Garden Village Elementary

Garden Village Elementary, a small elementary school in Colma, California, part of Jefferson Elementary, educates 288 students, covering grades K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 465 students per school, that is 38% leaner than typical.

Within Jefferson Elementary, which oversees 20 schools and 8,072 students, Garden Village Elementary is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Garden Village Elementary shows that 47% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 34% Asian, 12% White, 6% multiracial. By comparison, San Mateo County as a whole is about 25% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school employs 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 24.0:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 22.3:1 average. An estimated 60% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against San Mateo County (around 34%), the school's rate is north of typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Garden Village Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 43.7%; this one delivers 37.7%.

In the surrounding community, San Mateo County reports that the typical household earns roughly $158,855 per year, 54% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 4%. In all, San Mateo County runs 176 public schools (combined enrollment of about 82,403 students), of which Garden Village Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Benjamin Franklin Intermediate, roughly 0.3 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Garden Village Elementary ranks 4th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 41.1%.

Garden Village Elementary operates from a residential location.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Garden Village Elementary has decreased 6%, going from 305 students in 2018 to 288 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 34% to 47% across the same window.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.