The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion
Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion, located in Atherton, is a dual-immersion elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade within the Redwood City Elementary district. The school sits in one of the nation's most expensive and exclusive residential enclaves, where most students come from families with substantial economic resources yet the campus itself reflects the diversity of the broader Bay Area through its enrollment composition.
The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller share of white students and a very small Asian and multiracial population. A substantial majority of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that initially appears to diverge sharply from Atherton's affluent housing market. This composition reflects the school's draw from a wider service area and the district's commitment to economically mixed enrollment, rather than capturing only the wealthiest families in the town itself.
Academically, Adelante Selby's state assessment results show proficiency rates in the lower half compared to other districts in San Mateo County. In mathematics, overall proficiency across tested grades sits noticeably below the county median, with results declining as students move into the upper elementary grades. English language arts proficiency is also below the county midpoint, though performance in fifth grade shows somewhat stronger results than in the grades below. Science proficiency in fifth grade, the only grade tested, is similarly below the county median. Only one year of standardized data is available, so trends cannot yet be assessed.
The school's dual-immersion approach means the academic program itself differs fundamentally from a traditional English-only elementary school. Students receive substantial instruction in Spanish alongside English across the day. This design carries both a specific pedagogical commitment and an inherent complexity: students are expected to develop literacy and content knowledge in two languages simultaneously during the elementary years, a model that requires time and is often measured differently than single-language instruction. Parents considering this school should recognize that the immersion framework is the organizing principle of the program; academic outcomes reflect this bilingual learning pathway, not a failure of traditional instruction.
The Redwood City Elementary district, which operates this school, is navigating real budget constraints. A parcel tax placed before voters in the spring of 2026 failed to secure the required majority, leaving the district without new local revenue to address structural gaps. The district has responded by consolidating combined-grade classes, reducing teaching positions, and, starting in the 2025-26 school year, moving to single-administrator elementary campuses with only the principal as the sole administrator. These staffing moves are direct consequences of expiring COVID-19 relief funding and affect class sizes and the availability of administrative support. On the positive side, voters approved a facilities bond in 2022 that is funding multi-year upgrades including air conditioning, LED lighting, and solar improvements across district campuses, work that supports long-term facility quality.
Atherton itself is almost entirely residential, with no commercial or industrial zoning, built as a low-density enclave of large estates on heavily wooded acreage. It is one of the most expensive communities in the country. The town has no commercial downtown of its own; residents handle shopping and dining in neighboring Menlo Park, Redwood City, and Palo Alto. The town is essentially built out with little vacant land, and it is currently accommodating significant new housing development as part of a state-mandated housing element adopted in late 2024, including multifamily zoning overlays on formerly single-family sites and an aggressive accessory dwelling unit program. This growth is contested and represents a shift for a community historically defined by very low density and privacy.
A parent considering Adelante Selby should weigh the school's commitment to Spanish immersion as the core academic pathway, its current proficiency levels relative to county peers, and the district's active budget management, which includes larger class configurations and reduced administrative staffing at the elementary level.
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