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Sunshine Gardens Elementary

Q: Is Sunshine Gardens Elementary a good school?

Sunshine Gardens Elementary ranks 3311 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3311^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of California elementary schools

Summary

Sunshine Gardens Elementary is a K-5 public school serving 329 students in the South San Francisco Unified School District, performing below both district and state averages in core academic subjects.

When compared to nearby schools, Sunshine Gardens faces notable challenges. Its academic proficiency and statewide ranking are significantly lower than higher-performing peers like Monte Verde Elementary, Buri Buri Elementary, and Skyline Elementary. The school's chronic absenteeism rate is also higher than these top schools, and there is a strong district-wide pattern linking better attendance to stronger academic outcomes. Interestingly, Sunshine Gardens spends more per student than some of these higher-achieving schools, indicating that funding alone has not closed the performance gap.

Within the school, there are important trends for parents to consider. A persistent achievement gap exists between female and male students. On a positive note, English Language Learners have shown dramatic improvement in recent years. Science is a particular area of concern, as proficiency lags far behind other subjects. The school's fifth graders perform closest to district averages, suggesting students can make progress during their time here. Sunshine Gardens sits in the middle tier of its district, performing better than the lowest-ranked schools like Los Cerritos Elementary but well below the top performers.

329

Students ?

19.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,076

Per pupil spending ?

48.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1200 Miller Ave.
South San Francisco, CA 94080-1221

(650) 877-8784

District: South San Francisco Unified

Students who attend Sunshine Gardens Elementary usually attend:

Middle:

Parkway Heights Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

59.0%

Asian:

22.5%

Two or more races:

9.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Sunshine Gardens Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2015 → 43rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (35% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2015

!Science scores 11 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg43%

California avg41%

3,311^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From top 45% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	38.5	3311 of 5857	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.1	3431 of 5869	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.2	4039 of 5859	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.4	3425 of 5883	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.1	724 of 1417	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.2	3176 of 5789	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.8	3482 of 5662	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.6	3465 of 5692	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.4	2688 of 5614	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	48.1	2550 of 5611	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	51.2	2615 of 5530	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.5	2178 of 5390	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	44.5	2926 of 5377	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	56.6	2182 of 5314	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	44.8	2762 of 5193	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	57.1	1996 of 5113	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	44.5	2648 of 5113	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	47.4	2297 of 4818	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	37.1	2886 of 4822	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	43.0	2502 of 4809	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	33.9	2259 of 3162	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.3	2795 of 3245	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	3281 of 3311	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	578 of 602	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	53.6	1066 of 3275	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.6	1053 of 3246	67.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	2709 of 5597	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.7	2879 of 5612	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.4	3380 of 5609	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.4	2395 of 5635	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.9	605 of 1267	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.7	2512 of 5492	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.7	2910 of 5413	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	35.9	3315 of 5107	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.7	3530 of 5107	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.4	3912 of 5087	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.3	3346 of 5084	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.5	3280 of 4963	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.6	3576 of 4830	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	3588 of 5460	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.8	3877 of 5517	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.1	4891 of 5363	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	44.1	2674 of 5264	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.2	519 of 1110	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.7	2697 of 5173	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.4	4307 of 5084	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	3635 of 5628	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.0	3915 of 5643	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.0	4527 of 5638	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	4574 of 5663	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.5	696 of 1272	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.5	3582 of 5510	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.6	3730 of 5431	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	1844 of 2847	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.3	1644 of 2635	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.0	1853 of 2420	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)52nd percentile+8 vs school

Male (2025)35th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2025)35th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)35th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)34th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)29th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy40%-9 vs state

Mathematics35%~ state avg

Science22%-11 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, February 8, 2019

This school is rundown, has oversize classrooms, not much is done for kids who are ahead and get excellent grades. They are left to fend for themselves while those that need help get the attention. Everyone needs to be included in all aspects. Lack of Spirit Day for kids to have Fun. They used to have a Fun Run every month but since this new Principal started, she took everything away. Most of the teachers are involved with the students expect about 2 or 3. Sunshine Gardens needs improvements as soon as possible. The kids suffer if things are not fixed. Close Quote

Schools Near Sunshine Gardens 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Junipero Serra Elementary	Public	K-5	151 Victoria St.	Daly City	94015	San Mateo County	South San Francisco Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 877-8853	286	15	19.7	40.9%	14 (4.9%)	3 (1.0%)	67 (23.4%)	175 (61.2%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (8.4%)	78.2	1233^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	78.9%		68.7	1655^th of 5869 public elementary schools	71.8%	422	53.9	53.9	39.5	65.9	69.2	59.0	54.6	72.7	55.8	60.7	$28,010	$23,910	$4,100
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	$24,403	$22,000	$2,403
Susan B. Anthony Elementary	Public	K-5	575 Abbot Ave.	Daly City	94014	San Mateo County	Jefferson Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(650) 997-7880	407	17	24.6	51.8%	23 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	226 (55.5%)	136 (33.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	19 (4.7%)	53.5	2393^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	59.1%		56.4	2216^th of 5869 public elementary schools	62.2%	177	34.7	34.7	44.1	36.1	57.8	46.5	49.3	36.1	41.7	42.6	$25,378	$24,104	$1,274

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunshine Gardens Elementary

What schools do graduates of Sunshine Gardens Elementary attend?

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

Middle : Parkway Heights Middle

What is the racial makeup of Sunshine Gardens Elementary?

Students at Sunshine Gardens Elementary are 59% Hispanic, 22% Asian, 10% Two or more races, 4% White, 2% American Indian, 2% African American, 1% Pacific Islander.

What district is Sunshine Gardens Elementary in?

South San Francisco Unified

How many students attend Sunshine Gardens Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 329 students attended Sunshine Gardens Elementary.

Is Sunshine Gardens Elementary a good school?

Sunshine Gardens Elementary ranks 3311^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Sunshine Gardens 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.