Clarendon Alternative Elementary, San Francisco CA

Original Research by School Decision on Clarendon Alternative Elementary

Clarendon Alternative Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in San Francisco's southern neighborhoods, in an area with single-family and multi-unit residential character mixed with growing development. The school enrolls a small population of roughly that size for its grade band, with a diverse racial and ethnic composition across Asian, white, multi-racial, and Hispanic students, and about a quarter of the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school's academic profile shows solid performance on state assessments in both English language arts and math. Across grades three through five, proficiency in ELA hovers in the low-to-mid range, with fourth grade performing above the trend. Math proficiency is similar in shape, with fourth grade performing strongest and fifth grade showing a dip. Science proficiency, measured only in fifth grade, sits in the mid-range. Compared to other districts in San Francisco County, Clarendon's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among the county's schools, a meaningful distinction in a county where academic performance spreads widely.

The school is a regular public elementary school within the San Francisco Unified School District, meaning it does not operate under a charter, magnet, or specialized focus model. Data on staffing, discipline, special education enrollment, English learner enrollment, and attendance were not available, so a reader interested in understanding class sizes, behavioral environment, or special services would want to ask the school directly. The school website URL was not in the provided materials, so you may want to search for it on the district site to learn about specific programs, teaching approaches, or how the "alternative" designation shapes daily practice.

The neighborhood sits in a part of San Francisco where housing values have climbed substantially and rents have risen sharply, placing it in one of the city's high-cost areas. The surrounding area combines residential streets with access to transit and open space. San Francisco's extensive Muni and BART network serves the city broadly, and the Civic Center area with its cultural institutions and municipal offices lies within the city's urban core. The city is pursuing significant housing development goals, with growth especially targeted to southern and western neighborhoods, which include the Clarendon area.

State testing data provides only one year of results, so trend analysis is not yet possible. A parent may want to ask the school about student growth, how it supports students who enter below proficiency, and what instructional approaches it uses to work toward broader mastery, particularly in math at the fifth-grade level where proficiency dips.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 52% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 49% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 46% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 47% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 51% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 55% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Science

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 42% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

This schoolSan Francisco Unified, 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-income25%Higher-income81%56 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income74%Higher-income78%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income84%41 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income38%Higher-income79%41 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income63%Higher-income78%15 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income79%60 pp gap