Katherine R. Smith Elementary

Katherine R. Smith Elementary is a cozy primary school in San Jose, California, operated by Evergreen Elementary. The school teaches 373 students in grades K through 6.

Across the 16 schools in Evergreen Elementary (8,464 students total), Katherine R. Smith Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Katherine R. Smith Elementary shows that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 61% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school shows 27% Asian, 5% multiracial, 4% Black. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 25%.

On the resource side, On paper, Katherine R. Smith Elementary has 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 20.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 22.3:1, putting Katherine R. Smith Elementary tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 74% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Santa Clara County runs at roughly 37%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Katherine R. Smith Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 36.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 21.9%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Santa Clara County put the typical household earns roughly $164,281 per year, roughly 57% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 4%. Across Santa Clara County's 412 public schools (combined enrollment of about 230,059 students), Katherine R. Smith Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is William C. Overfelt High, roughly 0.5 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Katherine R. Smith Elementary. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Katherine R. Smith Elementary at 3rd of 4; the average score across the group is 25.4%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 35%: 575 students in 2018 compared to 373 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment declined from 66% to 61% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 25.0:1 in 2018 to 20.7:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Katherine R. Smith Elementary community share and discuss science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.