Is Costano Elementary a good school?

Costano Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.8% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Costano Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 318 students attended Costano Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Costano Elementary?

Students at Costano Elementary are 71% Hispanic, 16% Pacific Islander, 7% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Costano Elementary attend?

Students who attend Costano Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Menlo-Atherton High

Costano Elementary

Summary:

Costano Elementary is a public elementary school located in East Palo Alto, California, serving 348 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Ravenswood City Elementary School District, which is ranked 1562 out of 1568 districts in California and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Costano Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 1-2% of California elementary schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. This is significantly lower than the nearby schools in the Menlo Park City Elementary and Palo Alto Unified School Districts, which are ranked in the top 2-5% of California elementary schools and have 5-star ratings. Costano Elementary's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are significantly lower than the state and district averages, often less than half the state average. For example, in 2023-2024, only 6.52% of Costano students were proficient in ELA, compared to 47.04% statewide. In Math, only 8.28% were proficient, compared to 35.54% statewide.

Costano Elementary has experienced a sharp increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 18.8% in 2018-2019 to 54.2% in 2022-2023. This is significantly higher than the nearby schools, which range from 8.9% to 29.8% chronic absenteeism. Additionally, Costano Elementary has a very high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 81.61% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023, much higher than the nearby schools, which range from 6.7% to 17.52% free/reduced lunch recipients.

Detail:

Public K-5

2695 Fordham St.
East Palo Alto, CA 94303-1207

(650) 329-2830

District: Ravenswood City Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5813^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,510

Students who attend Costano Elementary usually attend:

High:

Menlo-Atherton High

Student/teacher ratio: 17.6

Number of students: 318

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.4%

Pacific Islander:

16.0%

African American:

6.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 84.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Costano Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Costano Elementary ranks worse than 99.2% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks first among 3 ranked elementary schools in the Ravenswood City Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 6.71. (See more...)

Compare Details Costano Elementary is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2019 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.77. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (71.4%), Pacific Islander (16%), African American (6.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 84.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Ravenswood City Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Costano Elementary is 17.6, which is the lowest among 3 elementary schools in the Ravenswood City Elementary School District! (See more...)

Compare Costano Elementary employs 18 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Costano Elementary is $8,510, which is the lowest among 3 elementary schools in the Ravenswood City Elementary School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Costano Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Costano Elementary 5813^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Costano Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Homeless students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Ravenswood City Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Ravenswood City Elementary 1562^nd of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Costano Elementary

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Rank History for all elementary school students at Costano Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	15.97	4272^nd	4809	11.2%
2005	13.58	4425^th	4822	8.2%
2006	11.49	4560^th	4818	5.4%
2007	7.47	5030^th	5113	1.6%
2008	5.71	5074^th	5113	0.8%
2009	5.06	5154^th	5193	0.8%
2010	8.70	5202^nd	5314	2.1%
2011	26.16	4249^th	5377	21.0%
2012	36.71	3481^st	5390	35.4%
2013	34.75	3692^nd	5530	33.2%
2015	8.92	5533^rd	5611	1.4%
2016	6.47	5571^st	5614	0.8%
2017	6.51	5637^th	5692	1.0%
2018	13.26	5236^th	5662	7.5%
2019	11.94	5456^th	5789	5.8%
2022	7.55	5831^st	5883	0.9%
2023	7.50	5811^th	5874	1.1%
2024	6.71	5813^th	5862	0.8%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Costano Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.99	2130^th	3246	34.4%
2019	24.74	2885^th	3275	11.9%
2022	25.51	2911^th	3311	12.1%
2023	26.06	2811^th	3250	13.5%
2024	28.88	2619^th	3160	17.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Costano Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.60	4679^th	5084	8.0%
2019	15.36	4818^th	5173	6.9%
2022	7.78	5228^th	5264	0.7%
2023	9.05	5303^rd	5374	1.3%
2024	8.98	5429^th	5511	1.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Homeless students at Costano Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	13.97	350^th	356	1.7%
2023	15.74	322^nd	336	4.2%
2024	15.51	346^th	364	4.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Costano Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.64	5205^th	5413	3.8%
2019	18.20	4783^rd	5492	12.9%
2022	9.57	5553^rd	5635	1.5%
2023	9.40	5524^th	5617	1.7%
2024	6.55	5579^th	5605	0.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Disabled students at Costano Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	21.22	1967^th	2227	11.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Costano Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	18.75	4681^st	5431	13.8%
2019	9.57	5366^th	5510	2.6%
2022	6.80	5642^nd	5663	0.4%
2023	6.97	5629^th	5650	0.4%
2024	8.25	5567^th	5636	1.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Costano Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.17	4453^rd	4830	7.8%
2019	11.21	4823^rd	4963	2.8%
2022	7.73	5061^st	5084	0.5%
2023	7.48	5074^th	5098	0.5%
2024	7.27	5070^th	5102	0.6%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for elementary school Pacific Islander students at Costano Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2019	41.54	1^st	2	50.0%
2022	30.06	2^nd	3	33.3%
2023	2.38	2^nd	2	0.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Pacific Islander Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Costano Elementary

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	9.27	1688^th	1769	4.6%
2005	8.86	1694^th	1777	4.7%
2006	10.12	1681^st	1804	6.8%
2007	14.31	1795^th	1999	10.2%
2008	15.54	1785^th	2005	11.0%
2009	26.48	1564^th	2063	24.2%
2010	33.46	1487^th	2179	31.8%
2011	38.87	1391^st	2236	37.8%
2012	27.82	1708^th	2259	24.4%
2013	32.42	1632^nd	2379	31.4%
2015	26.82	1759^th	2477	29.0%
2016	16.80	2148^th	2497	14.0%
2017	12.68	2300^th	2508	8.3%
2018	14.49	2192^nd	2480	11.6%
2019	18.77	2238^th	2715	17.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Costano Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	1	193	61	137	4	n/a	n/a	0	396
1989	6	183	78	134	4	n/a	n/a	0	405
1990	1	147	108	227	0	n/a	n/a	0	483
1991	6	167	103	274	0	n/a	n/a	0	550
1992	2	149	110	219	0	n/a	n/a	0	480
1993	3	147	89	244	0	n/a	n/a	0	483
1994	8	158	111	236	0	n/a	n/a	0	513
1995	2	183	105	251	2	n/a	n/a	0	543
1996	2	183	105	251	2	n/a	n/a	0	543
1997	5	186	130	272	1	n/a	n/a	0	594
1998	9	173	106	254	0	n/a	n/a	0	542
1999	2	156	123	270	0	n/a	n/a	2	553
2000	2	154	117	277	0	n/a	n/a	3	553
2001	6	151	113	274	0	n/a	n/a	3	547
2002	3	137	123	252	0	n/a	n/a	9	524
2003	3	137	123	252	0	n/a	n/a	9	524
2004	1	143	129	245	0	n/a	n/a	6	524
2005	0	106	114	248	0	n/a	n/a	0	468
2006	2	78	114	262	1	n/a	n/a	6	463
2007	3	61	82	221	0	n/a	n/a	4	371
2008	1	59	63	245	1	n/a	n/a	0	369
2009	0	65	4	220	2	46	2	0	339
2010	1	11	0	245	2	5	112	0	376
2011	0	75	2	339	3	81	4	0	504
2012	2	90	3	377	2	106	7	0	587
2013	3	82	3	397	1	99	5	0	590
2014	5	77	4	404	3	91	7	0	591
2015	4	76	4	386	3	80	11	0	564
2016	4	64	4	379	0	96	11	0	558
2017	6	45	6	347	3	98	4	0	509
2018	8	33	5	290	1	84	4	0	425
2019	9	28	3	241	1	71	5	0	358
2020	7	23	3	175	1	48	4	0	261
2021	8	30	5	353	0	70	9	0	475
2022	6	27	4	298	0	59	6	0	400
2023	8	32	3	237	0	60	8	0	348
2024	7	22	0	227	1	51	10	0	318

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Costano Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	396	15.0	26.4	n/a
1989	405	19.0	21.3	n/a
1990	483	19.0	25.4	n/a
1991	550	19.0	28.9	n/a
1992	480	19.3	24.8	85
1993	483	20.9	23.1	73.7
1994	513	24.0	21.4	86.4
1995	543	25.0	21.7	76.1
1996	543	25.0	21.7	76.1
1997	594	24.5	24.2	86.9
1998	542	29.9	18.1	84.5
1999	553	30.0	18.4	81.5
2000	553	30.0	18.4	81.3
2001	547	28.0	19.5	70.2
2002	524	30.0	17.5	86
2003	524	30.0	17.5	86
2004	524	26.6	19.7	87.5
2005	468	23.0	20.3	86.8
2006	463	22.0	21.0	88.6
2007	371	20.0	18.6	100.3
2008	369	22.0	16.8	82.4
2009	339	18.0	15.4	78.5
2010	376	25.4	14.8	92.6
2011	504	n/a	n/a	92.7
2012	587	33.5	17.5	99.5
2013	590	30.6	19.2	92.9
2014	591	25.5	23.1	91.9
2015	564	25.0	22.5	91.5
2016	558	25.0	22.3	91
2017	509	24.0	21.2	89.6
2018	425	22.0	19.3	91.1
2019	358	16.0	22.3	93
2020	261	n/a	n/a	90
2021	475	24.0	19.7	90.3
2022	400	23.3	17.1	75
2023	348	18.9	18.3	81.6
2024	318	18.0	17.6	84.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Costano Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	396	15.0	26.4	n/a
1989	405	19.0	21.3	n/a
1990	483	19.0	25.4	n/a
1991	550	19.0	28.9	n/a
1992	480	19.3	24.8	85
1993	483	20.9	23.1	73.7
1994	513	24.0	21.4	86.4
1995	543	25.0	21.7	76.1
1996	543	25.0	21.7	76.1
1997	594	24.5	24.2	86.9
1998	542	29.9	18.1	84.5
1999	553	30.0	18.4	81.5
2000	553	30.0	18.4	81.3
2001	547	28.0	19.5	70.2
2002	524	30.0	17.5	86
2003	524	30.0	17.5	86
2004	524	26.6	19.7	87.5
2005	468	23.0	20.3	86.8
2006	463	22.0	21.0	88.6
2007	371	20.0	18.6	100.3
2008	369	22.0	16.8	82.4
2009	339	18.0	15.4	78.5
2010	376	25.4	14.8	92.6
2011	504	n/a	n/a	92.7
2012	587	33.5	17.5	99.5
2013	590	30.6	19.2	92.9
2014	591	25.5	23.1	91.9
2015	564	25.0	22.5	91.5
2016	558	25.0	22.3	91
2017	509	24.0	21.2	89.6
2018	425	22.0	19.3	91.1
2019	358	16.0	22.3	93
2020	261	n/a	n/a	90
2021	475	24.0	19.7	90.3
2022	400	23.3	17.1	75
2023	348	18.9	18.3	81.6
2024	318	18.0	17.6	84.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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