School Profile · Union City
Decoto School for Independent Study: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.
Decoto School for Independent Study posts 46% meeting the standard against 39% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.
725 Whipple Road, 94587 (opens in new tab)·New Haven Unified·Union City·Grades K-12·233 students·65% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(510) 476-2696·Website
Alternative school — serves students who benefit from a non-traditional educational setting. Scores are not directly comparable to comprehensive schools.
Scope Score
44
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #807 statewide · #2 of 3 in New Haven Unified
Decoto School for Independent Study scores 44 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 64th 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 →
Most rating sites would stop at “46% proficient” and call it done. Decoto School for Independent Study deserves a closer read. The school sits in Union City, where three in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
17.9%
State 16.8%
1.0pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
46.4%
State 39.3%
7.1pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
15.1%
State 18.5%
3.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.9%
State 3.7%
1.8pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
10.7%
State 18.0%
7.3pp below state avg
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.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Path
Decoto School for Independent Study serves grades K-12 — students can complete their entire K-12 education here.
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 71
Ardenwood Elementary
Fremont Unified · 2.7 mi
Strong
76/100
Warwick Elementary
Fremont Unified · 2.1 mi
Strong
71/100
Brookvale Elementary
Fremont Unified · 2.7 mi
Solid
67/100
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
Hispanic43.4%
White9.0%
Asian18.0%
Black6.4%
Other23.2%
GenderFemale 51.5%Male 48.1%Non-binary 0.4%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 65.2% (1pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
233
967 below CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
No TK reported, 2025-26
California requires the district to offer TK, but not every site has a room — ask the district which campuses do.
Student-Teacher Ratio
23:1
2 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$29,720
District avg: $12,332 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
10.7% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$66,153 – $150,878
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
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.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Asian+8.5pp
23.6% vs 15.1% overall · n=55
ELA · Hispanic−13.2pp
43.8% vs 57.0% overall · n=16
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Hispanic−8.3pp
12.5% vs 20.8% overall · n=16
Math · Hispanic−7.6pp
33.3% vs 40.9% overall · n=15
Math Exceeded · Hispanic−4.2pp
26.7% vs 30.9% overall · n=15
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income38 tested
ELA 45.9%·Math 36.8%· +6.0pp vs district
Hispanic16 tested
ELA 43.8%·Math 33.3%· +10.4pp 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.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$134K
$49K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.10M
$446K above CA median
Bachelor's+
45%
10pp 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
19.7 years avg experience
14 teachers · 7% first-year
Teacher Credentials
61% fully credentialed
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 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 · 43%
17.9%
↑ vs CA 16.8% · 51th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
46.4%
↑ vs CA 39.3% · 56th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
15.1%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 55th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.9%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 57th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
10.7%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 43th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 14 | 7% | 50% | 29% | 14% | 57% | +9 |
| Grade 8 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 11 | 39 | 28% | 26% | 23% | 23% | 54% | +7 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 14 | 29% | 7% | 29% | 36% | 36% | +2 |
| Grade 8 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 11 | 39 | 36% | 8% | 15% | 41% | 44% | +20 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 56 | 14% | 29% | 50% | 7% |
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 | 37 | 45.9% | +6 | +8 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 16 | 43.8% | +10 | +5 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decoto School for Independent Study ← | — | 44 | 17.9% | 46.4% | — | 1.9% |
| Cesar Chavez Middle | 1.6 mi | 32 | 10.4% | 29.2% | +1.1 | 4.3% |
| California average | — | 40 | 16.8% | 39.3% | +1.5 | 3.7% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · rank #869 → #1823 → #1428 → #807
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.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Decoto School for Independent Study a good middle school?
Decoto School for Independent Study has a Scope Score of 44 out of 100, placing it in the 64th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #807 statewide. 17.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near 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 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% 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. 28 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Decoto School for Independent Study rank in California?
Decoto School for Independent Study ranks #807 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 64th 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 18.5%. 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 44/100 (64th 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.