School Profile · San Jose
Alpha: Blanca Alvarado: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Alpha: Blanca Alvarado posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
1601 Cunningham Avenue, 95122 (opens in new tab)·Alum Rock Union Elementary·San Jose·Grades TK-8·500 students·60% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(408) 780-0831·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
32
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #4,451 statewide · #9 of 13 in Alum Rock Union Elementary
Alpha: Blanca Alvarado scores 32 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 23rd percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “20% proficient” and call it done. Alpha: Blanca Alvarado deserves a closer read. The school sits in San Jose, where three in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.
As a charter, Alpha: Blanca Alvarado 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 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
9%
84%
Grade 3 · 16% proficient
11%
13%
76%
Grade 4 · 24% proficient
14%
81%
Grade 5 · 19% proficient
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
8.7%
State 21.3%
12.7pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-2.3pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
20.2%
State 42.7%
22.5pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
26.6%
State 17.9%
8.6pp above state avg
Suspension rate
1.7%
State 1.6%
0.1pp above state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Planning ahead? 8 licensed preschools near this school →
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 64
Alpha: Cornerstone Academy Preparatory
Santa Clara County Office of Education · 1 mi
Solid
65/100
Rocketship Discovery Prep
Santa Clara County Office of Education · 2.7 mi
Solid
63/100
Rocketship Spark Academy
Franklin-McKinley Elementary · 2.8 mi
Solid
63/100
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 ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic92.4%
White1.0%
Asian4.0%
Black0.2%
Other2.4%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 60.2% (4pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
500
120 below CA avg (~620)
Transitional Kindergarten
20 TK students
4% of a 523-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Student-Teacher Ratio
26:1
5 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$16,303
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$69,440 – $129,227
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Alpha: Blanca Alvarado in San Jose, 19.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 23.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Alpha: Blanca Alvarado trails its district average for low-income students by 4.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (19.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (19.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 15.7 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 307 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−15.7pp
5.6% vs 21.4% overall · n=196
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−5.9pp
0.4% vs 6.4% overall · n=196
Math · English Learner−13.3pp
7.3% vs 20.7% overall · n=203
Math Exceeded · English Learner−6.0pp
2.7% vs 8.6% overall · n=203
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income313 tested
ELA 19.6%·Math 19.2%· -4.1pp vs district
Hispanic326 tested
ELA 19.5%·Math 19.0%· -3.4pp vs district
English Learner203 tested
ELA 6.1%·Math 7.9%· +1.5pp 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 6.5pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +4.2pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$104K
$19K above CA median
Median Home Value
$873K
$214K above CA median
Bachelor's+
19%
16pp below 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
3.5 years avg experience
21 teachers · 19% first-year · 33% second-year
Teacher Credentials
42% fully credentialed
2.5% 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 →
Frequently asked questions
Is Alpha: Blanca Alvarado a good elementary school?
Alpha: Blanca Alvarado has a Scope Score of 32 out of 100, placing it in the 23rd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #4,451 statewide. 8.7% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 12.7 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary 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 Alpha: Blanca Alvarado's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 20.2% of students at Alpha: Blanca Alvarado met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 8.7% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 11.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 8.7% 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. 347 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Alpha: Blanca Alvarado rank in California?
Alpha: Blanca Alvarado ranks #4,451 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 23rd percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 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 Alpha: Blanca Alvarado getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Alpha: Blanca Alvarado decreases by 2.3 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary 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 Alpha: Blanca Alvarado?
26.6% of students at Alpha: Blanca Alvarado are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 1.7%, 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 Alpha: Blanca Alvarado compare to other schools in San Jose?
Alpha: Blanca Alvarado scores 32/100 (23rd percentile) among California elementary 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 500 students. Use the schools in San Jose page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Alpha: Blanca Alvarado serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Alpha: Blanca Alvarado in San Jose, 19.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 23.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Alpha: Blanca Alvarado trails its district average for low-income students by 4.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (19.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (19.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 15.7 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 307 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.
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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 · 38%
8.7%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 38th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-2.3pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 50th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
20.2%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 33th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
26.6%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 36th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.7%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 49th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 58 | 7% | 9% | 22% | 62% | 16% | −28 |
| Grade 4 | 55 | 11% | 13% | 31% | 45% | 24% | −21 |
| Grade 5 | 57 | 5% | 14% | 11% | 70% | 19% | −29 |
| Grade 6 | 51 | 2% | 16% | 12% | 71% | 18% | −29 |
| Grade 7 | 63 | 5% | 19% | 21% | 56% | 24% | −24 |
| Grade 8 | 60 | 8% | 20% | 23% | 48% | 28% | −18 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 59 | 10% | 12% | 24% | 54% | 22% | −24 |
| Grade 4 | 59 | 14% | 14% | 36% | 37% | 27% | −14 |
| Grade 5 | 59 | 5% | 8% | 19% | 68% | 14% | −22 |
| Grade 6 | 51 | 2% | 6% | 25% | 67% | 8% | −27 |
| Grade 7 | 63 | 13% | 13% | 24% | 51% | 25% | −9 |
| Grade 8 | 61 | 8% | 20% | 23% | 49% | 28% | −4 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 120 | 1% | 16% | 57% | 27% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 307 | 19.6% | −4 | −19 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 319 | 19.5% | −3 | −19 |
| English Learners | 196 | 6.1% | +2 | −4 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha: Blanca Alvarado ← | — | 32 | 8.7% | 20.2% | −2.3 | 1.7% |
| Alpha: Cornerstone Academy Preparatory | 1 mi | 65 | 36.2% | 59.9% | +18.1 | 0.5% |
| Rocketship Discovery Prep | 2.7 mi | 63 | 31.5% | 50.0% | +8.7 | 0.1% |
| Rocketship Spark Academy | 2.8 mi | 63 | 37.6% | 56.5% | +14.9 | 0.1% |
| California average | — | 45 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2023 · 2024 · 2025 · rank #3773 → #5550 → #4451
What we can't show
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 19 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue