The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in Science. The lowest is 80% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Fox Elementary
Fox Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Belmont, a residential suburb on the San Francisco Peninsula. The school enrolls a modest-sized student body with broad diversity by race and ethnicity. The enrollment is drawn heavily from Asian families, with smaller populations of white, multiracial, Hispanic, and other backgrounds. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a generally higher-income student population that reflects the Belmont area's housing costs and economic profile.
The school's academic performance is solid across the subjects tested. In English language arts, proficiency rates across the tested grades (third through fifth) are strong, particularly in fifth grade where proficiency is notably high. Math proficiency is also consistently strong across those grades, with performance trending slightly higher than in ELA. In science, fifth-grade proficiency is strong as well. Overall, Fox Elementary's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among San Mateo County districts, reflecting above-median performance in a county with many high-performing elementary systems.
The school sits within the Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District, which serves both Belmont and Redwood Shores. The district recently approved Measure C, a parcel tax voters renewed in 2022, which provides a stable funding stream for core academic programs, reading specialists, counselors, libraries, small class sizes, and arts and music through the next several years. This locally controlled revenue source is embedded in the area's property taxes and is something homebuyers and renters in Belmont typically factor into their housing decision. The district is also in the middle of adopting new math curricula aligned with California's 2023 revised math framework, with piloting underway and a final adoption decision expected in the coming months. That curriculum change will shape how math is taught in the school going forward.
Belmont itself is a quiet, wooded residential community with significant topography. The town has a designated downtown district around the Caltrain station at El Camino Real and Ralston Avenue, anchored by Twin Pines Park, the Belmont Library, and modest dining and retail, though it lacks the concentrated evening and walkable street life of some neighboring Peninsula towns. Flatter neighborhoods near the downtown are more walkable, while the hillside areas where many residents live offer more privacy and views at the cost of less convenient pedestrian access. The city is directing new housing toward transit corridors and the downtown, with several affordable housing projects recently completed or planned along El Camino Real. Housing values in the 94002 zip code are high, consistent with the broader Peninsula market, and rents are substantial as well. The region's employment base centers on technology and nearby large employers in Redwood City and Silicon Valley.
State testing data for Fox Elementary was available only for the most recent school year, so longer trends cannot be drawn from the data provided. Special education and English learner enrollment figures were not reported separately, so those details are not available here. A parent considering the school would find a strong academic environment with above-county-median performance, a stable funding picture, and a community that is quieter and more car-dependent than some Peninsula locations but well-served by parks, library resources, and transit access.
See more original research from School Decision →