San Mateo-Foster City runs schools through 8th grade. Its 18 public elementary schools run from the 2nd to the 99th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). High school is a separate district, San Mateo Union High.
K5Elementary
68Middle
912High
San Mateo-Foster City · grades K–8
San Mateo Union High · grades 9–12
Elementary · 18 schools
from 2nd to 99th · among 5,726 California elementary schools we score · spring 2026 tests
College Park Elementary: 99th percentile, Strong
Beach Park Elementary: 91st percentile, Strong
Foster City Elementary: 90th percentile, Strong
George Hall Elementary: 89th percentile, Strong
Brewer Island Elementary: 87th percentile, Strong
Audubon Elementary: 85th percentile, Strong
North Shoreview Montessori: 84th percentile, Strong
Baywood Elementary: 79th percentile, Strong
Parkside Montessori: 73rd percentile, Solid
Meadow Heights Elementary: 71st percentile, Solid
Highlands Elementary: 58th percentile, Solid
Bayside Academy: 51st percentile, Solid
Beresford Elementary: 48th percentile, Developing
Fiesta Gardens International Elementary: 33rd percentile, Developing
Laurel Elementary: 18th percentile, Needs Support
Sunnybrae Elementary: 12th percentile, Needs Support
LEAD Elementary: 3rd percentile, Needs Support
San Mateo Park Elementary: 2nd percentile, Needs Support
4Needs Support
2Developing
4Solid
8Strong
Middle · 6 schools
from 47th to 96th · among 2,529 California middle schools we score · spring 2026 tests
North Shoreview Montessori: 96th percentile, Strong
Parkside Montessori: 95th percentile, Strong
Bowditch Middle: 95th percentile, Strong
Bayside Academy: 71st percentile, Solid
Borel Middle: 69th percentile, Solid
Abbott Middle: 47th percentile, Developing
0Needs Support
1Developing
2Solid
3Strong
← lower percentilehigher →
One dot per school. Each stage is placed only among California schools at its own level. 3 of the 21 ranked schools teach two levels, so they appear in more than one picture.
The record sends San Mateo-Foster City addresses to these three high schools. Some addresses fall in more than one zone. Boundaries come from the district’s published 2026 attendance boundaries; districts redraw them, and they are approximate at the edges.
The average elementary school in San Mateo-Foster City had 15 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once.
Middle schools
Which middle schools in San Mateo-Foster City score highest?
North Shoreview Montessori is highest, at the 96th percentile.
That’s higher than 96 in 100 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests).
Highest in San Mateo-Foster City
Each percentile compares a school with California schools at its own level. What patterns mean
The average middle school in San Mateo-Foster City had 13 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100.
The district
Where does San Mateo-Foster City’s money go, and what does it plan?
San Mateo-Foster City spent $22,745 per student in the 2024–25 school year.
The typical California district spent $20,491. About 63 cents of every San Mateo-Foster City dollar went to classroom instruction.
Spending by function
Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from the district’s annual financial report (SACS) to the California Department of Education. District-wide: it includes central administration and costs never assigned to one campus.
Share by function, 2024–25
Instruction63%
Instruction support12%
Student services9%
Administration8%
Buildings & maintenance8%
Shares of the same spending total, by the report’s spending categories, rounded so they add up to 100. Names are simplified from the report’s own categories.
What the district plans
$26.3 million
planned in its 2026–27 plan for 41 funded actions in 3 goals. That’s 12% of its $222.1 million general fund budget. These are planned amounts; the district reports what it spent in a later plan.
The plan in short
Source: the district’s yearly spending plan (Local Control and Accountability Plan, or LCAP, 150 pages), as posted to the California School Dashboard.
Where the money goes
Three actions take 41% of the money. The plan itself puts 58% of it toward staff.
ELO-P Initiative #1: Extended Day Programs (Before/After School) $4.9 million
Language & Literacy and MultiLingual Teachers on Special Assignment (ToSAs) $3.6 million
Core Math Curricula $2.2 million
38 other actions
Reading, math and catch-up help
11 of the plan’s 41 funded actions name reading, math, catch-up help or English learners in their titles.
Actions whose titles name reading, math, catch-up help or English learners
Reading $4.3 million
Math $4.1 million
Catch-up help $0.3 million
English learners $1.4 million
An action naming two of these appears under both.
Largest of these
Language & Literacy and MultiLingual Teachers on Special Assignment (ToSAs)$3.6 million
Core Math Curricula$2.2 million
English Learner (EL) Family Engagement$832,400
For high-need students (English learners, low-income students and foster youth), what changed and what its goals measure
For high-need students
It plans $11.5 million in extra services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth. For 2025–26, it planned $10.3 million and estimates it spent $9.8 million, $0.5 million (5%) less than planned (our arithmetic).
$9.8 million spent (estimated)$10.3 million planned
Ask: Why did estimated spending on these services come in $0.5 million under the 2025–26 plan, and where does that money go in 2026–27?
What changed
The total is $2.8 million (10%) lower than in the 2025–26 plan. The biggest change in dollars is Counseling Supports, which went from $4.4 million to $1.6 million.
Largest cuts
Counseling Supports−$2.8 million
College & Career Exploration Program−$795,000
Elementary Math ToSAs−$468,750
Largest increases
Core Math Curricula+$1.9 million
Math Professional Development Plan+$412,250
English Learner (EL) Family Engagement+$256,400
New in the 2026–27 plan
Wellness Supports and Professional Development$1.7 million
Restorative Justice Practices Teachers on Special Assignment$490,000
Ask: What did Counseling Supports pay for, and what changes now that the 2026–27 plan gives it $2.8 million less?
What its goals measure
Read these state results for the district’s own schools as context for the goals they measure; results alone can’t show what the plan caused.
What its goals measure: state results, 2024–25 and 2025–26
Measure
2024–25
2025–26
Change
Math, every tested grade: Proficient or Advanced in 2025–26, met or exceeded in 2024–25Goal 1 · ACHIEVEMENT
49%
50%
up 1 pt
Chronically absentCounted across all the district’s students, not averaged by schoolGoal 3 · WELLNESS
16 in 100
15 in 100
1 fewer in 100
Suspended at least onceGoal 3 · WELLNESS
1.9%
2.2%
up 0.3 pts
Goal 2 isn’t shown because it tracks other measures.
Figures from CDE’s state test, chronic absence and suspension files. Test figures cover every grade the district tests (California tests grades 3–8 and 11), so they differ from a profile’s rated grades. We combined the district’s schools ourselves, weighted by students and leaving out charter schools. Chronically absent means a student missed 10% or more of school days.
The plan’s own titles and amounts
ELO-P Initiative #1: Extended Day Programs (Before/After School) · $4,900,000
Language & Literacy and MultiLingual Teachers on Special Assignment (ToSAs) · $3,626,000
Core Math Curricula · $2,200,000
The full plan3 goals, 34 measures and where the money goes
We calculate each action’s share of the plan by dividing its planned amount by the total of the plan’s funded actions ($26.3 million).
Where does the money go?
72% to Goal 1, ACHIEVEMENT. Each box is one action, sized by its planned dollars and coloured by its change since last year’s plan. Tap a box to open its goal.
not compared: unconfirmed, or repeated across goals
Every goal, in the plan’s order
Goal 1ACHIEVEMENT$18.9 million72% of action budgets
“Create learning opportunities for ALL Pre-K through 8th students resulting in closing the achievement gap and culminating in personal and academic success in high school and beyond” p. 18 ↗
22 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $18.8 million (+$35,615)
Largest funded actions
ELO-P Initiative #1: Extended Day Programs (Before/After School)$4.9 millionaction 1.17 · p. 99 ↗
Language & Literacy and MultiLingual Teachers on Special Assignment (ToSAs)$3.6 millionaction 1.3 · p. 98 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $3.1 million is state funding counted toward those services
Core Math Curricula$2.2 millionaction 1.12 · p. 99 ↗
ELO-P Initiative #2: 30+ Extra Days Programs (in addition to the 180 day school year)$1.4 millionaction 1.18 · p. 99 ↗
Elementary Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Programs$1.4 millionaction 1.27 · p. 100 ↗
17 more funded actions in this goal
Elementary Math ToSAs · action 1.14 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.8 million
Elementary Integrated/ Designated ELD Professional Development Plan · action 1.9 · p. 98 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.6 million
Outdoor Education · action 1.20 · p. 99 ↗$0.6 million
Middle School Math ToSA and Teacher Leaders · action 1.15 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.5 million
Math Professional Development Plan · action 1.13 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.5 million
Middle School Professional Development Plan · action 1.5 · p. 98 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.4 million
Foundational Reading & Writing Supplemental Curricula · action 1.1 · p. 98 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
Site-based Extended School Day Targeted Student Support · action 1.22 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $130,000 is state funding counted toward those services$0.3 million
Literacy Professional Development Plan · action 1.2 · p. 98 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.3 million
New Teacher Residency/Credential/ Certification Support · action 1.26 · p. 100 ↗$0.2 million
Magnet Program Supports · action 1.25 · p. 100 ↗$0.2 million
College & Career Exploration Program · action 1.19 · p. 99 ↗$0.2 million
MTSS Literacy Assessment System · action 1.10 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.2 million
Middle School AVID program · action 1.24 · p. 100 ↗$0.2 million
MTSS Math Assessment System · action 1.11 · p. 99 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Site-based Professional Learning, Data Inquiry, and Planning · action 1.23 · p. 100 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $60,000 is state funding counted toward those services$0.1 million
Middle School Curriculum Teacher Leaders · action 1.6 · p. 98 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Core Math Curricula+$1.9 million$0.3 million → $2.2 million · p. 99 ↗
College & Career Exploration Program−$0.8 million$1.0 million → $0.2 million · p. 99 ↗
Elementary Math ToSAs−$0.5 million$1.2 million → $0.8 million · p. 99 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
ELO-P Initiative #1: Extended Day Programs (Before/After School) · $4.9 million → $4.9 million · p. 99 ↗unchanged
Language & Literacy and MultiLingual Teachers on Special Assignment (ToSAs) · $4.1 million → $3.6 million · p. 98 ↗−$0.5 million
ELO-P Initiative #2: 30+ Extra Days Programs (in addition to the 180 day school year) · $1.4 million → $1.4 million · p. 99 ↗unchanged
Elementary Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Programs · $1.4 million → $1.4 million · p. 100 ↗unchanged
Elementary Integrated/ Designated ELD Professional Development Plan · $999,000 → $561,000 · p. 98 ↗−$438,000
Outdoor Education · $550,000 → $550,000 · p. 99 ↗unchanged
Middle School Math ToSA and Teacher Leaders · $510,000 → $510,000 · p. 99 ↗unchanged
Math Professional Development Plan · $47,750 → $460,000 · p. 99 ↗+$412,250
Middle School Professional Development Plan · $219,250 → $351,865 · p. 98 ↗+$132,615
Foundational Reading & Writing Supplemental Curricula · $290,000 · p. 98 ↗new or renamed
Site-based Extended School Day Targeted Student Support · $270,000 → $270,000 · p. 99 ↗unchanged
Literacy Professional Development Plan · $256,000 · p. 98 ↗new or renamed
New Teacher Residency/Credential/ Certification Support · $165,000 → $247,000 · p. 100 ↗+$82,000
Magnet Program Supports · $222,000 → $222,000 · p. 100 ↗unchanged
MTSS Literacy Assessment System · $173,250 · p. 99 ↗new or renamed
Middle School AVID program · $160,000 → $160,000 · p. 100 ↗unchanged
MTSS Math Assessment System · $131,250 · p. 99 ↗new or renamed
Site-based Professional Learning, Data Inquiry, and Planning · $105,000 → $105,000 · p. 100 ↗unchanged
Middle School Curriculum Teacher Leaders · $50,000 → $100,000 · p. 98 ↗+$50,000
A reworded title counts as new.
How the plan measures it · 14 measures
None of these has an all-students line we can quote; the plan’s table lists them from p. 18 ↗.
Goal 2EQUITY$3.1 million12% of action budgets
“Reduce inequitable outcomes for ALL students and staff by prioritizing equity, access, & inclusion” p. 48 ↗
8 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $2.8 million (+$240,650)
Largest funded actions
Full Service Community School Strategies$1.2 millionaction 2.14 · p. 102 ↗
English Learner (EL) Family Engagement$0.8 millionaction 2.10 · p. 101 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Community Outreach Staff$0.6 millionaction 2.12 · p. 101 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $583,000 is state funding counted toward those services
LGTBQ+ Counselor on Special Assignment$0.2 millionaction 2.8 · p. 101 ↗
LGBTQ+ Inclusion Practices$0.1 millionaction 2.7 · p. 100 ↗
3 more funded actions in this goal
Inclusion of Special Education Students in General Education Classes-- Professional Development and Support for Focus Sites · action 2.4 · p. 100 ↗under $0.1 million
Family Engagement & Feedback · action 2.13 · p. 101 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need servicesunder $0.1 million
Sanctuary Task Force · action 2.11 · p. 101 ↗under $0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
English Learner (EL) Family Engagement+$256,400$576,000 → $832,400 · p. 101 ↗
LGBTQ+ Inclusion Practices+$70,000$70,000 → $140,000 · p. 100 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Full Service Community School Strategies · $1.2 million → $1.2 million · p. 102 ↗unchanged
Community Outreach Staff · $627,000 → $627,000 · p. 101 ↗unchanged
LGTBQ+ Counselor on Special Assignment · $170,000 · p. 101 ↗new or renamed
Inclusion of Special Education Students in General Education Classes-- Professional Development and Support for Focus Sites · $39,000 · p. 100 ↗new or renamed
Family Engagement & Feedback · $8,500 → $8,500 · p. 101 ↗unchanged
Sanctuary Task Force · $2,000 → $2,000 · p. 101 ↗unchanged
Priority 6 School Climate Student Expulsion Ratep. 55 ↗
Baseline
2023-24 0 Students expelled
Target for year 3
2026-27 0 Students expelled
9 more measures in the plan’s table.
Goal 3WELLNESS$4.4 million17% of action budgets
“Provide a safe, caring, nurturing, and culturally responsive environment for ALL students to meet the needs of the whole child” p. 66 ↗
11 funded actions · 2025–26 plan: $7.4 million (−$3.1 million)
Largest funded actions
Wellness Supports and Professional Development$1.7 millionaction 3.9 · p. 103 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $1.4 million is state funding counted toward those services
Counseling Supports$1.6 millionaction 3.2 · p. 102 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services
Restorative Justice Practices Teachers on Special Assignment$0.5 millionaction 3.4 · p. 102 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $25,000 is state funding counted toward those services
Wellness Social Workers and Program Specialists$0.2 millionaction 3.1 · p. 102 ↗
Restorative Practices Professional Development$0.2 millionaction 3.3 · p. 102 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services · of which $130,000 is state funding counted toward those services
6 more funded actions in this goal
Elementary School Supported Play · action 3.8 · p. 102 ↗$0.1 million
Transportation support · action 3.6 · p. 102 ↗ · marked as contributing to high-need services$0.1 million
Physical Education Professional Learning & Resources · action 3.7 · p. 102 ↗under $0.1 million
Special Education Behavior Intervention Strategies · action 3.10 · p. 103 ↗under $0.1 million
Reduce Student Chronic Absenteeism · action 3.11 · p. 103 ↗under $0.1 million
Supports for Youth with Compromised Housing · action 3.12 · p. 103 ↗under $0.1 million
Changes from last year’s plan, same title
Counseling Supports−$2.8 million$4.4 million → $1.6 million · p. 102 ↗
Wellness Social Workers and Program Specialists−$462,665$662,665 → $200,000 · p. 102 ↗
Elementary School Supported Play+$15,000$90,000 → $105,000 · p. 102 ↗
Every other line in this goal, against last year’s plan
Wellness Supports and Professional Development · $1.7 million · p. 103 ↗new or renamed
Restorative Justice Practices Teachers on Special Assignment · $490,000 · p. 102 ↗new or renamed
Restorative Practices Professional Development · $170,000 · p. 102 ↗new or renamed
Transportation support · $60,000 → $60,000 · p. 102 ↗unchanged
Physical Education Professional Learning & Resources · $30,000 → $30,000 · p. 102 ↗unchanged
Special Education Behavior Intervention Strategies · $25,000 → $25,000 · p. 103 ↗unchanged
All amounts are planned. We read them from the PDF and added up each goal’s actions ourselves. Page links open the plan at that page.
Who goes to the district’s schools
Who attends
Student mix
2024–25 · October enrollment count, 9,926 students
1Hispanic or Latino41%
2Asian25%
3White16%
4Two or more races9%
5Filipino3%
6Pacific Islander2%
7Not reported2%
8Black or African American<1%
9American Indian or Alaska Native<1%
Shares use the district's own October enrollment counts from the CDE, including its charter schools. Rounded labels may not total 100%; segments use the original shares.
Free or reduced-price meals
38%
Across California, 63% of students qualify.
2024–25 · 3,758 of 9,905 students qualify, summed from the CDE’s meal counts for every school it lists under the district, charters included. It comes from a different CDE file than the student mix, so the two totals differ.
The district’s state records
Is the state giving the district extra help?
The state is giving San Mateo-Foster City extra help in 2026. A student group had the Dashboard’s lowest results (red) on two or more measures three years in a row.
It also qualified the year before.
Which students, on which measures
Long-term English learners
English and suspensions
How English learners moved up on the state’s English test
From spring 2025 to spring 2026, 47% of the district’s English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top (993 of 2,101 students). California: 47%. It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent.
4 schools getting state support, 2025–26
1 in extra targeted support · 3 in targeted support
This list covers the district’s own schools; each charter school’s page shows its record. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26.
Which public schools in San Mateo-Foster City rank highest?
Elementary: College Park Elementary, 99th percentile (Strong). Middle: North Shoreview Montessori, 96th percentile (Strong). Each percentile is among the California schools at the same level we score. A rank doesn’t decide fit or whether a child can enroll.
Does living in the San Mateo-Foster City district decide which school my child attends?
Not by itself. Attendance boundaries, programs, transfers and space all matter. Confirm the school for your address, grade and program with the district.
More questions (5)
Are the public schools in San Mateo-Foster City good?
San Mateo-Foster City’s 18 public elementary schools run from the 2nd to the 99th percentile among the 5,726 California elementary schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 8 Strong, 4 Solid, 2 Developing and 4 Needs Support. San Mateo-Foster City’s 6 public middle schools run from the 47th to the 96th percentile among the 2,529 California middle schools we score (spring 2026 tests). By band: 3 Strong, 2 Solid and 1 Developing. A percentile compares a school with California public schools at the same level that we score. How we score schools.
How does chronic absence in San Mateo-Foster City compare with California?
The average elementary school in San Mateo-Foster City had 15 in 100 students chronically absent (missed 10% or more of school days) in 2025–26; the average California elementary school we score had 17 in 100. Both are averages of school rates, each school counted once. The average middle school in San Mateo-Foster City had 13 in 100 students chronically absent in 2025–26; the average California middle school we score had 18 in 100. These are averages of school rates: each school counts once, whatever its size.
How much does San Mateo-Foster City spend per student?
San Mateo-Foster City spent $22,745 per student in the 2024–25 school year. The typical California district spent $20,491. About 63 cents of every San Mateo-Foster City dollar went to classroom instruction. Day-to-day spending per student in average daily attendance, from its annual financial report to the California Department of Education. The district’s spending, by function.
What is in San Mateo-Foster City’s 2026–27 spending plan?
The district’s 2026–27 spending plan puts $26.3 million into 41 funded actions in 3 goals, 12% of its $222.1 million general fund budget. Its largest goal holds $18.9 million, 72% of the action budgets. The 2026–27 plan, goal by goal.
Where do these results come from?
California’s state tests (CAASPP) from spring 2026 and chronic-absence rates for 2025–26, published by the California Department of Education. Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s calculations. How we score schools.
Sources and methodology
This page lists the public schools governed and funded by San Mateo-Foster City, with the district’s spending and state accountability records.
Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2025–26
Percentiles, bands and Scope Scores are SchoolScope’s own calculations from these state files.