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Public middle school

Decoto School for Independent Study

Union City, CA · Grades K-12 · 233 students · New Haven Unified

This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

Explore the evidence alongside the opportunities your child would use.

SchoolScope archetype

Building Momentum

What this means for your family

This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

How archetypes are assigned →

Contact

Math

—

Grades 6 & 8 · Proficient or Advanced

English

—

Grades 6 & 8 · Proficient or Advanced

Students

233

Total enrollment

Chronic absence

15%

Students absent 10% or more of school days

What are you trying to decide?

The overall score is a starting point.

Look at subject results, trends and student groups, then consider the opportunities your child would use.

View school performance →

Academic performance

What do the results tell us?

2025 results · Grades 6 & 8 · weighted by students tested within each subject.

Proficient or Advanced combines Levels 3 and 4, formerly Standard Met and Standard Exceeded. California changed the names for 2025–26; the cut scores did not. About the labels →

Share at Proficient or Advanced

0%25%50%75%100%2022: 26%2023: 16%2024: 23%2022: 43%2023: 17%2024: 32%201920222023202420250%25%50%75%100%2022: 26%2023: 16%2024: 23%2022: 43%2023: 17%2024: 32%20192022202320242025
● Math┄ English

Gaps in the lines mark years without annual results.

Exact annual results
YearMathEnglish
2019——
202226%43%
202316%17%
202423%32%
2025——

Each year describes that year’s tested students. Changes between years do not follow the same children over time. Cohort-growth evidence, when available, is labeled separately below.

Annual results and the full academic record
Is it getting better · CAASPP 2022 to 2025

Climbed from the 52nd to the 62nd percentile since 2022 — past roughly 200 middle schools.

Most rating sites would stop at “46% proficient” and call it done. Decoto School for Independent Study deserves a closer read. Three in five of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch (California: 64%) — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

85 tested · 1 of 3 grades published · no cohort tracked

Decoto School for Independent Study scores 41 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 62nd percentile of 2,177 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Percentile among 2,177 middle schools statewide
Year detailsYear2022 · 52nd percentile · Scope Score 33 of 1002023 · 16th percentile · Scope Score 18 of 1002024 · 39th percentile · Scope Score 31 of 1002025 · 62nd percentile · Scope Score 41 of 100
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathYellow(Increased Significantly)
ShowHide the by-grade tables, year by year
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 4—60%45%——
Grade 6—32%13%29%—
Grade 7—49%32%50%57%
Grade 8—53%21%35%—
Grade 1129%47%47%44%54%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 4—46%27%——
Grade 6—18%25%18%—
Grade 7—28%32%19%36%
Grade 8—33%7%26%—
Grade 1110%9%16%22%44%
Where students land · CAASPP 2024–25

Two in five of students here meet the standard. One in ten clear it by a lot.

ELA60% met or exceeded
Exceeded 27%Met 33%Nearly Met 25%Not Met 15%
Math44% met or exceeded
Exceeded 28%Met 15%Nearly Met 24%Not Met 33%
Exceeded Met Nearly Met Not Met
California middle schools · average17% exceeded · 40% met or exceeded
This school against the California average
2022–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
Scope% Exceeded% Met+GrowthAbsenceSuspension
This school4118%46%—15.1%1.9%
CA average · Middle School3917%40%—18.1%3.6%
This schoolCA avg
Scope4139
% Exceeded18%17%
% Met+46%40%
Growth——
Absence15.1%18.1%
Suspension1.9%3.6%
California’s growth results and student groups
State growth model · CDE growth model 2024–25

California's own growth model splits here — the 95th percentile in reading against the 65th in math, among middle schools.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

California runs its own growth model — it follows individual children in grades 4 through 8 and compares each one against a prediction from their own prior scores. On that measure this school sits well above the middle of California middle schools in reading, and the 65th in math. We show it; we don't score it.

— pts vs expected is scale-score points above or below what California's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores. It is not a percentage and not a percent of anything. A typical California middle school lands at −1 in reading, and the middle half of them fall between −8 and +6 — the spread is wide, so read the rank, not the sign. CDE blends two consecutive years into each published figure, so adjacent years share input data and no year-over-year trend can honestly be drawn from them. It covers grades 4-8 only, and it is not part of the Scope Score — we assessed it and left it out: it tracks school demographics roughly three times as strongly as our own growth measure does, and one published year is not enough to test how stable it is.

California's growth model, ranked against the schools it scores
State model · readingmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, reading: +19 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 95th percentile of 7,519 reported schools.95th pctile · +19 pts
State model · mathmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, math: +6 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 65th percentile of 7,518 reported schools.65th pctile · +6 pts
this school| the tick is the middle of the California field

Students & opportunity

Who shares in the school’s results?

Who it works for · CAASPP 2024–25

Low-income students here meet the ELA standard ahead of the same group statewide.

At Decoto School for Independent Study in Union City, 45.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 39.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Decoto School for Independent Study outperforms its district average for low-income students by 6.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (36.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (43.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.2 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 37 students tested.

Met or exceeded · reading and math combined
All students at this school: 48% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 48%, district —, state 40%48%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 41%, district 34%, state 32%41% · −7 vs school
MaleMale: this school 52%, district 43%, state 42%52% · +4 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 44%, district 46%, state 44%44% · −4 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 39%, district 27%, state 32%39% · −9 vs school

10 of 15 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
ShowHide Student-group results by grade
Student-group results by grade

Results compare different grade groups in the same year, relative to the lowest tested grade. They do not track the same children over time. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

ShowHide California's growth model by student group

The daily experience

What is it like to be a student here?

Students per teacher

Student–teacher ratio is a schoolwide staffing measure, not an average class size.

The people teaching · CDE staffing 2024–25

About 23 students for every teacher here.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Students per teacher23 · district 25
Teaching staff14 teachers
Avg. experience19.7 years
Fully credentialed61%
First-year teachers7%
PrincipalAbigail Kotzin
ShowHide what the district pays
Teacher salary schedule$66,153 – $150,878
Principal salary$179,659 – $196,458
Superintendent salary$339,200

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Attendance & discipline · 2024–25

Kids here show up more, and get suspended less, than the state average.

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 15.1%, district 18.6%, state 18.1%15.1% · −3.0pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.9%, district —, state 3.6%1.9% · −1.8pp vs state
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
ShowHide attendance by student group and by grade
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–652.4%
Grades 7–851.5%
Grades 9–120.0%

Resources & neighborhood

What sits behind the school experience?

Explore school spending and the district budget
What gets spent · FY 2024–25

It spends $29,720 per student, more than the California average.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

$727 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $29,720, CA average $14,491$29,720 · spent at this school
Federal share$727 per student
District current expense · FY 2024–25$18,391 per student
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction 63%Instruction support 11%Student services 7%Administration 8%Buildings & maintenance 10%Other 1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

ShowHide the district's spending year by year
district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$12,332 per pupil
2019$12,110 per pupil
2018$12,269 per pupil
2017$12,313 per pupil
2016$11,847 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood · ACS 2024

Three in five of students here qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus three in five statewide.

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Worth knowing

At 233 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California middle school (≈860).

On the state's science test (CAST), 43% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.

Hispanic or Latino43.4% · district 36.5% · CA 56.1%
White9.0% · district 5.6% · CA 19.9%
Asian18.0% · district 28.6% · CA 10.2%
Black6.4% · district 3.9% · CA 4.8%
Other23.2% · district 25.3% · CA 9.0%
Free or reduced lunch65.2% · CA 64%
Median income$134K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.10M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+45% · CA 35%
ZIP population67,464
Median age43 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Culture & philosophy

What is the school’s approach?

School-stated approach · questions for your visit

Look beyond the brochure

A source-reviewed culture summary is not available for this profile yet. Ask how teaching, student support and family communication work day to day.

Read the school’s own website ↗

Family voices

What would you want another family to know about the daily experience here?

Ask a current family: “When your child needs help, how does the school respond?”

Educator voices

What should families understand about teaching, support and the school community?

Ask an educator: “How do you adapt a typical day for children with different needs?”

Bring these questions on a visit →

Compare nearby schools

What are the alternatives?

Compare schools serving the same grade stage. Private schools have no comparable state-test score.

2025 · middle schools · combined reading and math measures. Percentiles compare schools within their enrollment group.

Private options →
SchoolTypePerformance bandAdvancedProficient or AdvancedDistanceSelect
Decoto School for Independent StudyPublicSolid18%46%School being viewed
Cesar Chavez MiddlePublicDeveloping10%29%1.6 mi
Open the comparison tool →
More nearby public and private options
Your other options

Your other options

Nearby public schools across grade levels, plus private options within 10 miles.

All schools in Union City →

Private schools do not receive a Scope Score or statewide ranking on SchoolScope.

20 private schools within 10 miles
Not scored
What should I check before applying?
District public
Confirm the attendance boundary and any permit options.
Charter
Check applications, priorities and deadlines with each school.
Private
Confirm admission requirements, tuition and financial aid.

Moving & enrollment

Which schools could serve my child?

Check your address with the district

School location and nearby schools do not establish attendance eligibility. Confirm boundaries and permit requirements with New Haven Unified.

District information →School website →

Schools across the K–12 journey

Source: proximity. Schools are grouped by grade stage. Nearby schools are not confirmed feeder links or address assignments. Verify the current path and eligibility with the district.

Plan your next step

What should I do next?

Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Decoto School for Independent Study a good middle school?
Decoto School for Independent Study has a Scope Score of 41 out of 100, placing it in the 62nd percentile of California middle schools and ranked #833 statewide. 17.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near the California average of 17.2%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (42%), met or exceeded (proficient) (23%), grade 6-to-8 growth (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Decoto School for Independent Study's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 46.4% of students at Decoto School for Independent Study met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 17.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 28.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 17.9% went beyond it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it shows how many students go beyond the standard rather than only meeting it. 28 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Decoto School for Independent Study rank in California?
Decoto School for Independent Study ranks #833 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 62nd 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.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Decoto School for Independent Study?
15.1% of students at Decoto School for Independent Study are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.1%. The suspension rate is 1.9%, 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 Decoto School for Independent Study compare to other schools in Union City?
Decoto School for Independent Study scores 41/100 (62nd 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 233 students. Use the schools in Union City page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Decoto School for Independent Study serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Decoto School for Independent Study in Union City, 45.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 39.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Decoto School for Independent Study outperforms its district average for low-income students by 6.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (36.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (43.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.2 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 37 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.

Use the published evidence to prepare questions, then verify fit and access with the school.

Behind the evidence

Inspect the full record

Public sources, visible methods and the underlying school record. Source years and limitations stay attached to the evidence.

How the Scope Score is calculated

On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to see the state comparison and weights.

What the score weighs · CAASPP 2024–25

The 5 things our score weighs

What the score weighs
What we weighHereStateWeight
Exceeded standard17.9%17.2%42%
Met or exceeded46.4%40.0%23%
Chronic absenteeism15.1%18.1%5%
Suspension rate1.9%3.6%5%
EL proficiency (ELPAC)10.7%18.0%5%

Source CAASPP 2025 · California Department of Education. Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How the score is built

A closer look at the evidence

Decoto School for Independent Study: reading the evidence

Decoto School for Independent Study posts 46% meeting the standard against 40% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

Subject proficiency describes tested students, while graduation describes a graduating cohort. These figures are not successive stages followed by the same students.

This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Explore the underlying data →
Every number: score factors, grades, student groups and downloads
Every number · For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.

Decoto School for Independent Study is ranked #833 statewide · #2 of 3 in New Haven Unified.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Score factors
FactorSchoolStateWeight
Exceeded standard17.9%17.2%42%
Met or exceeded46.4%40.0%23%
Chronic absenteeism15.1%18.1%5%
Suspension rate1.9%3.6%5%
EL proficiency (ELPAC)10.7%18.0%5%
Exceeded standard
↑ vs CA 17.2% · index 51 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint
Met or exceeded
↑ vs CA 40.0% · index 55 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint
Chronic absenteeism
↑ vs CA 18.1% · index 55 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint · ▼ 15.4pp lower vs 2024
Suspension rate
↑ vs CA 3.6% · index 57 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint · ▲ 1.0pp higher vs 2024
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
↓ vs CA 18.0% · index 43 · 50 = CA middle-school midpoint
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ShowHide table 02 — By grade & subgroup
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36——————
Grade 44——————
Grade 54——————
Grade 68——————
Grade 7147%50%29%14%57%+10
Grade 810——————
Grade 113928%26%23%23%54%+5
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 36——————
Grade 44——————
Grade 54——————
Grade 68——————
Grade 71429%7%29%36%36%+2
Grade 810——————
Grade 113936%8%15%41%44%+20

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, that we hold no valid result for it, or that the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide5614%29%50%7%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged3745.9%+6+8
Hispanic/Latino1643.8%+10+5
03Nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score · Grade gap = grade 3 vs grade 5, this year, different students; Cohort growth = one school's returning cohort tracked across grades (mostly, not exactly, the same kids), in scale-score points — that's the measurement the Scope Score weights
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+Grade gapCohort growthSusp
Decoto School for Independent Study ←—4117.9%46.4%——1.9%
Cesar Chavez Middle1.6 mi2910.4%29.2%+1.1pp—4.3%
California average—3917.2%40.0%+1.5pp—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
ShowHide table 04 — More measures
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrade gap
20223352#100713.6%35.6%50.6%0.6%+17.8pp
20231816#17914.4%21.6%60.0%0.9%-4.3pp
20243139#13059.3%29.4%30.5%0.8%+6.9pp
20254162#83317.9%46.4%15.1%1.9%—
Grade gap = this year's grade 3 vs grade 5 result, two different sets of students, not a trend for any one child — it is not the measurement the Scope Score's growth dimension uses. See §01 above and /methodology#verdicts for the school's actual scored (cohort) growth.
What we can't show
  • — Growth data isn't available — the state needs matched grades across years to compute it.
  • — Scored here as a middle school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
ShowHide table 05 — Climate by student group
Group20192025Δ
Female62.4%9.7%-52.7pp
Male67.8%12.9%-54.9pp
Asian45.0%23.6%-21.4pp
Black/African American90.9%0.0%-90.9pp
Hispanic/Latino68.4%6.3%-62.1pp
Two or More Races66.7%11.1%-55.6pp
White61.1%23.1%-38.0pp
English Learners76.5%13.3%-63.2pp
Homeless100.0%——
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged67.9%13.0%-54.9pp
All Students64.9%11.2%-53.7pp
Filipino—5.3%—
Students with Disabilities—11.8%—
06California growth model, by student group2025 · scale-score points vs the state's prediction · shown, never scored
ShowHide table 06 — California growth model, by student group
GroupReadingnCDE bandMathnCDE band
All Students+1934Accelerated+634Accelerated
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged+1825Accelerated+1125Accelerated
English Only+2419not categorised+519not categorised
Hispanic or Latino+1914Accelerated+514Accelerated

Whole scale-score points above or below what CDE's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores — not a percentage, not a percentile. Statewide a typical school lands near +1 with a spread of about 13 points either side, so read a figure against its group's own typical value, not against zero. Muted rows have fewer than 30 students with a growth score — published by CDE, held back from the narrative sections above because at that size the figure swings about 17 points on its own. “Not categorised” is CDE assigning no band — English Only, Recently Reclassified, and English Learners Only receive a value and no band, for every school in the state. It is not a missing number. Most figures blend two consecutive years, so adjacent published years share input data and no trend line can honestly be drawn across them. A group absent from this table had fewer than 11 students with a growth score and was never published. Grades 4-8 only. None of this enters the Scope Score — it is more strongly correlated with school demographics than our own growth measure, and one published year is not enough to test its reliability.

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EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,177 middle schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-09-18

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

Decoto School for Independent Study

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