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Spruce Elementary

Public Grades K-5

5039^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of California elementary schools

Summary

Spruce Elementary is a public K-5 school serving 384 students in the South San Francisco Unified school district, which features a wide range of school performance from some of the area's highest achievers to those facing significant challenges.

Academically, Spruce Elementary is struggling, with its statewide ranking falling to the 14th percentile and student proficiency rates in English, Math, and Science being less than half the district and state averages. The school's performance is notably lower than nearby schools in the same district, such as Monte Verde Elementary and Buri Buri Elementary, where proficiency rates are often more than 50 percentage points higher. Chronic absenteeism, at 24.2%, is a serious concern and is much higher than at these higher-performing schools, strongly correlating with lower academic achievement across the district.

While Spruce Elementary serves a student population with greater economic need and spends more per student than some top schools, its outcomes are similar to other high-need schools in the area like Los Cerritos Elementary and Martin Elementary. This suggests that how a school uses its resources and addresses factors like attendance may be more critical to success than funding levels alone.

384

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,347

Per pupil spending ?

61.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

501 Spruce Ave.
South San Francisco, CA 94080-2749

(650) 877-8780

District: South San Francisco Unified

Students who attend Spruce Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Parkway Heights Middle
High:	South San Francisco High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.9%

Asian:

11.2%

White:

3.6%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 15th percentile in 2015 → 14th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (21% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg43%

California avg41%

5,039^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^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	17.6	5039 of 5857	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.2	5005 of 5869	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	4337 of 5859	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.3	3510 of 5883	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.3	1024 of 1417	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.4	3825 of 5789	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.1	4419 of 5662	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	29.4	3886 of 5692	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	27.9	3936 of 5614	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.7	4765 of 5611	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	45.0	3002 of 5530	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	50.1	2606 of 5390	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	48.3	2697 of 5377	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	47.8	2701 of 5314	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.0	2424 of 5193	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	47.6	2510 of 5113	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	41.4	2816 of 5113	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	38.9	2765 of 4818	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	42.6	2565 of 4822	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	45.7	2372 of 4809	50.7%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	21.5	1944 of 2227	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.6	211 of 293	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.2	1092 of 2585	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.5	1054 of 2128	50.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	34.5	2215 of 3162	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.7	2344 of 3245	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.1	1411 of 3311	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.0	463 of 602	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.0	1304 of 3275	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.7	1962 of 3246	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.8	4770 of 5597	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.6	5077 of 5612	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.3	4105 of 5609	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	3714 of 5635	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.6	810 of 1267	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.6	3702 of 5492	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.1	4310 of 5413	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	4594 of 5107	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.0	4458 of 5107	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.4	3663 of 5087	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	48.0	2328 of 5084	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.2	3007 of 4963	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.7	3570 of 4830	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.2	4983 of 5460	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	5084 of 5517	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	3910 of 5363	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.3	2521 of 5264	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.8	682 of 1110	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	3190 of 5173	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.4	3521 of 5084	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	4909 of 5628	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	4490 of 5643	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	4198 of 5638	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.2	3121 of 5663	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.7	995 of 1272	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.2	3598 of 5510	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.1	4094 of 5431	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.2	2632 of 2847	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.4	1542 of 2420	36.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)30th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2025)15th percentile~ school

Male (2025)13th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)13th percentile-28 vs school

Hispanic (2025)10th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)9th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)8th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy25%-24 vs state

Mathematics19%-18 vs state

Science16%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Spruce 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 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 (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	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
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	$25,347	$22,752	$2,595
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	$22,984	$20,298	$2,686
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	$27,440	$23,208	$4,232
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)											$1,158	$00	$1,158
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	$26,076	$22,478	$3,598
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	$24,503	$21,088	$3,415
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	$22,217	$20,140	$2,077
Brisbane Elementary	Public	K-5	500 San Bruno Ave.	Brisbane	94005	San Mateo County	Brisbane Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(415) 467-0120	207	12	17.2	16.9%	50 (24.2%)	2 (1.0%)	59 (28.5%)	62 (30.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (16.4%)	86.4	852^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	85.5%		90.7	657^th of 5869 public elementary schools	88.8%	195	57.1	57.1	66.7	56.3	65.7	62.9	73.3	65.6	74.3	71.1	$33,875	$32,920	$955
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
Belle Air Elementary	Public	K-5	450 Third Ave.	San Bruno	94066	San Mateo County	San Bruno Park Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 624-3155	250	10	25.0	76.4%	3 (1.2%)	3 (1.2%)	176 (70.4%)	21 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (13.6%)	13 (5.2%)	20.5	4791^st of 5857 public elementary schools	18.2%		19.4	4913^th of 5869 public elementary schools	16.3%	122	9.7	9.7	23.1	27.3	19.4	23.3	48.6	21.2	6.5	26.3

Frequently Asked Questions about Spruce Elementary

Is Spruce Elementary a good school?

Spruce Elementary ranks in the bottom 14.0% of California elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Spruce Elementary?

Students at Spruce Elementary are 79% Hispanic, 11% Asian, 4% White, 2% African American, 2% Pacific Islander, 2% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

What district is Spruce Elementary in?

South San Francisco Unified

What schools do graduates of Spruce Elementary attend?

Students who attend Spruce Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Parkway Heights Middle
High : South San Francisco High

How many students attend Spruce Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 384 students attended Spruce 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.