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School Profile · San Jose

ACE Esperanza Middle: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

ACE Esperanza posts 24% meeting the standard and 7.2% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

1665 Santee Drive, 95112 (opens in new tab)·Franklin-McKinley Elementary·San Jose·Grades 5-8·205 students·87% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(408) 729-3420·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
30
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,541 statewide · #3 of 5 in Franklin-McKinley Elementary

ACE Esperanza Middle scores 30 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 31st percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “24% proficient” and call it done. ACE Esperanza deserves a closer read. The school sits in San Jose, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

As a charter, ACE Esperanza enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

10%
17%
73%
Grade 6 · 27% proficient
14%
23%
63%
Grade 7 · 37% proficient
28%
69%
Grade 8 · 31% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 7.1pp across grades; the floor rises 3.8pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
7.2%
State 16.8%
9.6pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
24.4%
State 39.3%
14.9pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+2.6pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
20.4%
State 18.5%
1.8pp above state avg
Suspension rate
0.6%
State 3.7%
3.0pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
No feeder data available for this level

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

All schools in San Jose →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic89.3%
White0.5%
Asian9.3%
Other1.0%
GenderFemale 43.4%Male 56.6%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 86.8% (23pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
205
655 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
23:1
2 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$17,316
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$63,748 – $126,872
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At ACE Esperanza Middle in San Jose, 29.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. ACE Esperanza Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 3.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (27.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 27.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 177 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−27.1pp
3.4% vs 30.5% overall · n=80
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−9.7pp
0.0% vs 9.7% overall · n=16
Math · English Learner−16.9pp
2.2% vs 19.1% overall · n=80
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−8.2pp
0.0% vs 8.2% overall · n=16

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income177 tested
ELA 29.9%·Math 15.3%· -3.1pp vs district
Hispanic177 tested
ELA 27.7%·Math 13.1%· +3.6pp vs district
English Learner92 tested
ELA 3.3%·Math 3.3%· -5.3pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 0.2pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +1.6pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 61%Support 35%Other 5%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$89K
$4K above CA median
Median Home Value
$974K
$315K above CA median
Bachelor's+
38%
3pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
4.9 years avg experience
11 teachers · 9% first-year · 9% second-year
Teacher Credentials
39% fully credentialed
20.6% on intern/emergency permit

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
7.2%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 39th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
24.4%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 38th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+2.6pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 50th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
20.4%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 47th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.6%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 62th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 52313%13%13%61%26%−22
Grade 64110%17%27%46%27%−20
Grade 76414%23%31%31%38%−10
Grade 8753%28%35%35%31%−15
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 52317%9%22%52%26%−9
Grade 6415%10%29%56%15%−20
Grade 7638%13%21%59%21%−13
Grade 8754%12%23%61%16%−16
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11982%14%65%18%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged17729.9%−3−8
Hispanic/Latino17727.7%+4−11
English Learners923.3%−5−7
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
ACE Esperanza Middle ←—307.2%24.4%+2.60.6%
KIPP Heartwood Academy0.7 mi7143.7%67.6%+4.51.0%
Kipp Prize Preparatory Academy0.7 mi4722.8%46.2%−13.21.3%
Sunrise Middle2.2 mi3913.0%35.6%+5.62.3%
California average—4016.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
25%30%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1741 → #1668 → #1424 → #1775 → #1541
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

How to get into a charter school in LA →

Frequently asked questions

Is ACE Esperanza Middle a good middle school?
ACE Esperanza Middle has a Scope Score of 30 out of 100, placing it in the 31st percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,541 statewide. 7.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.6 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are ACE Esperanza Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 24.4% of students at ACE Esperanza Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 7.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 17.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 7.2% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 359 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does ACE Esperanza Middle rank in California?
ACE Esperanza Middle ranks #1,541 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 31st percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is ACE Esperanza Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at ACE Esperanza Middle increases by 2.6 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at ACE Esperanza Middle?
20.4% of students at ACE Esperanza Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 0.6%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does ACE Esperanza Middle compare to other schools in San Jose?
ACE Esperanza Middle scores 30/100 (31st percentile) among California middle schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 205 students. Use the schools in San Jose page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does ACE Esperanza Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At ACE Esperanza Middle in San Jose, 29.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. ACE Esperanza Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 3.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (27.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 27.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 177 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.
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