Emerson Elementary

As a tight-knit elementary school in Berkeley, California, Emerson Elementary caters to 283 students from grades K through 5, run under Berkeley Unified. That puts it 39% leaner than the typical public school in California, which averages around 465 students.

Within Berkeley Unified, which oversees 17 schools and 9,116 students, Emerson Elementary is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Emerson Elementary logs that the largest single group is White at 45%, but no single group is in the majority. Beyond that, the school reports 17% Black, 15% multiracial, 15% Hispanic, 7% Asian. By comparison, Alameda County as a whole is about 30% White, so the school skews meaningfully more White than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school reports having 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 21.8:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 30% of students at Emerson Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is lower than Alameda County's rate of about 49%.

After controlling for student poverty, Emerson Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 61.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 73.5%.

Around the school, Alameda County reports that the typical household earns roughly $129,367 per year, 52% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across Alameda County's 394 public schools (combined enrollment of about 210,511 students), Emerson Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: John Muir Elementary, around 0.4 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Emerson Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Emerson Elementary at 2nd of 7; the average score across the group is 67.4%.

The school occupies an urban site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Emerson Elementary has decreased 12%, going from 320 students in 2018 to 283 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 19.4:1 in 2018 to 21.8:1 today.

On this page, members of the Emerson Elementary community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.