th of 120Elementary Schools in the San Diego Unified

600^th of 1,530San Diego 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
2026	22.5	4589 of 5817	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	4822 of 5857	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	5415 of 5869	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	4377 of 5859	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	4920 of 5883	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.9	4546 of 5789	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.5	4192 of 5662	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.7	4366 of 5692	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	34.9	3412 of 5614	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	19.3	4700 of 5611	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	33.0	3811 of 5530	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	17.1	4836 of 5390	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.2	4666 of 5377	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	17.6	4733 of 5314	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	12.9	4856 of 5193	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	7.1	5036 of 5113	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.5	4938 of 5113	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	7.1	4743 of 4818	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	7.6	4748 of 4822	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	11.0	4622 of 4809	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2018	16.3	2122 of 2128	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	28.4	2656 of 3162	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	2546 of 3245	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.9	2955 of 3311	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.2	1597 of 3275	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.1	1114 of 3246	65.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	21.2	4574 of 5581	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.9	4530 of 5597	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	5270 of 5612	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.0	4601 of 5609	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	4886 of 5635	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	4195 of 5492	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.1	4158 of 5413	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	32.4	3553 of 5094	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.5	3850 of 5107	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	4549 of 5107	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.7	3569 of 5087	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.9	3972 of 5084	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.2	3370 of 4963	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.1	3263 of 4830	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	27.4	301 of 366	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.8	327 of 429	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.7	315 of 364	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.5	144 of 335	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.2	133 of 356	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	30.3	3920 of 5423	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.7	4239 of 5460	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	4947 of 5517	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.4	3358 of 5363	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.2	3988 of 5264	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	3453 of 5173	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.7	3188 of 5084	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	26.8	4135 of 5603	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	4704 of 5628	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	5095 of 5643	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	3671 of 5638	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.8	4528 of 5663	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	4424 of 5510	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	3944 of 5431	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	17.9	2273 of 2420	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)30th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)28th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2026)26th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)18th percentile-3 vs school

Homeless (2026)18th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)16th percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2023)6th percentile-19 vs school

Disabled (2018)<1st percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy28%-21 vs state

Mathematics28%-11 vs state

Science15%-21 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

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2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Tuesday, April 13, 2010

I have never gone through a whole month of calling a school and that they NEVER answer at any time or any day!!
Makes me wonder about our kids safety!!

They won't do transfers in a timely manner nor answer any messages! By far this is the worst school I've ever come across, and I have 12 kids so I've seen plenty a schools, but never as ill mannered or irresponsible as this one. Close Quote

Schools Near Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary

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Ranking:

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CSA Spanish Overall (2026)					CSA Spanish Listening (2026)					CSA Spanish Writing (2026)					CSA Spanish Reading (2026)					CAST Science (2026)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2024-25)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary	Public	K-5	3510 Newton Ave.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-6200	456	18	25.3	96.7%	5 (1.1%)	14 (3.1%)	430 (94.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.1%)	22.5	4589^th of 5817 public elementary schools	21.1%		20	4822^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	17.7%	233																					14.9		14.9	26.9	26.2	32.3				28.4	31.8	25.8	25.4				27.6	92%	0%	$31,319	$29,112	$2,207
Mountain View	Public	K-8	3550 Logan Ave.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-6210	195	11	18.2	87.2%	15 (7.7%)	1 (0.5%)	171 (87.7%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	13.1	5388^th of 5817 public elementary schools	7.4%		22.2	4654^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.5%	734																					21.4	33.3	27.6	14.3	5.3	28.6	27.8	35.0	33.3	23.4	14.3	10.5	28.6	5.6	14.3	40.0	17.6	≥ 95%		$34,247	$32,434	$1,813
Rodriguez Elementary	Public	K-5	825 South 31st St.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 699-4500	280	11	25.4	95.7%	2 (0.7%)	9 (3.2%)	268 (95.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	17.8	4991^st of 5817 public elementary schools	14.2%		8.5	5708^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.5%	717																					8.9		8.9	38.0	20.0	17.8				25.9	36.0	12.5	8.9				20.0	93%	0%	$35,946	$32,494	$3,452
Chavez Elementary	Public	K-5	1404 South 40th St.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-3200	361	15	24.0	96.4%	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.2%)	342 (94.7%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	15.2	5208^th of 5817 public elementary schools	10.5%		17.6	5045^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.9%	163																					12.3		12.3	30.4	29.2	19.3				25.8	26.1	16.3	8.8				16.5	97%	0%	$29,948	$27,164	$2,784
Baker Elementary	Public	K-5	4041 T St.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 344-4800	361	15	24.0	97.2%	3 (0.8%)	31 (8.6%)	315 (87.3%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	15.7	5162^nd of 5817 public elementary schools	11.3%		13.6	5378^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.2%	216																					17.0		17.0	21.3	18.9	29.8				23.1	27.7	15.1	17.0				19.7	91%	0%	$29,402	$26,640	$2,762
Balboa Elementary	Public	K-5	1844 South 40th St.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4100	457	21	21.7	92.1%	12 (2.6%)	18 (3.9%)	397 (86.9%)	19 (4.2%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.9%)	5 (1.1%)	19.5	4858^th of 5817 public elementary schools	16.5%		24.8	4424^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.5%	434																					17.5		17.5	17.2	33.9	27.8				26.4	32.8	24.2	10.5				22.6	96%	0%	$35,926	$33,618	$2,308
King-Chavez Academy of Excellence	Public, Charter	K-8	2716 Marcy Ave.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	King-Chavez Academy of Excellence District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 232-2825	242	15	16.4	94.2%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	236 (97.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.7%)	21.8	4656^th of 5817 public elementary schools	20.0%		16.1	5176^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.6%	520	3.7	0.0			1.9	44.4	7.7			26.4	3.7	7.7			5.7	0.0	0.0			0.0	28.1	11.4	19.4	4.0	8.0	46.9	37.0	32.1	37.1	29.1	12.0	20.0	18.8	14.8	21.4	8.6	15.7	≥ 95%
King-Chavez Community Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	415 31st St.	San Diego	92102	San Diego County	King-Chavez Community Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 525-7320	344	17	20.4	93.6%	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	336 (97.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	10.1	5595^th of 5817 public elementary schools	3.8%					(n/a)	8.9	10.1	0.0	0.0	4.7	28.9	11.6	13.1	1.3	14.5	23.3	11.6	0.0	0.0	9.2	2.2	5.8	0.0	0.0	1.9	7.1	7.4	7.2	27.8	13.0	20.5	2.7	26.1	19.1	18.6	25.6	10.1	8.3	2.7	10.3	5.9	11.1
Burbank Elementary	Public	K-5	2146 Julian Ave.	San Diego	92113	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 652-4500	317	13	24.3	95.0%	7 (2.2%)	6 (1.9%)	302 (95.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	10.4	5580^th of 5817 public elementary schools	4.1%		17.1	5086^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.2%	494																					10.5		10.5	10.0	22.9	23.6				19.6	19.5	12.5	8.8				13.0	91%	0%	$34,255	$31,104	$3,151
Kimbrough Elementary	Public	K-5	321 Hoitt St.	San Diego	92102	San Diego County	San Diego Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 362-4400	316	14	22.5	96.8%	3 (0.9%)	8 (2.5%)	299 (94.6%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	18.9	4908^th of 5817 public elementary schools	15.6%		18.2	4992^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	14.8%	84																					13.2		13.2	20.5	39.6	32.1				31.0	29.6	18.8	5.7				17.2	88%	0%	$41,023	$37,104	$3,919

Frequently Asked Questions about Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary?

Students at Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary are 94% Hispanic, 3% African American, 1% White, 1% Two or more races.

What district is Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary in?

San Diego Unified

What schools do graduates of Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : San Diego High

How many students attend Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 456 students attended Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary.

Is Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary a good school?

Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary ranks in the bottom 21.1% of California elementary schools.

Rate Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary!

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Latest California data All new data »

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

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.