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School Profile · San Jose

Union Middle: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Union posts 61.2% exceeding the standard — versus 16.8% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.

2130 Los Gatos-Almaden Road, 95124 (opens in new tab)·Union Elementary·San Jose·Grades 6-8·1,068 students·8% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(408) 371-0366·Website
Scope Score
89
⭐ High Ceiling · Strong
ranked #18 statewide

Union Middle scores 89 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 99th 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 →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “83% proficient” and call it done. Union deserves a closer read. It sits at the 99th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

Union's low-income kids hit 61.3% 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.

54%
29%
17%
Grade 6 · 83% proficient
52%
32%
16%
Grade 7 · 84% proficient
53%
30%
17%
Grade 8 · 83% proficient

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

61.3%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Union's most underrated number

61.3% 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.

Union low-income: 61.3%State low-income: 38.2%

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
61.2%
State 16.8%
44.4pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
83.2%
State 39.3%
43.9pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+0.4pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
6.1%
State 18.5%
12.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.4%
State 3.7%
2.2pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
44.1%
State 18.0%
26.1pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
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.

Your other options

All schools in San Jose →

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

Hispanic12.6%
White36.2%
Asian39.9%
Black0.4%
Other10.9%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 7.8% (56pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
1,068
208 above CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
24:1
3 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$14,993
District avg: $12,626 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
44.1% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$76,951 – $136,127
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Union Middle in San Jose, 61.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Union Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 20.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (51.6% Math proficient); Asian students (92.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 50.7 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 93 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+15.1pp
21.2% vs 6.1% overall · n=99
ELA · English Learner−50.7pp
32.7% vs 83.3% overall · n=46
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−45.4pp
7.4% vs 52.8% overall · n=80
Math · Disabilities−48.6pp
34.4% vs 83.0% overall · n=78
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−50.0pp
19.6% vs 69.5% overall · n=78

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income93 tested
ELA 61.3%·Math 51.6%· +20.1pp vs district
Asian423 tested
ELA 92.9%·Math 95.3%· +6.0pp vs district
White373 tested
ELA 78.6%·Math 78.8%· +4.9pp 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 11.6pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +2.5pp.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 63%Support 34%Other 4%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$186K
$101K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.67M
$1.01M above CA median
Bachelor's+
62%
27pp 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
17.6 years avg experience
46 teachers · 2% first-year · 2% second-year
Teacher Credentials
90% 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 Union Middle a good middle school?
Union Middle has a Scope Score of 89 out of 100, placing it in the 99th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #18 statewide. 61.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 44.4 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 Union Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 83.2% of students at Union Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 61.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 22.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 61.2% 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. 2,081 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Union Middle rank in California?
Union Middle ranks #18 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 99th 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 Union Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Union Middle increases by 0.4 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 Union Middle?
6.1% of students at Union 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 1.4%, 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 Union Middle compare to other schools in San Jose?
Union Middle scores 89/100 (99th 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 1,068 students. Use the schools in San Jose page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Union Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Union Middle in San Jose, 61.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 41.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Union Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 20.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (51.6% Math proficient); Asian students (92.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 50.7 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 93 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%
61.2%
↑ vs CA 16.8% · 99th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
83.2%
↑ vs CA 39.3% · 85th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+0.4pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 58th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
6.1%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 67th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.4%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 59th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
44.1%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 81th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 635854%29%11%6%83%+36
Grade 735952%32%9%6%84%+37
Grade 832253%30%9%8%83%+37
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 635966%16%11%7%82%+47
Grade 736071%13%9%7%84%+50
Grade 832372%11%8%9%83%+51
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1132448%31%18%4%

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 Disadvantaged9361.3%+20+23
Asian42092.9%+6+18
White37378.6%+5+17
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Union Middle ←—8961.2%83.2%+0.41.4%
Raymond J. Fisher Middle1.9 mi7648.2%77.6%+2.92.6%
Dartmouth Middle2.1 mi6441.0%64.7%−0.91.8%
Price Charter Middle2.2 mi6335.2%64.6%−1.12.9%
California average—4016.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
80%89%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #48 → #50 → #39 → #15 → #18
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
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