Enrollment
214
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · San Jose, CA
Empire Gardens Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Empire Gardens Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063459005711
👥 S:T ratio 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Empire Gardens Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median.
- #95 of 154
- elementary schools in San Jose · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.5:1
- students per teacher
- 60.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Empire Gardens Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Empire Gardens Elementary ranks #95 of 154 elementary schools in San Jose, CA.
School address
District: San Jose Unified · California
NCES ID 063459005711 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.8%
vs 55.5% California avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Empire Gardens Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Empire Gardens Elementary
Empire Gardens Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in San Jose, California, enrolling 214 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.8% lands close to the California typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 214 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 588 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #385.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 214 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among San Jose's elementary schools, it stands alongside Easterbrook Discovery (952 students): Empire Gardens Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.5:1 vs 22.1:1).
San Jose Unified also operates Abraham Lincoln High (1,590 students) and Willow Glen High (1,543 students) alongside Empire Gardens Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Empire Gardens Elementary compares
Empire Gardens Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.5:1 | ▼ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.8% | ▲ 10% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 214 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.5:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
214
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 31% in California - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
59.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,122
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 214 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 86.0%
Asian 6.1%
White 4.7%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 86.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.4, Empire Gardens Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for San Jose Unified, which includes Empire Gardens Elementary.
$16,122
Per student
-2%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 67.7%
State 23.6%
Federal 8.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Empire Gardens Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Willow Glen High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Leland High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pioneer High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Willow Glen Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Empire Gardens Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,590
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,543
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,471
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,393
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,180
- Students per teacher
- 25.1:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
Similar elementary schools in San Jose
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Easterbrook Discovery
Standard public school
952 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Merritt Trace Elementary
Standard public school
829 students 23:1 students per teacher
Orchard Elementary
Standard public school
740 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Tom Matsumoto Elementary
Standard public school
727 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Herman (Leonard) Intermediate
Standard public school
723 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Booksin Elementary
Standard public school
715 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~214 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Empire Gardens Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Empire Gardens Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- San Jose Unified's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Empire Gardens Elementary
How many students attend Empire Gardens Elementary?
Empire Gardens Elementary has 214 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in San Jose, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Empire Gardens Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Empire Gardens Elementary is 19.5:1, which is 9% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Empire Gardens Elementary?
60.8% of students at Empire Gardens Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Empire Gardens Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Empire Gardens Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 86.0% of enrollment, in San Jose, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Empire Gardens Elementary?
Empire Gardens Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Empire Gardens Elementary rank among elementary schools in San Jose?
By Resource Investment Index, Empire Gardens Elementary ranks #95 of 154 elementary schools in San Jose, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in San Jose on the city page.
Is Empire Gardens Elementary a good school?
Empire Gardens Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in San Jose Unified?
Besides Empire Gardens Elementary, San Jose Unified also operates Abraham Lincoln High (1,590 students), Willow Glen High (1,543 students), and Leland High (1,471 students). See the San Jose Unified district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.