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Empire Gardens Elementary

Public Grades K-5

5680^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 3% of California elementary schools

Summary

Empire Gardens Elementary is a public elementary school located in San Jose, California, serving grades K-5 with a total enrollment of 226 students. The school is part of the San Jose Unified School District, which is ranked 785 out of 1,565 districts in California and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite its location in San Jose, Empire Gardens Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 5% of California elementary schools over the past several years, with rankings ranging from 5,543 out of 5,883 schools in 2021-2022 to 5,680 out of 5,857 schools in 2024-2025. This poor academic performance is reflected in the school's test scores, which are significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. Additionally, Empire Gardens Elementary has experienced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 20.4% to 43.6% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages.

When comparing Empire Gardens Elementary to other nearby schools within the San Jose Unified School District, it becomes clear that the school is an outlier in terms of academic performance. For example, Anne Darling Elementary and Grant Elementary, which are both within a mile of Empire Gardens, consistently outperform the school on state assessments, with higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The combination of high chronic absenteeism rates, socioeconomic challenges, and relatively high spending per student suggests that there may be underlying issues within the school's instructional practices, leadership, or resource allocation that are hindering student achievement.

214

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,279

Per pupil spending ?

70.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1060 East Empire St.
San Jose, CA 95112-1715

(408) 535-6221

District: San Jose Unified

Students who attend Empire Gardens Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Muwekma Ohlone Middle
High:	San Jose High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

86.0%

Asian:

6.1%

White:

4.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Empire Gardens Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 8th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (12% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (35% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school12%

District avg45%

California avg41%

5,680^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 8% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

23^rd 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	9.1	5680 of 5857	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.4	5796 of 5869	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.3	5805 of 5859	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	5543 of 5883	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.3	1336 of 1417	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.1	4979 of 5789	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.6	4468 of 5662	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.6	3947 of 5692	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	20.3	4592 of 5614	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.6	5138 of 5611	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.0	5446 of 5530	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.1	5336 of 5390	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	11.7	5141 of 5377	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	10.0	5150 of 5314	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	8.5	5054 of 5193	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.8	4928 of 5113	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.8	4927 of 5113	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	13.3	4447 of 4818	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	17.8	4116 of 4822	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	16.1	4255 of 4809	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2021	28.2	198 of 293	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	23.7	2915 of 3162	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.5	3017 of 3245	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	2715 of 3311	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.0	449 of 602	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.5	1125 of 3275	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.5	1688 of 3246	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.1	4748 of 5597	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	6.3	5589 of 5612	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.0	5562 of 5609	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	5410 of 5635	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	1209 of 1267	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.6	4744 of 5492	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	3988 of 5413	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.5	4881 of 5107	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.9	5025 of 5107	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.2	5030 of 5087	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	4722 of 5084	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.2	4021 of 4963	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	3622 of 4830	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.5	5331 of 5460	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	5434 of 5517	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.4	5258 of 5363	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.6	4877 of 5264	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.2	993 of 1110	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.3	4404 of 5173	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.5	3885 of 5084	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.4	5579 of 5628	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.9	5548 of 5643	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.2	5574 of 5638	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	5217 of 5663	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	14.6	1170 of 1272	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.1	4650 of 5510	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.3	4543 of 5431	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	17.9	2501 of 2635	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2021)32nd percentile+27 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile+12 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)8th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2024)5th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Science16%-17 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy15%-33 vs state

Mathematics8%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Empire Gardens 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 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 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 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
Empire Gardens Elementary	Public	K-5	1060 East Empire St.	San Jose	95112	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6221	214	12	18.4	70.6%	10 (4.7%)	3 (1.4%)	184 (86.0%)	13 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	9.1	5680^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.0%		7.4	5796^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.2%	116	15.6	15.6	7.3	16.1	25.0		15.4	9.1	6.7	9.4		8.5							$24,279	$2,593	$21,686
Rocketship Discovery Prep	Public, Charter	K-5	370 Wooster St.	San Jose	95116	Santa Clara County	Rocketship Discovery Prep District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(877) 806-0920	402	15	27.7	73.1%	5 (1.2%)	17 (4.2%)	338 (84.1%)	35 (8.7%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (1.0%)	61.1	2014^th of 5857 public elementary schools	65.6%		46.2	2785^th of 5869 public elementary schools	52.5%	771	30.8	30.8	43.6	52.0	53.9		49.7	42.9	57.7	50.0		50.8	87.7	90.1	96.3	92.6	88.9	91.4	$22,444	$3,187	$19,257
Anne Darling Elementary	Public	K-5	333 North 33rd St.	San Jose	95133	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6209	260	15	17.3	73.1%	13 (5.0%)	4 (1.5%)	220 (84.6%)	20 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	8.2	5724^th of 5857 public elementary schools	2.3%		18.1	5022^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	14.4%	702	5.1	5.1	7.1	20.6	18.4		16.0	10.7	11.8	7.7		9.9	93.3						$25,685	$2,700	$22,985
Grant Elementary	Public	K-5	470 East Jackson St.	San Jose	95112	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6227	383	21	18.2	69.7%	14 (3.7%)	10 (2.6%)	321 (83.8%)	20 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	15 (3.9%)	7.7	5749^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.8%		8.8	5736^th of 5869 public elementary schools	2.3%	13	9.3	9.3	18.8	4.8	17.0		13.5	14.3	6.3	5.8		9.1							$23,133	$1,644	$21,489
Horace Mann Elementary	Public	K-5	55 North Seventh St.	San Jose	95112	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6237	293	14	20.4	74.4%	15 (5.1%)	10 (3.4%)	233 (79.5%)	24 (8.2%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	15.4	5232^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	10.7%		18.4	4997^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.9%	235	19.6	19.6	7.7	15.2	36.5		20.0	9.3	3.9	23.2		12.4	89.5	96.5	96.5	94.7	94.7		$20,810	$769	$20,041
Selma Olinder Elementary	Public	K-5	890 East William	San Jose	95116	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6245	269	16	16.3	80.3%	7 (2.6%)	2 (0.7%)	239 (88.8%)	18 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	16.9	5114^th of 5857 public elementary schools	12.7%		14.3	5369^th of 5869 public elementary schools	8.5%	255	19.1	19.1	22.0	4.0	28.2		20.0	25.6	22.2	14.3		20.5	92.3						$24,655	$2,376	$22,279
San Antonio Elementary	Public	K-5	1721 East San Antonio St.	San Jose	95116	Santa Clara County	Alum Rock Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 928-8700	326	14	23.2	91.7%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	284 (87.1%)	36 (11.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	16.6	5138^th of 5857 public elementary schools	12.3%		17.9	5041^st of 5869 public elementary schools	14.1%	97	13.7	13.7	21.7	23.1	21.6		22.1	30.4	25.0	13.7		21.6	92.1						$22,953	$3,071	$19,882
Learning in an Urban Community with High Achievement (L.U.C.H.A.)	Public	K-5	1711 East San Antonio St.	San Jose	95116	Santa Clara County	Alum Rock Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 928-8300	218	10	21.8	83.9%	2 (0.9%)	2 (0.9%)	200 (91.7%)	13 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17.3	5071^st of 5857 public elementary schools	13.4%		26.1	4276^th of 5869 public elementary schools	27.1%	795	4.2	4.2	36.4	25.7	28.3		29.8	18.2	21.6	14.6		17.8							$23,503	$3,481	$20,022
McKinley Elementary	Public	K-6	651 Macredes Ave.	San Jose	95116	Santa Clara County	Franklin-McKinley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 283-6350	206	9	22.8	81.1%	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	180 (87.4%)	21 (10.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	19.8	4837^th of 5857 public elementary schools	17.4%		18.2	5012^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.6%	175	9.7	9.7	15.4	35.5	3.7	34.4	23.3	37.0	24.2	10.0	18.8	22.1							$31,598	$4,540	$27,058
Rocketship Los Suenos Academy	Public, Charter	K-5	331 South 34th St.	San Jose	95116	Santa Clara County	Rocketship Los Suenos Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(877) 806-0920	309	14	22.8	83.2%	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)	286 (92.6%)	15 (4.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	54.7	2323^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	60.3%		42.5	3032^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	48.3%	709	25.0	25.0	41.2	37.7	45.8		40.4	66.0	43.3	56.5		54.4	87.7	94.5	97.3	91.8	90.4	93.2	$23,546	$2,986	$20,560

Frequently Asked Questions about Empire Gardens Elementary

How many students attend Empire Gardens Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 214 students attended Empire Gardens Elementary.

Is Empire Gardens Elementary a good school?

Empire Gardens Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.0% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Empire Gardens Elementary?

Students at Empire Gardens Elementary are 86% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 5% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Empire Gardens Elementary attend?

Students who attend Empire Gardens Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Muwekma Ohlone Middle
High : San Jose High

What district is Empire Gardens Elementary in?

San Jose Unified

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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.