How does South Valley Middle compare to other middle schools in Gilroy?

South Valley Middle has a SchoolScope composite score of 33.5/100, placing it at the 24th percentile statewide. 10% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,498 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at South Valley Middle?

9.9% of students at South Valley Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 28.4% 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 South Valley Middle?

22.5% of students at South Valley 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.

South Valley Middle

Q: Is South Valley Middle improving or declining?

South Valley Middle's proficiency rate increases by 4.5 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is adding value over time.

Middle School

Gilroy Unified GilroySanta Clara County95020

Composite Score

out of 100

State Percentile

of middle schools

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

School overview

Enrollment

749 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

23:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

55%

Teachers

33 full-time

Dashboard indicators

ELA Year-over-Year

Declined

-7.3 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Declined

-5.8 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

18.2%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 199 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic82.1%

White6.7%

Asian2.1%

Black0.7%

Other8.4%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for South Valley Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	9.9%
Met Standard	18.5%
Below Standard	71.6%

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "28% proficient" for South Valley Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

9.9% of students exceeded standard while 18.5% merely met it. That exceeded rate is 7.4 points below the state average of 17.3%. That's 8.1 points below the Gilroy Unified district average of 18.0%. The 2 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 17.6% exceeded — 7.8 points higher. 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 4.5 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 declined and Math declined year-over-year. 18.2% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 22.5%, above the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

9.9%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

28.4%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

+4.5pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

22.5%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

13.1%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,498

Across all grades & subjects

Grade trajectory

ELA Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

Math Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	259	8.9%	21.2%	27.8%	42.1%	30.1%
7th	249	9.6%	22.1%	21.7%	46.6%	31.7%
8th	242	7.0%	26.4%	28.9%	37.6%	33.5%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	259	10.8%	10.4%	27.4%	51.4%	21.2%
7th	248	10.9%	16.1%	25.4%	47.6%	27.0%
8th	241	12.0%	14.9%	22.0%	51.0%	27.0%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Rod Kelley Elementary

46.758th pctile

Zoned

Eliot Elementary

37.529th pctile

Also serves area

▼

Middle

South Valley Middle

33.524th pctile

This school

▼

High School

Christopher High

59.273rd pctile

Zoned

Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early Coll…

91.399th pctile

Also serves area

Feeder patterns derived from 2015-16 NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries may have changed. Contact your school district for current information.