Cragmont Elementary vs John Muir Elementary

John Muir Elementary ranks #55 of 9,533 California schools while Cragmont Elementary ranks #150 of 9,533 — both exceptional results, but John Muir's position places it in the top 0.6 percent of the state versus Cragmont's top 1.6 percent. The overall rating gap is 0.2 points, with John Muir Elementary at 9.3/10 and Cragmont Elementary at 9.1/10. Both schools sit well within Berkeley's reputation for strong public elementary education, but John Muir's state rank advantage is concrete and significant for families tracking long-term academic outcomes.

On academic performance, John Muir Elementary holds a 9.2/10 academic score against Cragmont Elementary's 8.9/10 — a 0.3-point delta that reflects a meaningful proficiency gap at the elementary level. Growth scores are closer: John Muir Elementary earns 9.7/10 versus Cragmont Elementary's 9.5/10, indicating both schools accelerate students effectively year over year, with John Muir holding a slight edge in demonstrated student progress. Families prioritizing raw academic achievement will find John Muir's numbers stronger; those focused on growth trajectory will see both schools performing at a near-identical elite level.

Demographically, the two schools are closely matched. Cragmont Elementary enrolls 294 students compared to John Muir Elementary's 264, making Cragmont the slightly larger campus. John Muir carries a marginally higher free and reduced-price lunch rate — 32 percent versus Cragmont's 28 percent — suggesting a modestly broader income range in its student body. Student-teacher ratios are nearly identical: 20.3:1 at John Muir Elementary versus 21.0:1 at Cragmont Elementary, a difference of less than one student per classroom that is unlikely to produce a noticeable instructional difference in practice.

Both Cragmont Elementary and John Muir Elementary serve grades kindergarten through fifth and sit 2.8 miles apart within Berkeley Unified. Neither school offers a differentiated grade span, so families with children spanning multiple elementary years face equivalent transitions at both campuses. The choice ultimately turns on the academic and state-rank differentials rather than any structural program distinction between the two schools.