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School Profile · San Ramon

Iron Horse Middle: The score is strong. The trajectory is stronger.

Iron Horse pairs 79% proficiency with gains that hold up when the same students are tracked two years apart — the rare school that posts both.

Scope Score
80
🚀 Growth Engine · Strong
ranked #75 statewide · #5 of 8 in San Ramon Valley Unified

Iron Horse Middle scores 80 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 97th 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 “79% proficient” and call it done. Iron Horse deserves a closer read. It sits at the 97th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

Iron Horse's low-income kids hit 57.6% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

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.

44%
32%
24%
Grade 6 · 76% proficient
54%
35%
11%
Grade 7 · 89% proficient
38%
41%
21%
Grade 8 · 79% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 6.0pp across grades; the floor rises 3.4pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

57.6%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Iron Horse's most underrated number

57.6% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Iron Horse low-income: 57.6%State low-income: 38.2%

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
48.4%
State 16.8%
31.6pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
78.6%
State 39.3%
39.3pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+7.5pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
6.9%
State 18.5%
11.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.6%
State 3.7%
2.0pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
43.2%
State 18.0%
25.3pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed — new curriculum, new principal, new program. Momentum has a cause, and a visit will find it.

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

Your other options

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

Hispanic10.7%
White20.4%
Asian52.8%
Black2.7%
Other13.4%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 9.9% (54pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
939
Near CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
23:1
2 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,262
District avg: $12,168 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
43.2% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$62,631 – $126,769
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Iron Horse Middle in San Ramon, 57.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 59.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Iron Horse Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 2.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (55.4% Math proficient); Asian students (89.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 65.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 92 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Low-Income+13.1pp
20.0% vs 6.9% overall · n=110
Suspension · Black+6.1pp
7.7% vs 1.6% overall · n=26
ELA · English Learner−65.8pp
15.8% vs 81.6% overall · n=19
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−45.6pp
0.0% vs 45.6% overall · n=19
Math · English Learner−59.9pp
15.8% vs 75.7% overall · n=19
Math Exceeded · English Learner−51.3pp
0.0% vs 51.3% overall · n=19

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income92 tested
ELA 57.6%·Math 55.4%· -2.2pp vs district
Asian505 tested
ELA 89.9%·Math 85.5%· +2.8pp vs district
White174 tested
ELA 74.7%·Math 72.4%· -0.5pp 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 7.6pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +10.9pp.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 64%Support 35%Other 2%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$185K
$100K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.38M
$725K above CA median
Bachelor's+
65%
30pp 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
18.0 years avg experience
43 teachers · 2% first-year
Teacher Credentials
87% 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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is Iron Horse Middle a good middle school?
Iron Horse Middle has a Scope Score of 80 out of 100, placing it in the 97th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #75 statewide. 48.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 31.6 percentage points above 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 Iron Horse Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 78.6% of students at Iron Horse Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 48.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 30.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 48.4% 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. 1,842 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Iron Horse Middle rank in California?
Iron Horse Middle ranks #75 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 97th 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 Iron Horse Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Iron Horse Middle increases by 7.5 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 Iron Horse Middle?
6.9% of students at Iron Horse Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 1.6%, 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 Iron Horse Middle compare to other schools in San Ramon?
Iron Horse Middle scores 80/100 (97th 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 939 students. Use the schools in San Ramon page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Iron Horse Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Iron Horse Middle in San Ramon, 57.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 59.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Iron Horse Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 2.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (55.4% Math proficient); Asian students (89.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 65.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 92 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.

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%
48.4%
↑ vs CA 16.8% · 85th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
78.6%
↑ vs CA 39.3% · 81th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+7.5pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 64th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
6.9%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 66th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.6%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 58th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
43.2%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 80th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 629044%32%17%7%76%+30
Grade 733254%35%8%3%89%+41
Grade 829938%41%16%5%80%+34
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 629041%27%23%9%68%+33
Grade 733257%22%13%8%80%+46
Grade 829956%24%13%7%80%+47
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1130333%37%29%1%

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 Disadvantaged9257.6%−2+19
Asian50489.9%+3+16
White17474.7%−0+13
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Iron Horse Middle ←8048.4%78.6%+7.51.6%
Pine Valley Middle2.3 mi8248.4%78.0%+8.32.2%
Charlotte Wood Middle2.3 mi6738.1%73.5%−8.71.6%
California average4016.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
76%80%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #86 → #111 → #154 → #93 → #75
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue