Garfield Elementary, Menlo Park CA

Original Research by School Decision on Garfield Elementary

Garfield Elementary serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Menlo Park, a Silicon Valley residential and technology hub on the Peninsula. The school sits in one of California's highest-cost housing markets, in a city shaped by Meta's presence, venture capital, and established neighborhoods that mix secluded tree-lined streets with a walkable downtown core.

The school's student population is small to mid-sized for its grade range. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with very small Asian, white, and multiracial cohorts. English learner data and special education enrollment counts were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about support services and staffing in those areas.

State assessment results from the most recent testing cycle show performance well below proficiency across all tested subjects and grades. In math, proficiency ranged from low single digits across grades three through five. English language arts was slightly stronger, with a single grade five cohort reaching the upper thirties percentagewise, but grades three and four showed proficiency in the single digits. Fifth grade science proficiency was in the low double digits. Relative to all districts in San Mateo County, Garfield's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. A parent should understand clearly that the school is currently contending with substantial academic challenges and may want to discuss with staff what interventions, tutoring, or additional support the school is providing to address these gaps.

The school is part of Redwood City Elementary district, which covers multiple communities and has faced persistent budget pressures. Voters rejected a parcel tax measure in June 2026 that would have raised new local revenue, leaving a structural shortfall from expiring one-time federal pandemic relief. This has resulted in staffing reductions and an increase in combined multi-grade classes district-wide. As of the current school year, elementary schools in the district operate with a principal as the sole administrator, a substantial change from prior structure. The district did approve a facilities bond in 2022 that is funding modernization work, including air conditioning, LED lighting, and solar improvements across schools, an investment that will unfold over several years.

Menlo Park itself is an affluent community with high housing costs and a strong tech-employment base. A family considering Garfield needs to weigh the current academic performance and the district's budget-driven staffing constraints alongside the school's location in a stable, resourced community and its access to district capital improvements underway. The school's peer group consists almost entirely of economically disadvantaged students, a reality parents should understand when evaluating fit and what academic and social supports matter most to their family.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 39%

School 9% · District 52% · ▼ 44 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 50 pts below county median

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 43% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 50 pts below county median

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 37% · ▼ 30 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 34%

School 4% · District 47% · ▼ 43 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 49 pts below county median

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 46% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Grade 539%

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

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Science

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 36% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 47% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

This schoolRedwood City 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.