Lilienthal (claire) Elementary, San Francisco CA

Original Research by School Decision on Lilienthal (claire) Elementary

Claire Lilienthal Elementary sits on Divisadero Street in San Francisco's northern residential corridor, a part of the city where single-family homes and views define the neighborhood feel. The school serves kindergarten through eighth grade within San Francisco Unified, making it one of the district's relatively rare K-8 schools, a structure that keeps students together across the years when they might otherwise transition to a middle school.

The academic picture is genuinely strong. Across the most recent state assessments, proficiency rates in both English language arts and math are well above what you would expect statewide, and the school sits in the top quartile among schools and districts compared within San Francisco County. What is striking is the arc across grade levels: in the younger elementary grades, math and ELA proficiency runs in the low-to-mid seventies, solid but not exceptional. By seventh and eighth grade, those numbers climb sharply into the low-to-mid nineties. Science scores at the tested grades follow a similar pattern, landing in the mid-seventies. Whether that upward curve reflects a school program that builds momentum, a particular cohort effect, or something else is worth asking the school directly. The trend data covers only the most recent school year, so there is no multi-year trajectory to read.

The student body is multiracial and economically mixed by San Francisco standards. Asian, white, and multiracial students together make up a clear majority, with Hispanic and Black students each representing a meaningful share of the school. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is considerably lower than SFUSD as a whole, placing Lilienthal among the district's lower-poverty schools. Data on English learners and students with IEPs was not available in what was provided, so families with specific support needs should ask the school directly about those services and caseloads.

No program listings were available in the data provided, so we cannot describe extracurricular offerings, language programs, arts, or electives from a sourced basis. Given that the school goes through eighth grade, families should ask how the school handles middle school academics, course differentiation, and the transition planning into high school.

The surrounding neighborhood shapes the practical picture for families considerably. San Francisco is among the most walkable large American cities, and the northern residential districts where the school sits are transit-accessible and pedestrian-oriented. The housing market, though, is among the most demanding in the country. Home values near the school are a very large multiple of state and national norms, and they have been rising on a year-over-year basis. Rents in the area are also well above the statewide median, and the rent-to-income ratio sits at a level that strains most household budgets. For families relocating specifically for this school, the housing context is a real variable.

San Francisco Unified's district brief search returned no confirmed parent-relevant changes or strategic priorities from publicly available sources before the research budget was exhausted, so we left that piece out rather than guess.

For a family weighing a K-8 experience with strong measured outcomes, a racially diverse peer environment, and an urban neighborhood setting in San Francisco, Claire Lilienthal presents a clear picture on the academic side. The gap in program detail and the IEP and English learner data are the places to probe directly with the school before drawing a full conclusion.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 52% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 474%

School 74% · District 49% · ▲ 25 pts above district

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

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 46% · ▲ 30 pts above district

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

Grade 682%

School 82% · District 43% · ▲ 39 pts above district

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 796%

School 96% · District 47% · ▲ 49 pts above district

▲ 65 pts above state median · ▲ 57 pts above county median

Grade 894%

School 94% · District 41% · ▲ 53 pts above district

▲ 66 pts above state median · ▲ 58 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 47% · ▲ 24 pts above district

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

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 51% · ▲ 24 pts above district

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

Grade 583%

School 83% · District 55% · ▲ 28 pts above district

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

Grade 683%

School 83% · District 53% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 797%

School 97% · District 56% · ▲ 42 pts above district

▲ 52 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Grade 894%

School 94% · District 52% · ▲ 41 pts above district

▲ 50 pts above state median · ▲ 46 pts above county median

Science

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 42% · ▲ 34 pts above district

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

Grade 875%

School 75% · District 39% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 49 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 54% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 33 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-income46%Higher-income77%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income59%Higher-income80%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income56%Higher-income91%34 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income53%Higher-income92%39 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income85%Higher-income100%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income31%Higher-income72%41 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income53%Higher-income81%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income85%41 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income53%Higher-income90%37 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income77%Higher-income100%23 pp gap