College Park Elementary ranks as San Mateo's top school

College Park Elementary earned the highest ranking among San Mateo-Foster City School District elementary schools in the 2027 U.S. News Best K-8 Schools rankings, placing No. 144 among 5,920 ranked California elementary schools.

The San Mateo school scored 97.58 out of 100, according to its U.S. News profile.

Eighty-four percent of tested students scored at or above the proficient level in math, and 81% did so in reading. The district’s elementary-school averages were 53% in math and 52% in reading. The profile’s statewide comparison rates were 38% and 44%, respectively.

The profile lists College Park as serving grades K-5, with 431 students, 18 full-time-equivalent teachers and a 24-to-1 student-teacher ratio. It reports that all full-time teachers were certified.

The school’s program description outlines Mandarin immersion instruction in Mandarin and English, along with a gifted and talented education program.

Other San Mateo schools

North Shoreview Montessori ranked No. 445 among California elementary schools and No. 107 among middle schools.

Its profile lists the Cypress Avenue school as serving grades K-8, with 325 students. Seventy-four percent of tested students scored proficient or above in math, and 77% did so in reading.

Those figures exceeded the comparison rates in its K-8 profile: 53% in math and 57% in reading for the district, and 36% and 43%, respectively, statewide.

George Hall Elementary ranked No. 866. Its profile lists the San Miguel Way school as serving grades K-5, with 370 students.

Seventy percent of its tested students scored proficient or above in math and 66% in reading, exceeding the district and statewide comparison rates listed in its profile.

District context

The district reported continued academic growth in its 2025-2026 Districtwide Student Achievement & Climate Report, published July 15.

The district said math and English language arts proficiency rose for all student subgroups, with the strongest gains among outgoing eighth graders. That report covers a different period from the assessment data underlying the U.S. News rankings.

How the rankings work

U.S. News ranked nearly 47,000 elementary schools for the 2027 edition. Only public schools are included because they participate in common statewide assessments that allow comparison.

Four factors receive equal weight: math proficiency, math performance, reading proficiency and reading performance.

Half the formula uses subject performance indexes that account for results across proficiency levels. The other half compares results with expectations based on students’ socioeconomic backgrounds, according to the ranking methodology.

The California rankings use 2023-24 state assessment data. Schools receive state and district rankings, rather than a national placement.

Steve Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, said in the U.S. News report that assessment data can help parents evaluate schools beyond reputation.

“Often, they don’t have anything but reputation, which doesn’t tell you about what the school contributes,” Barnett said.