Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
30 points separate Southgate Elementary (39) from Fairview Elementary (9) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.
21 elementary schools span 30 points around an average of 23.9.
Southgate Elementary is the strongest option at 39/100 — 21.9% of its students exceed the state standard.
25.3% of students are chronically absent (state: 17.9%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.
The middle years
One middle school: Impact Academy of Arts & Technology at 27/100 — the whole story at this level is one campus.
One dot, one school — there is no spread to read at this level.
Impact Academy of Arts & Technology is the strongest option at 27/100 — 11.3% of its students exceed the state standard.
The suspension rate averages 6.4% against 3.6% statewide — worth a direct question on a visit.
The high school years
40 points separate Leadership Public Schools - Hayward (63) from Brenkwitz High (22) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.
40 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 5 high schools — the average hides more than it tells.
1 continuation/alternative school not plotted — it ranks within its own class, not on this statewide axis.
Leadership Public Schools - Hayward (63/100) holds the Strong band — 22.7% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 10.9%.
32.1% of students are chronically absent (state: 23.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.
What it means for your family
Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Southgate Elementary at 39/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
4 of the 27 ranked schools are charters — enrollment paths that don't depend on your address. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, those lotteries and applications are the levers worth the paperwork.
A band is a position, not a prophecy — 6 campuses here rank as On the Rise, their returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.
The strongest-scoring run through the district:
Southgate Elementary 57th percentile · SolidScope Score 39/100Impact Academy of Arts & Technology 29th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 27/100Leadership Public Schools - Hayward 76th percentile · StrongScope Score 63/100
Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.
What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.