How does Sam H. Lawson Middle compare to other middle schools in Cupertino?

Sam H. Lawson Middle has a SchoolScope composite score of 78.7/100, placing it at the 99th percentile statewide. 64% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,608 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Sam H. Lawson Middle?

64.4% of students at Sam H. Lawson Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 87.7% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Sam H. Lawson Middle?

3.5% of students at Sam H. Lawson Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in our composite score.

Sam H. Lawson Middle

Q: Is Sam H. Lawson Middle improving or declining?

Sam H. Lawson Middle's proficiency rate increases by 6.0 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is adding value over time.

Middle School

Cupertino Union CupertinoSanta Clara County95014

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

School overview

Enrollment

834 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

20:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

16%

Teachers

41 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased

+5.1 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+9.6 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

50.0%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 90 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic4.4%

White6.5%

Asian81.5%

Black0.7%

Other6.8%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Sam H. Lawson Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	64.4%
Met Standard	23.3%
Below Standard	12.3%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "88% proficient" for Sam H. Lawson Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

64.4% of students exceeded standard while 23.3% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 47.1 points above the state average of 17.3%. That's 4.6 points above the Cupertino Union district average of 59.8%. Compared to the 6 nearby schools within ~3 miles, this exceeded rate is 7.3 points higher (vs 57.1% average). The gap between "met" and "exceeded" is the difference between a school that clears the bar and one that raises it.

Students here improve by 6.0 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is adding value beyond what students arrive with.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance increased and Math increased year-over-year. 50.0% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 3.5%, better than the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →