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Lietz Elementary · San Jose

Lietz Elementary: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Lietz posts 63% meeting the standard, and 42.9% going well past it. Most kids here keep up. Fewer get pushed further. Ask the school what it does for a child who already finds the work easy.

5300 Carter Avenue, 95118 (opens in new tab)·Union Elementary·San Jose·Grades TK-5·501 students·23% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(408) 264-8314·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope6045
% Exceeded43%21%
% Met+63%43%
Growth-2.2-2.9
Absence12.5%17.9%
Suspension1.7%1.6%
Scope Score
60
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #1,049 statewide · #6 of 6 in Union Elementary

Lietz Elementary scores 60 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 82nd 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 →

🌱 Building Momentum — 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.

Most rating sites would stop at “63% proficient” and call it done. Lietz deserves a closer read. It sits at the 82nd percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Has held the 82nd-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Increased Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 63% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 371%54%72%54%67%
Grade 468%69%54%68%58%
Grade 569%59%65%55%69%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 373%69%72%60%69%
Grade 461%64%58%72%56%
Grade 553%55%60%55%62%

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.

41%
26%
33%
Grade 3 · 67% proficient
37%
21%
42%
Grade 4 · 58% proficient
42%
27%
31%
Grade 5 · 69% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding holds steady across grades; the floor rises 2.3pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
42.9%
State 21.3%
21.6pp above state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-2.2pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
63.3%
State 42.7%
20.7pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
12.5%
State 17.9%
5.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.7%
State 1.6%
0.1pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
23.5%
State 18.0%
5.5pp above 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.

  • Ask what changes between grade 3 and grade 5 here, and who teaches the older kids.
  • 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.

How every group of students does here

At Lietz Elementary in San Jose, 33.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Lietz Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 7.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (27.9% Math proficient); Asian students (81.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 47.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 62 students tested.

All students at this school: 63% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 63%, district —, state 43%63%
MaleMale: this school 65%, district 74%, state 42%65% · +1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 62%, district 76%, state 44%62% · −1 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 84%, district 89%, state 72%84% · +20 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 34%, district 42%, state 32%34% · −29 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 77%, district 74%, state 56%77% · +13 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 31%, district 38%, state 32%31% · −33 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 29%, district 31%, state 15%29% · −35 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 20%, district 34%, state 11%20% · −43 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 46%, district 78%, state 56%46% · −18 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: too few students to report‹11
FilipinoFilipino: too few students to report‹11
Pacific IslanderPacific Islander: too few students to report‹11
HomelessHomeless: too few students to report‹11
this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 19.9pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: -7.2pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 12.5%, district 6.4%, state 17.9%12.5% · −5.4pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 1.7%, district —, state 1.6%1.7% · +0.1pp vs state

TK/K students miss school at roughly twice the rate of Grades 4–6 students (14.4% vs 7.9%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the earliest grades — worth asking how the school works with new families on attendance.

Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–67.9%
TK/K14.4%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Lietz Elementary
60/100
This school
High School
No feeder data available for this level

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

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 23:1, district 25:123:1
Teaching staff23 teachers
Avg. experience18.9 years
Fully credentialed89%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$76,951 – $136,127
Principal salary$199,780 – $0
Superintendent salary$339,517

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $20,268, CA average $14,815$20,268 · spent at this school
Federal share$1,684 per student

$1,684 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$16,673 per student

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

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction62%
Instruction support12%
Student services11%
Administration6%
Buildings & maintenance8%

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

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$12,626 per pupil
2019$12,585 per pupil
2018$12,126 per pupil
2017$11,366 per pupil
2016$10,754 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic34.9%
District 17.2% · CA 56.1%
Asian28.3%
District 41.7% · CA 10.2%
White26.1%
District 30.4% · CA 19.9%
Other9.6%
District 9.9% · CA 9.0%
Black1.0%
District 0.8% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 23.1% (41pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$153K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.49M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+54% · CA 35%
ZIP population32,015
Median age40 years

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

Worth Knowing

Transitional kindergarten is offered here — confirmed by actual Census Day enrollment, not just the listed grade span.

On the state's science test (CAST), 61% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Lietz Elementary a good elementary school?

Lietz Elementary has a Scope Score of 60 out of 100, placing it in the 82nd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #1,049 statewide. 42.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 21.6 percentage points above the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 3-to-5 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (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 Lietz Elementary's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 63.3% of students at Lietz Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 42.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 20.4% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 42.9% 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. 523 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Lietz Elementary rank in California?

Lietz Elementary ranks #1,049 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 82nd 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 Lietz Elementary getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Lietz Elementary decreases by 2.2 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 Lietz Elementary?

12.5% of students at Lietz Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than 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 Lietz Elementary compare to other schools in San Jose?

Lietz Elementary scores 60/100 (82nd 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 501 students. Use the schools in San Jose page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Lietz Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Lietz Elementary in San Jose, 33.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Lietz Elementary trails its district average for low-income students by 7.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (27.9% Math proficient); Asian students (81.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 47.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 62 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.

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.


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%
42.9%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 71th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-2.2pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 46th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
63.3%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 66th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
12.5%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 59th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.7%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 49th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
23.5%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 58th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 38141%26%15%19%67%+23
Grade 48137%21%17%25%58%+13
Grade 510042%27%11%20%69%+21
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 38053%16%16%15%69%+23
Grade 48132%23%32%12%56%+14
Grade 510053%9%17%21%62%+27
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1110040%21%28%11%

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 Disadvantaged6233.9%−7−4
Asian8481.0%−6+7
Hispanic/Latino8239.0%−7+0
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Lietz Elementary ←6042.9%63.3%−2.21.7%
Alta Vista Elementary2.2 mi8460.1%80.5%+5.50.4%
Oster Elementary1.2 mi8057.9%78.3%+2.11.2%
Bagby Elementary2.6 mi7549.8%73.5%+11.90.3%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195777#125239.7%65.8%7.9%0.2%-10.9pp
20225684#94436.4%61.8%17.1%0.3%-4.3pp
20235681#110742.5%63.4%17.7%0.5%-9.2pp
20245981#107939.5%60.7%12.1%0.6%-1.6pp
20256082#104942.9%63.3%12.5%1.7%-2.2pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female7.3%10.6%+3.3pp
Male8.2%13.7%+5.5pp
Asian1.7%2.7%+1.0pp
Black/African American20.0%
Hispanic/Latino11.2%21.1%+9.9pp
Two or More Races2.1%12.2%+10.1pp
Students with Disabilities13.5%22.1%+8.6pp
English Learners9.2%12.5%+3.3pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged15.8%23.5%+7.7pp
All Students7.8%12.2%+4.4pp
Homeless46.2%
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

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