Central Elementary, Belmont CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Central Elementary

Central Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Belmont, a residential suburb on the San Francisco Peninsula about a short drive south of San Francisco. The school enrolls a small to mid-sized cohort of students, with relatively balanced enrollment across grades. The population includes a substantial Asian-heritage plurality, a meaningful share of multiracial students, and smaller populations of white and Hispanic families. Very few students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker reflecting the wider affluence of the surrounding area.

On state assessments, Central Elementary shows strong academic performance. Math proficiency across tested grades sits substantially above the midpoint, with third grade showing particularly high results. English language arts proficiency is also solid and above the midpoint among San Mateo County districts. Fifth-grade science proficiency is somewhat lower than the school's results in literacy and numeracy, though the data reflect only one grade level. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile when compared to other districts in San Mateo County.

The school sits within the Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District, which maintains stable local funding through a renewed parcel tax approved by voters and expiring in roughly a decade. That revenue supports classroom teachers, reading specialists, counselors, libraries, small class sizes, and arts instruction. The district is currently undertaking a math curriculum shift to align with California's revised 2023 math framework, with new materials piloted in early 2026 and a final adoption decision targeted for spring. That overhaul will shape math instruction for the school's students over the coming years, as textbook adoptions typically remain in place for many years.

Belmont itself is a quiet, wooded residential community with a Caltrain commuter rail station anchoring a planned downtown mixed-use development around El Camino Real and Ralston Avenue. Civic life centers on Twin Pines Park, which houses City Hall, the library, and community facilities. The wider San Francisco Peninsula location and proximity to Silicon Valley employers define the economic backdrop. Housing values in the area are very high, reflecting the region's overall market; rents are also substantial. Belmont offers more of a tucked-away, wooded residential feel than the more walkable downtown character of neighboring San Carlos, though the flat neighborhoods around the station and downtown corridor provide easier pedestrian access to schools, services, and transit than the hillside neighborhoods, which read as more private and scenic than walkable.

Data on English learner enrollment and students receiving special education services were not available for the school. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the availability of English learner support, special education services, and their track record with students who need those supports. The school building and its programs appear well-positioned for families seeking a small elementary in a leafy, affluent Peninsula community with strong baseline math and literacy results.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 393%

School 93% · District 81% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 50 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 489%

School 89% · District 77% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 52 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 589%

School 89% · District 80% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 59 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 393%

School 93% · District 77% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 53 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 489%

School 89% · District 73% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 584%

School 84% · District 81% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Science

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 72% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 48 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

This schoolBelmont-Redwood Shores Elementary, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.