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Los Cerritos Elementary

Public Grades K-5

5635^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of California elementary schools

Summary

Los Cerritos Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 304 students in the South San Francisco Unified district, which is currently facing significant academic challenges according to recent statewide rankings.

The school's test scores are critically low, with fewer than 17% of students proficient in English and 15% in math, placing it in the bottom 4% of all California elementary schools. This represents a sharp decline in recent years. A major concern is chronic absenteeism, with nearly 25% of students missing too much school, a rate much higher than the district average. Interestingly, the school spends over $23,000 per student, which is more than most other schools in the area, including high-performing neighbors like Monte Verde Elementary and Buri Buri Elementary, suggesting that resources alone are not solving the core issues.

The performance gap within the same district is striking; Monte Verde Elementary, less than two miles away, is in the top 5% of schools statewide. Los Cerritos shares similar challenges with other struggling schools like Spruce Elementary and Martin Elementary, including high economic need. However, the nearby Ponderosa Elementary shows that solid results are possible in the area, indicating that targeted support and effective strategies could be key to improvement.

304

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,397

Per pupil spending ?

62.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

210 West Orange Ave.
South San Francisco, CA 94080-4444

(650) 877-8841

District: South San Francisco Unified

Students who attend Los Cerritos Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Parkway Heights Middle
High:	South San Francisco High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

67.1%

Asian:

12.2%

Two or more races:

7.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Los Cerritos Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 39th percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (14% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 35 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school14%

District avg43%

California avg41%

5,635^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 35 pts since 2015

From bottom 39% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 9Elementary Schools in the South San Francisco Unified

675^th of 1,543South San Francisco 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	10.0	5635 of 5857	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	4666 of 5869	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	4450 of 5859	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.0	3023 of 5883	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.1	1128 of 1417	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.1	4443 of 5789	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.2	4404 of 5662	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.4	4055 of 5692	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	37.3	3256 of 5614	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.8	3413 of 5611	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.7	3138 of 5530	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.9	2684 of 5390	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	53.8	2369 of 5377	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	36.9	3360 of 5314	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	33.5	3476 of 5193	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	29.1	3664 of 5113	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	36.3	3149 of 5113	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	31.8	3187 of 4818	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	43.2	2529 of 4822	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	46.1	2351 of 4809	51.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	48.2	1286 of 3162	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.0	2169 of 3245	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.3	874 of 3311	73.6%	★★★★☆
2021	29.2	491 of 602	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.1	1716 of 3275	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.6	865 of 3246	73.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	12.0	5305 of 5597	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.5	4107 of 5612	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	4339 of 5609	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	3753 of 5635	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.1	990 of 1267	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.0	3669 of 5492	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.1	4232 of 5413	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	7.6	5062 of 5107	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.8	4605 of 5107	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.8	3871 of 5087	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.6	2038 of 5084	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.3	3530 of 4963	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.2	3327 of 4830	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	5375 of 5460	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.8	4960 of 5517	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.3	4040 of 5363	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.6	2120 of 5264	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	26.4	883 of 1110	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	4448 of 5173	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.8	4430 of 5084	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	5446 of 5628	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.7	4756 of 5643	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	4007 of 5638	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	53.6	2257 of 5663	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.9	988 of 1272	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.2	4805 of 5510	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.9	4281 of 5431	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	39.7	1344 of 2635	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	1679 of 2420	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)59th percentile+39 vs school

Special Education (2024)49th percentile+28 vs school

Female (2025)5th percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

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

Hispanic (2025)1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy17%-32 vs state

Mathematics14%-23 vs state

Science6%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Los Cerritos Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores 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)				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 All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Los Cerritos Elementary	Public	K-5	210 West Orange Ave.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8841	304	17	18.4	62.2%	14 (4.6%)	8 (2.6%)	204 (67.1%)	37 (12.2%)	6 (2.0%)	13 (4.3%)	22 (7.2%)	10	5635^th of 5857 public elementary schools	3.8%		22.1	4666^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.5%	969	6.0	6.0	10.0	13.9	24.5	16.8	18.6	15.8	10.0	14.5	$23,397	$4,077	$19,320
Ponderosa Elementary	Public	K-5	295 Ponderosa Rd.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8825	359	16	22.4	35.4%	50 (13.9%)	1 (0.3%)	167 (46.5%)	102 (28.4%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	35 (9.7%)	66.6	1760^th of 5857 public elementary schools	70.0%		63.4	1912^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.4%	152	39.3	39.3	49.2	60.3	55.7	55.0	46.9	58.6	44.3	49.7	$20,790	$3,323	$17,467
Spruce Elementary	Public	K-5	501 Spruce Ave.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8780	384	17	22.5	61.2%	14 (3.6%)	8 (2.1%)	303 (78.9%)	43 (11.2%)	4 (1.0%)	6 (1.6%)	6 (1.6%)	17.6	5039^th of 5857 public elementary schools	14.0%		18.2	5005^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.7%	34	15.6	15.6	21.7	30.3	21.9	25.0	17.8	27.3	12.5	19.4	$20,610	$2,907	$17,703
Buri Buri Elementary	Public	K-5	325 Del Monte Ave.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8776	584	26	22.4	28.3%	77 (13.2%)	1 (0.2%)	219 (37.5%)	217 (37.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	63 (10.8%)	85.9	885^th of 5857 public elementary schools	84.9%		78.7	1211^th of 5869 public elementary schools	79.4%	326	51.0	51.0	63.2	64.1	67.3	65.0	82.0	63.0	60.8	68.2	$18,759	$1,760	$16,999
Sunshine Gardens Elementary	Public	K-5	1200 Miller Ave.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8784	329	17	19.3	48.3%	14 (4.3%)	5 (1.5%)	194 (59.0%)	74 (22.5%)	6 (1.8%)	4 (1.2%)	32 (9.7%)	38.5	3311^th of 5857 public elementary schools	43.5%		36.1	3431^st of 5869 public elementary schools	41.5%	120	21.5	21.5	31.8	38.6	45.5	39.6	36.6	29.8	37.9	35.1	$20,673	$2,790	$17,883
Martin Elementary	Public	K-5	35 School St.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-3955	370	17	22.4	69.7%	9 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	309 (83.5%)	22 (5.9%)	11 (3.0%)	5 (1.4%)	14 (3.8%)	11.2	5556^th of 5857 public elementary schools	5.1%		28.1	4101^st of 5869 public elementary schools	30.1%	1455	7.9	7.9	18.8	14.3	19.7	17.6	24.2	18.8	6.4	16.6	$19,259	$2,260	$16,999
Hillside Elementary	Public	K-5	1400 Hillside Blvd.	South San Francisco	94080	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8720	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Monte Verde Elementary	Public	K-5	2551 St. Cloud Dr.	San Bruno	94066	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8838	517	22	23.6	21.9%	39 (7.5%)	4 (0.8%)	62 (12.0%)	334 (64.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	73 (14.1%)	95.3	300^th of 5857 public elementary schools	94.9%		95.9	275^th of 5869 public elementary schools	95.3%	25	64.8	64.8	78.0	80.7	75.8	78.2	86.8	78.4	71.4	78.9	$17,239	$1,236	$16,003
Allen (Decima M.) Elementary	Public	K-5	875 West Angus Ave.	San Bruno	94066	San Mateo County	San Bruno Park Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 624-3140	396	17	23.2	64.9%	4 (1.0%)	6 (1.5%)	260 (65.7%)	52 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.5%)	60 (15.2%)	56	2250^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.6%		45.1	2854^th of 5869 public elementary schools	51.4%	604	32.8	32.8	51.6	53.1	42.6	49.2	45.3	53.1	32.8	43.9
Skyline Elementary	Public	K-5	55 Christen Ave.	Daly City	94015	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8941	366	16	22.8	39.3%	23 (6.3%)	4 (1.1%)	78 (21.3%)	212 (57.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.2%)	41 (11.2%)	77.5	1264^th of 5857 public elementary schools	78.4%		68.9	1646^th of 5869 public elementary schools	72.0%	382	56.1	56.1	51.0	55.4	70.2	59.2	58.8	55.4	54.4	56.1	$19,864	$1,989	$17,875

Frequently Asked Questions about Los Cerritos Elementary

How many students attend Los Cerritos Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 304 students attended Los Cerritos Elementary.

Is Los Cerritos Elementary a good school?

Los Cerritos Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.8% of California elementary schools.

What district is Los Cerritos Elementary in?

South San Francisco Unified

What is the racial makeup of Los Cerritos Elementary?

Students at Los Cerritos Elementary are 67% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 7% Two or more races, 5% White, 4% Pacific Islander, 3% African American, 2% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Los Cerritos Elementary attend?

Students who attend Los Cerritos Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Parkway Heights Middle
High : South San Francisco High

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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.