The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Roosevelt Elementary
Roosevelt Elementary sits on Vera Avenue in Redwood City, a city on the San Francisco Peninsula that blends a dense, walkable downtown with quieter residential neighborhoods like Emerald Hills and Mt. Carmel. The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade, which is a broader span than a typical elementary school, though enrollment data show no students in grades six and seven, so in practice the school appears to function as a K–5 and grade-eight configuration. A parent would want to ask the school directly about that grade structure and what it means for middle school pathways.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with white students making up most of the remainder and smaller shares of Asian, Pacific Islander, and multiracial students. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing Roosevelt among schools serving a high-need population. English learner counts and special education rates were not available in the data provided.
On California's CAASPP assessments, proficiency rates across grades three through five fall well below the state midpoint in both English language arts and math. Science results at fifth grade tell a similar story. When placed against districts in San Mateo County, the school's overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile of that comparison set. These results reflect real academic gaps, and a parent would be reasonable to ask school staff about what targeted supports, interventions, and instructional approaches are in place for students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards. Trend data covers only a single year, so there is no trajectory to assess yet.
The broader district picture matters here. Redwood City Elementary has faced persistent budget pressure as federal COVID-relief funds have expired. Publicly reported coverage describes layoffs of teachers, counselors, and mental health staff, an increase in combined multi-grade classes, and a shift to leaving only the principal as the sole administrator at elementary campuses. A parcel tax that would have generated ongoing revenue to address staffing and class sizes failed at the June 2026 election, falling short of the required supermajority. That failure leaves the budget gap unresolved by new local revenue, which has direct bearing on class sizes, program breadth, and support staff availability at every campus in the district including Roosevelt. On a more constructive note, voters did pass a facilities bond in 2022, and that funding is actively supporting multi-year capital work including air conditioning, lighting, and infrastructure upgrades across district campuses.
The housing market surrounding the school is among the most expensive in California, sitting dramatically above the state benchmark and well above national norms. Rents in the zip code consume a substantial share of income by any standard measure, and the estimated monthly cost of ownership is far beyond what a median national household income would support. Redwood City is actively adding housing stock, with multiple projects in the pipeline near downtown, including an affordable modular development on Vera Avenue itself that broke ground in 2025. That growth may gradually affect neighborhood composition over time.
The city itself offers genuine amenities: a walkable downtown anchored by Courthouse Square, a Caltrain station with frequent Peninsula service, a public library steps from City Hall, bayfront trails near Bair Island, and a civic events calendar. The tech sector dominates the local economy, with Oracle's ongoing contraction in Redwood Shores worth noting alongside the continued presence of Electronic Arts, Nintendo, Equinix, and others.
Programs data were not available for Roosevelt specifically, so it is not possible to characterize extracurriculars, arts offerings, or enrichment programming from the data provided. A graduation rate does not apply here given the grade band served. Chronic absenteeism data were also absent from the available records.
Roosevelt serves a community with real economic need in one of the costliest housing markets in the country, and it is doing so inside a district navigating serious budget constraints. The academic outcomes are low relative to county peers, and the structural pressures on staffing are not resolved. That is the honest picture, and a parent considering this school should go in with specific questions about what classroom support looks like day to day.
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