Franklin Delano Roosevelt Elementary, Daly City CA

Original Research by School Decision on Franklin Delano Roosevelt Elementary

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Elementary serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Daly City, a densely populated residential community in San Mateo County. The school sits at the western edge of the Bay Area, where many residents commute into San Francisco for work and fog frequently rolls in from the coast. Like much of Daly City, the school draws from a mixed neighborhood economy anchored by healthcare and retail, with the region's housing market tight and expensive.

The school enrolls a modest student population for a K-8, distributed across nine grades. The enrollment is relatively stable and evenly distributed across grades, with slightly more students in seventh grade. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of moderate economic need. The student body is diverse: roughly half identify as Asian, a substantial share as Hispanic, smaller portions as white or multiracial, and very small numbers of Black students and students identifying as Pacific Islander or Native American.

Academic performance at FDR presents a clear challenge. In English language arts, the school's proficiency rate across all tested grades falls below the midpoint among San Mateo County districts. Students in the earlier grades (third and fifth) perform somewhat better, hovering just above the midpoint, but proficiency declines noticeably in the upper elementary and middle grades. In math, the picture is starker. Third graders show below-average proficiency, and performance drops significantly as students advance through grades four, five, and six. By seventh and eighth grade, math proficiency becomes substantially low. Science proficiency data available for fifth and eighth grades shows similar underperformance. The overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places FDR in the bottom quartile relative to its county peers. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what intervention strategies are in place and what support systems exist for students who need additional help.

The district has made visible moves to strengthen the teaching force and protect core academics. Voters approved two recent ballot measures: a facilities bond in 2022 to invest in school buildings, and in 2024 a recurring parcel tax to fund academic programs, reading intervention teachers, and library services. The district also opened a workforce housing complex in 2024 to help recruit and retain teachers at below-market rates, which signals an effort to build classroom stability. These are tangible signs of community and institutional commitment to the schools, though they represent ongoing property tax costs that come with living in the district.

FDR is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation. The data does not include metrics on chronic absenteeism, classroom discipline, or staffing ratios. Kindergarten enrollment data is present, so the school serves young learners, though state testing only begins in grade three. The school's website address was not available in the records, so prospective families would need to contact the district or search independently for detailed program information, course offerings, or school-specific initiatives.

Daly City itself is a largely built-out community with diverse neighborhood textures: from the more urban and walkable Original Daly City near the San Francisco border to the mid-century suburban tracts of Westlake, with hills and fog throughout. Infill development is beginning along commercial corridors and at shopping centers, including new mixed-use housing projects, though the market remains expensive. Public transit via BART and bus service connects residents to broader Bay Area employment. For a family considering FDR, the school offers proximity to a transit hub and a diverse peer environment, though the academic performance data underscores that families would be choosing this location for reasons other than testing outcomes and would want to engage closely with the school on how to support their child's learning needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 50% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 48% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 39% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 31% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 711%

School 11% · District 35% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 29% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 43% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 49% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 54% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 635%

School 35% · District 41% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 726%

School 26% · District 45% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 46% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Science

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 33% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 25% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

This schoolJefferson 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income47%Higher-income65%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income18%Higher-income60%42 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income29%6 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income0%Higher-income63%63 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income60%Higher-income65%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income9%Higher-income55%46 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income8%Higher-income14%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income0%Higher-income29%29 pp gap