Summary:
ZIP code 94080 has six K–5 elementary schools in South San Francisco Unified, enrolling 2,330 students altogether. In 2025–2026, the schools’ average proficiency was 37% in ELA, 34% in math, and 29% in science, compared with state averages of 49%, 38%, and 36%. The clearest overall finding is that only two schools were above the state average in all three subjects.
Buri Buri Elementary led the area, with 66% proficient in ELA, 66% in math, and 54% in science—about 16, 28, and 18 percentage points above the state, respectively. Ponderosa Elementary was also above the state in all three subjects, at 51% in ELA, 51% in math, and 52% in science. At the bottom, Los Cerritos Elementary had 20% proficiency in ELA, 17% in math, and 11% in science; those results were about 20, 20, and 22 points below the other five schools’ averages. The wide gaps show why the ZIP-code averages do not tell the whole story.
Science improved most across the group: its average rose about 6 percentage points from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, while ELA and math averages were essentially unchanged; five schools improved in science, with Spruce Elementary the exception. SchoolDigger gives Buri Buri and Ponderosa four stars, Sunshine Gardens Elementary two, Spruce one, and Martin Elementary and Los Cerritos zero. The reported free/reduced lunch eligible shares for 2024–2025 were 28% at Buri Buri and 35% at Ponderosa, compared with 70% at Martin and 62% at Los Cerritos; these figures are context, not an explanation for school results. Ratios also do not neatly predict scores: Buri Buri and Ponderosa each had a 22.4 student-teacher ratio, while Sunshine Gardens had a lower 19.3 ratio but remained below the state in all three subjects.
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