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Selma Olinder Elementary

Public Grades K-5

5114^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of California elementary schools

Summary

Selma Olinder Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 269 students in the San Jose Unified district, consistently ranking in the bottom quartile of California elementary schools with proficiency rates in English, Math, and Science around 20%, which is significantly below both district and state averages.

The school faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism, at 30%, which is higher than the district and state averages and is closely linked to academic performance. Despite these struggles, Selma Olinder operates with a favorable student-teacher ratio of 16-to-1 and spends over $24,600 per student, which is more than many nearby schools. Interestingly, comparisons with other local schools reveal a complex picture: it performs better than the lowest-performing Lowell Elementary but lags far behind higher-achieving charter schools like Rocketship Mosaic Elementary and Alpha: Cornerstone Academy Preparatory, which serve similar student populations but achieve proficiency rates two to three times higher.

This performance gap with nearby charters, despite Selma Olinder's resource advantages, suggests that instructional practices, school culture, and attendance strategies are critical areas for potential improvement. The school's historical performance has shown little consistent upward trend, and outcomes vary by grade level and student subgroup, indicating a need for more targeted and effective support systems to help all students succeed.

269

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,655

Per pupil spending ?

80.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

890 East William
San Jose, CA 95116-3102

(408) 535-6245

District: San Jose Unified

Students who attend Selma Olinder Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Muwekma Ohlone Middle
High:	San Jose High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

88.8%

Asian:

6.7%

White:

2.6%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Selma Olinder Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 42nd percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (20% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school20%

District avg45%

California avg41%

5,114^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 29 pts since 2015

From bottom 42% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th 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	16.9	5114 of 5857	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	5369 of 5869	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	5084 of 5859	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	5040 of 5883	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.2	1202 of 1417	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.9	5252 of 5789	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	4988 of 5662	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.2	4677 of 5692	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	13.6	5165 of 5614	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	35.6	3280 of 5611	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	27.0	4276 of 5530	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	21.7	4542 of 5390	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	26.2	4251 of 5377	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	19.4	4625 of 5314	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.9	3715 of 5193	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	28.9	3677 of 5113	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.9	3714 of 5113	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	17.1	4209 of 4818	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	8.2	4732 of 4822	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	11.1	4610 of 4809	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	26.1	1682 of 2227	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	31.8	2429 of 3162	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.5	2425 of 3245	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.4	2792 of 3311	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	587 of 602	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	42.0	1675 of 3275	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.2	1331 of 3246	59.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.7	5271 of 5597	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	5309 of 5612	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	5020 of 5609	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.5	4767 of 5635	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.2	1094 of 1267	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.8	4238 of 5492	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.7	4394 of 5413	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.1	4303 of 5107	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	4527 of 5107	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	4561 of 5087	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.9	4808 of 5084	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.1	4498 of 4963	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	4178 of 4830	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	4590 of 5460	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	4875 of 5517	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.8	4910 of 5363	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.1	4960 of 5264	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	29.3	832 of 1110	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.4	4545 of 5173	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.4	4465 of 5084	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	23.5	4425 of 5628	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	5004 of 5643	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.3	4686 of 5638	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	4906 of 5663	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.9	1045 of 1272	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.0	5311 of 5510	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	4967 of 5431	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	20.3	2186 of 2420	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)24th percentile+10 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)23rd percentile+15 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)16th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)16th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2023)10th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)6th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics21%-17 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy20%-29 vs state

Science19%-14 vs state

4.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Friday, September 8, 2017

Olinder Elementary School, located in downtown San Jose is a schools that serves a wonderful community with highly trained and accomplished teachers. With over 125 years of experience among us, we offer bilingual education, are trained in the best researched practices, and offer differentiated instruction and support for all of our children.
We also strive to continuously improve and serve our families. Even with a devastating flood, Olinder teachers serves our hardest hit families by raising thousands of dollars, helping them to clean up after. We are tireless advocates and work in partnership with our families. Close Quote

Schools Near Selma Olinder 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 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
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
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 Mosaic Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	950 Owsley Ave.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	Rocketship Mosaic Elementary District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(877) 806-0920	528	16	33.0	66.9%	9 (1.7%)	5 (0.9%)	235 (44.5%)	273 (51.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)	77.1	1281^st of 5857 public elementary schools	78.1%		76.2	1330^th of 5869 public elementary schools	77.3%	49	20.0		20.0	58.3	69.6	35.5				60.3	72.5	68.6	35.5				65.8	95.0	96.0		96.0	96.0	95.0	$20,594	$2,207	$18,387
Lowell Elementary	Public	K-5	625 South Seventh St.	San Jose	95112	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6243	261	12	21.4	85.1%	6 (2.3%)	1 (0.4%)	240 (92.0%)	11 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.1%)	6.6	5794^th of 5857 public elementary schools	1.1%		7.7	5784^th of 5869 public elementary schools	1.4%	10	8.5		8.5	2.6	11.4	19.5				11.4	0.0	11.4	4.3				4.8	91.9						$22,447	$1,069	$21,378
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
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
Robert F. Kennedy Elementary	Public	K-6	1602 Lucretia Ave.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	Franklin-McKinley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 283-6325	300	15	20.3	90.3%	2 (0.7%)	5 (1.7%)	235 (78.3%)	56 (18.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	24.9	4414^th of 5857 public elementary schools	24.6%		23.8	4484^th of 5869 public elementary schools	23.6%	70	9.8		9.8	28.6	23.4	23.1	33.3			27.5	22.2	8.3	12.2	49.2			25.3							$28,901	$5,125	$23,776
Alpha: Cornerstone Academy Preparatory	Public, Charter	K-8	1598 Lucretia Ave.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	Alpha: Cornerstone Academy Preparatory District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 361-3876	554	24	23.0	55.2%	13 (2.3%)	11 (2.0%)	197 (35.6%)	315 (56.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.2%)	78.5	1220^th of 5857 public elementary schools	79.2%		76.7	1304^th of 5869 public elementary schools	77.8%	84	58.6	31.7	44.9	48.3	62.3	72.4	59.3	66.1	55.0	60.6	53.5	57.4	65.5	49.2	57.6	26.7	51.6							$18,840	$1,215	$17,625
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
Santee Elementary	Public	K-6	1313 Audubon Dr.	San Jose	95122	Santa Clara County	Franklin-McKinley Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 283-6450	318	17	19.2	89.9%	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	266 (83.6%)	45 (14.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	12.8	5433^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	7.2%		9.2	5724^th of 5869 public elementary schools	2.5%	291	13.3		13.3	13.9	30.8	29.6	14.8			22.0	10.3	16.7	11.1	9.1			11.6	93.4	95.1	95.1	95.1	93.4	95.1	$27,291	$4,135	$23,156

Frequently Asked Questions about Selma Olinder Elementary

Is Selma Olinder Elementary a good school?

Selma Olinder Elementary ranks in the bottom 12.7% of California elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Selma Olinder Elementary attend?

Students who attend Selma Olinder Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Muwekma Ohlone Middle
High : San Jose High

How many students attend Selma Olinder Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 269 students attended Selma Olinder Elementary.

What district is Selma Olinder Elementary in?

San Jose Unified

What is the racial makeup of Selma Olinder Elementary?

Students at Selma Olinder Elementary are 89% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 3% White, 1% Two or more races.

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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.