Santa Clara Unified: Santa Clara Unified schools score 7.5 points above the state average. The trajectory from grade 3 to 5 falls 5.4 points.
Santa Clara Unified has 29 ranked schools across elementary, middle and high levels with an average Scope Score of 52.3/100 — 7.5 points above the state average of 44.8. The highest-scoring school is Millikin Elementary at 90/100, where 72.0% of students exceed the state standard. The district spends $20,344 per student (above the state average of $14,815). 4 schools show positive growth trajectories. Chronic absenteeism averages 17.3%, near the state average. Data source: CDE CAASPP 2025 and NCES fiscal data, analyzed by SchoolScope.
| Level | Avg Score | Schools | Exceeded | Absent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | Solid 52.6/100 | 20 | 31.0% | 16.4% |
| Middle | Solid 51.2/100 | 4 | 28.0% | 12.4% |
| High | Solid 51.9/100 | 5 | 28.8% | 25.1% |
Santa Clara Unified's elementary schools average 52.6/100 — 7.8 points above the state average with a −5.4pp declining trajectory.
K–12 pipeline
The typical school path in Santa Clara Unified, top-scoring shown first.
District Analysis
Santa Clara Unified has 29 ranked schools with an average Scope Score of 52.3/100 — 7.5 points above the state average of 44.8 (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Strongest level: Santa Clara Unified's elementary schools lead the district with an average Scope Score of 52.6.
District-wide elementary growth averages -5.4pp (state avg: -2.9pp) — a declining trend worth examining school by school.
Score range of 69.7 points — showing significant variation between schools.
District chronic absenteeism averages 17.3%, 0.6pp near the state average of 17.9%.
District suspension rate averages 2.6%, near the state average of 1.6%.
Millikin Elementary leads the district at 90 with 72.0% exceeding standard.
How we score · Scope Score methodology
School archetypes in Santa Clara Unified
Hidden gems: 4 schools in Santa Clara Unified are classified as Growth Engine (4) — showing positive growth trajectories that raw proficiency scores alone don't capture. These are schools where students leave with more than they arrived with.
Archetypes are data-driven labels based on Scope Score dimensions. Learn more
Student demographics
District averages · California Department of Education enrollment data
District Funding
Santa Clara Unified spends $20,344 per student in current expenditures — $5,529 above the state average of $14,815.
Data source: NCES Common Core of Data, Fiscal Survey (F-33) · 2019–2020
Teacher compensation
CDE Form J-90 salary schedule · 2024–25
Every school in Santa Clara Unified
ranked by Scope Score · 2024–25 CAASPP
Elementary Schools (20)
Santa Clara Unified has 20 ranked elementary schools averaging a Scope Score of 52.6 — 7.8 points above the state average of 44.8. 4 of 20 elementary schools score above 70.
Growth averages -5.4pp district-wide — a declining trend worth examining.
The highest-scoring elementary school is Millikin Elementary with a Scope Score of 90 and 72.0% exceeding standard.
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Millikin Elementary Santa Clara Unified High Ceiling | 72.0% | Strong 90/100 |
| 2 | Laurelwood Elementary Santa Clara Unified High Ceiling | 56.8% | Strong 78/100 |
| 3 | Washington Open Elementary Santa Clara Unified Growth Engine | 49.4% | Strong 76/100 |
| 4 | Don Callejon Santa Clara Unified High Ceiling | 50.9% | Strong 70/100 |
| 5 | Ponderosa Elementary Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 45.5% | Solid 65/100 |
| 6 | Abram Agnew Elementary Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 32.1% | Solid 60/100 |
| 7 | Braly Elementary Santa Clara Unified Growth Engine | 31.8% | Solid 60/100 |
| 8 | Sutter Elementary Santa Clara Unified Solid Base | 42.5% | Solid 58/100 |
| 9 | Central Park Elementary Santa Clara Unified Culture First | 35.5% | Solid 57/100 |
| 10 | George Mayne Elementary Santa Clara Unified Culture First | 23.0% | Developing 47/100 |
| 11 | Bowers Elementary Santa Clara Unified Growth Engine | 19.8% | Developing 47/100 |
| 12 | Briarwood Elementary Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 26.3% | Developing 47/100 |
| 13 | Westwood Elementary Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 23.6% | Developing 46/100 |
| 14 | Pomeroy Elementary Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 19.9% | Developing 46/100 |
| 15 | C. W. Haman Elementary Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 18.9% | Developing 43/100 |
| 16 | Kathryn Hughes Elementary Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 19.2% | Developing 42/100 |
| 17 | Bracher Elementary Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 20.9% | Developing 40/100 |
| 18 | Montague Elementary Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 17.9% | Developing 34/100 |
| 19 | Scott Lane Elementary Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 11.5% | Needs Support 27/100 |
| 20 | Wilson Alternative Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 2.6% | Needs Support 20/100 |
Middle Schools (4)
Santa Clara Unified has 4 ranked middle schools averaging a Scope Score of 51.2 — 8.5 points above the state average of 42.6.
Growth averages -2.5pp district-wide — a declining trend worth examining.
The highest-scoring middle school is Marian A. Peterson Middle with a Scope Score of 59 and 40.2% exceeding standard.
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marian A. Peterson Middle Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 40.2% | Solid 59/100 |
| 2 | Juan Cabrillo Middle Santa Clara Unified Growth Engine | 31.7% | Solid 58/100 |
| 3 | Buchser Middle Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 24.5% | Developing 48/100 |
| 4 | Dolores Huerta Middle Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 15.8% | Developing 39/100 |
High Schools (5)
Santa Clara Unified has 5 ranked high schools averaging a Scope Score of 51.9 — 8.2 points above the state average of 43.7.
The highest-scoring high school is Adrian Wilcox High with a Scope Score of 61 and 37.4% exceeding standard.
| # | School | Exceeded | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Wilcox High Santa Clara Unified Strong All-Around | 37.4% | Solid 61/100 |
| 2 | Santa Clara High Santa Clara Unified Strong All-Around | 35.0% | Solid 61/100 |
| 3 | Mission Early College High Santa Clara Unified Strong All-Around | 45.9% | Solid 60/100 |
| 4 | Kathleen MacDonald High Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 25.7% | Solid 57/100 |
| 5 | New Valley Continuation High Santa Clara Unified Building Momentum | 0.0% | Needs Support 22/100 |
Data source: California Department of Education · CAASPP 2024-25 · Methodology
Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data, not official CDE ratings. They represent one way of interpreting test results and should not be the sole basis for school decisions.
Numbers tell you whether students are clearing the bar. A school visit tells you whether they're happy doing it. These metrics are intentionally missing from the Scope Score: class sizes and student-teacher interaction quality; arts, music, athletics, and enrichment programs; teacher experience and turnover; campus safety and social-emotional support; parent and community engagement; quality of special education and gifted programs; how resources are distributed across schools within the district. Full methodology