Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in San Jose Unified

This page covers 27 elementary schools in San Jose Unified. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

27
Schools Ranked
California
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 27
1
rank
Rachel Carson Elementary
Grades KG–05180 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,600/student)
57
/100
Student:Teacher
15.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,600
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
43%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Graystone Elementary
Grades KG–05505 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,600/student)
53
/100
Student:Teacher
21.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
53/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,600
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
8%
Low economic need
3
rank
Simonds Elementary
Grades KG–05488 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,600/student)
53
/100
Student:Teacher
20.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
53/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,600
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
11%
Low economic need
4
rank
Reed Elementary
Grades KG–05348 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,600/student)
51
/100
Student:Teacher
24.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
58/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,600
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
21%
Low economic need
5
rank
Anne Darling Elementary
Grades KG–05295 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,600/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
18.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
54/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,600
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
74%
High economic need
6
rank
Los Alamitos Elementary
Grades KG–05602 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,600/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
23.6:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
53/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,600
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
13%
Low economic need
7
rank
Williams Elementary
Grades KG–05550 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,600/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
24.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
53/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,600
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
5%
Low economic need
8
rank
Schallenberger Elementary
Grades KG–05477 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,600/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
20.9:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,600
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
21%
Low economic need
9
rank
Terrell Elementary
Grades KG–05282 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,600/student)
50
/100
Student:Teacher
18.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,600
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
56%
Near nat'l 52.2%
10
rank
Allen at Steinbeck
Grades KG–05394 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($17,600/student)
49
/100
Student:Teacher
19.8:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
54/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$17,600
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
67%
Near nat'l 52.2%
17 more elementary schools in San Jose Unified not shown here.
View all schools in San Jose Unified
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
27
Elementary Schools
42
Total Schools
57
#1 Score
47
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Compare San Jose Unified with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.