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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 17.7% 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

4822^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of California elementary schools

Summary

Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary is a public elementary school serving 419 students in grades K-6 in the Southcrest neighborhood of San Diego, California. The school has consistently been ranked in the bottom 20% of California elementary schools over the past decade, with a current statewide ranking of 4822 out of 5857 schools.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary significantly underperforms compared to the San Diego Unified School District and the state of California on standardized test scores, with only 31.6% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 19.72% proficient or better in math. The school also has extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.4% to 41.1% over the past few years, and a very high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 94.56% to 95.7%. Despite spending significantly more per student ($23,782 in 2023-2024) compared to the district and state averages, the school has struggled to improve student outcomes over an extended period.

The challenges faced by Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary are not unique, as the nearby schools in the San Diego Unified School District, such as Rodriguez Elementary, Chavez Elementary, and Baker Elementary, also perform poorly on standardized tests and have high rates of chronic absenteeism and free/reduced-price lunch eligibility. Addressing the root causes of these issues, such as poverty and access to resources, may be necessary to drive meaningful improvements in student outcomes at Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary and the surrounding schools.

456

Students ?

25.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$31,319

Per pupil spending ?

96.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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: Declining — 31st percentile in 2013 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (24% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (36% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg49%

California avg41%

4,822^nd of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

577^th of 1,543San 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
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
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
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
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
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
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 (2025)25th percentile+7 vs school

Homeless (2025)24th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)22nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)19th percentile~ school

Male (2025)16th percentile~ 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 (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy32%-17 vs state

Mathematics20%-18 vs state

Science10%-22 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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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:

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 All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th 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
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%)	20	4822^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	17.7%		13.7	5415^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.7%	593																	10.5		10.5	30.3	33.3	31.3				31.6	26.0	21.7	10.5				19.7							$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%)	22.2	4654^th of 5857 public elementary schools	20.5%		31.2	3836^th of 5869 public elementary schools	34.6%	818																	16.7	20.0	18.8	18.8	33.3	50.0	30.0	46.7	65.0	40.8	12.5	26.7	25.0	10.0	25.0	45.0	24.2	88.9				88.9		$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%)	8.5	5708^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.5%		12.8	5494^th of 5869 public elementary schools	6.4%	214																	2.4		2.4	19.6	11.6	14.3				15.3	23.9	11.4	0.0				12.1	92.9	96.4	96.4	92.9	94.6	92.9	$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%)	17.6	5045^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.9%		18.9	4943^rd of 5869 public elementary schools	15.8%	102																	10.7		10.7	27.8	21.4	38.2				29.1	21.4	16.1	14.3				17.3							$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%)	13.6	5378^th of 5857 public elementary schools	8.2%		21	4776^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.6%	602																	10.0		10.0	16.7	25.0	30.6				23.9	9.6	14.3	17.7				13.8	92.7			96.4	96.4	96.4	$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%)	24.8	4424^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.5%		26.2	4269^th of 5869 public elementary schools	27.3%	155																	9.1		9.1	26.2	29.8	28.8				28.2	44.6	30.0	18.2				30.9	94.9			97.4	96.2		$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%)	16.1	5176^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.6%		20.8	4787^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.4%	389	4.4			4.4	34.8			34.8	13.0			13.0	4.4			4.4	4.2	18.2	10.9	13.6	19.4	37.5	20.0	40.0	22.7	26.0	18.2	29.0	8.3	20.0	6.7	13.6	16.2
King-Chavez Primary Academy	Public, Charter	K-3	415 31st St.	San Diego	92102	San Diego County	King-Chavez Primary 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%)								(n/a)	8.6			8.6	42.9			42.9	21.4			21.4	1.4			1.4				34.8						34.8	24.6						24.6
King-Chavez Arts and Athletics Academy	Public, Charter	4-5	415 31st St.	San Diego	92102	San Diego County	King-Chavez Arts and Athletics Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 525-7320	159	8	20.7	94.3%	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.9%)	154 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	7.8	5746^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.9%		14.5	5351^st of 5869 public elementary schools	8.8%	395		7.1	0.0	3.9		9.5	15.3	12.2		20.2	0.0	10.9		6.0	0.0	3.2	4.2		4.2		17.9	16.7				17.3		10.7	2.8				7.1
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%)	17.1	5086^th of 5857 public elementary schools	13.2%		13.8	5404^th of 5869 public elementary schools	7.9%	318																	10.0		10.0	23.4	35.9	29.8				29.9	20.0	20.0	6.0				15.5	92.5	94.3			92.5		$34,255	$31,104	$3,151

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 17.7% of California elementary schools.

Rate Ralph Waldo Emerson Elementary!

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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.