Oster Elementary: More than half of kids exceed the standard. But the zoned next school scores lower.
Oster holds its own. Scores drop at the schools it feeds into. Ask where its graduates actually enrol, and whether families stay on the zoned path.
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Growth | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 80 | 58% | 78% | +2.1 | 6.5% | 1.2% |
| CA average · Elementary School | 45 | 21% | 43% | -2.9 | 17.9% | 1.6% |
Oster Elementary scores 80 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 98th 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 →
⭐ High Ceiling — Ask what happens for a kid who shows up behind — a high ceiling for the top can sit right next to thin support at the bottom, and the score alone won't show you which.
Most rating sites would stop at “78% proficient” and call it done. Oster deserves a closer read. It sits at the 98th percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.
The headline number: 57.9% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.3%.
The seven-year arc
Has held the 98th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.
Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 78% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 78% | 78% | 78% | 80% | 78% |
| Grade 4 | 76% | 77% | 72% | 74% | 72% |
| Grade 5 | 83% | 88% | 84% | 85% | 81% |
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 81% | 81% | 81% | 82% | 82% |
| Grade 4 | 73% | 77% | 80% | 83% | 73% |
| Grade 5 | 80% | 78% | 83% | 76% | 84% |
The story this school is actually telling
of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.3%.
the zoned path continues to Dartmouth Middle, which scores 20 points lower — worth asking about on a tour.
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
The honest read: the share exceeding rises 10.3pp across grades; the floor rises 2.7pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 6 things our score weighs
Ask which schools families here actually choose next — the zoned path is only the default.
- Ask which schools families here actually choose next — the zoned path is only the default.
- 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 Oster Elementary in San Jose, 42.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Oster Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 1.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (41.7% Math proficient); Asian students (85.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 39.3 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 47 students tested.
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 1.7pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: -7.2pp.
Showing up, and staying in class
TK/K students miss school at roughly twice the rate of Grades 4–6 students (10.7% vs 4.7%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the earliest grades — worth asking how the school works with new families on attendance.
Where the path goes
The zoned path continues to Dartmouth Middle, which scores 20 points lower than this school — worth weighing alongside everything above. Families here often look at charter or magnet options for middle school.
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
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
What gets spent here
$489 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.
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood it serves
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Transitional kindergarten is offered here — confirmed by actual Census Day enrollment, not just the listed grade span.
On the state's science test (CAST), 69% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.
Frequently asked questions
Is Oster Elementary a good elementary school?
What are Oster Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
How does Oster Elementary rank in California?
Is Oster Elementary getting better or worse?
What is the attendance and school culture like at Oster Elementary?
How does Oster Elementary compare to other schools in San Jose?
How does Oster Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 79
Nearby Middle Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 69
Nearby High Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 68
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 105 | 52% | 26% | 15% | 7% | 78% | +35 |
| Grade 4 | 109 | 52% | 19% | 10% | 18% | 72% | +27 |
| Grade 5 | 99 | 63% | 18% | 10% | 9% | 81% | +33 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 108 | 66% | 17% | 12% | 6% | 82% | +37 |
| Grade 4 | 111 | 52% | 21% | 18% | 9% | 73% | +31 |
| Grade 5 | 100 | 62% | 22% | 6% | 10% | 84% | +49 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 100 | 47% | 22% | 27% | 4% |
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 | 47 | 42.6% | +1 | +4 |
| Asian | 156 | 85.3% | −2 | +11 |
| White | 78 | 74.4% | +1 | +13 |
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oster Elementary ← | — | 80 | 57.9% | 78.3% | +2.1 | 1.2% |
| Alta Vista Elementary | 1.6 mi | 84 | 60.1% | 80.5% | +5.5 | 0.4% |
| Blossom Hill Elementary | 2.5 mi | 78 | 54.7% | 79.0% | +4.9 | 0.3% |
| Bagby Elementary | 1.6 mi | 75 | 49.8% | 73.5% | +11.9 | 0.3% |
| California average | — | 45 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
| Year | Scope | Pctile | Rank | Exc | Met+ | Absent | Susp | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 82 | 98 | #135 | 56.8% | 78.3% | 3.8% | 0.0% | +1.9pp |
| 2022 | 78 | 98 | #121 | 54.4% | 79.9% | 7.8% | 0.1% | +3.3pp |
| 2023 | 81 | 98 | #132 | 56.6% | 79.6% | 9.2% | 0.6% | +3.7pp |
| 2024 | 81 | 98 | #127 | 58.5% | 79.9% | 5.0% | 0.6% | -0.8pp |
| 2025 | 80 | 98 | #133 | 57.9% | 78.3% | 6.5% | 1.2% | +2.1pp |
| Group | 2019 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 3.2% | 4.7% | +1.5pp |
| Male | 4.3% | 7.3% | +3.0pp |
| Asian | 1.5% | 1.8% | +0.3pp |
| Hispanic/Latino | 8.2% | 16.4% | +8.2pp |
| Two or More Races | 0.0% | 10.0% | +10.0pp |
| Students with Disabilities | 7.0% | 13.6% | +6.6pp |
| English Learners | 8.1% | 4.4% | -3.7pp |
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 10.7% | 20.8% | +10.1pp |
| All Students | 3.7% | 6.0% | +2.3pp |
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