Rocketship Spark Academy, San Jose CA

Original Research by School Decision on Rocketship Spark Academy

Rocketship Spark Academy is a charter school serving transitional kindergarten through fifth grade in San Jose's south-central neighborhood near Sylvandale Avenue. It is a single-school charter district authorized by Franklin-McKinley, and it went through its five-year charter renewal process in late 2025, with the school now approved to continue operating.

The school enrolls a student body that reflects San Jose's diversity. About half the enrollment identifies as Hispanic, and roughly two-fifths as Asian. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Transitional kindergarten was added recently as part of California's statewide universal pre-kindergarten rollout, giving families a free entry point a year before traditional kindergarten. The school has a small K-5 student body, with enrollment concentrated in the earliest grades.

State assessment results from spring 2025 show mixed performance. In math, the school's proficiency rate across all tested grades sits around the midpoint compared to other districts in Santa Clara County, with growth evident as grades advance: third grade trails noticeably, while fifth grade proficiency is notably higher. English language arts trails math, particularly in fourth grade where proficiency dips into the mid-40s. Fifth-grade ELA performance rebounds sharply, suggesting gains later in the elementary span. In the one grade where science is tested, fifth-grade science proficiency sits around the midpoint. Trend data is limited to a single year, so whether these patterns reflect sustained progress or year-to-year variation cannot yet be determined.

The school identifies as a middle-performing charter under California's AB 1234 standards, a designation that makes it eligible for renewal. A parent may want to look into further what this classification means for the school's improvement trajectory and what benchmarks the school is tracking toward, since the assessment data here shows proficiency rates that are roughly average for the region rather than above it.

The neighborhood sits in a mixed-density part of San Jose, part residential and part commercial-industrial, with tree-lined older streets and some newer development. San Jose's housing market for the broader zip code is expensive, with the typical home value substantially above California's state median and rental costs rising slightly year over year. The city itself is car-dependent in most areas, though downtown and neighborhoods like Willow Glen offer walkable streets with shops and services. Major employers are anchored in technology and manufacturing, with Cisco, Apple, Google, and Intel among the largest employers in the region.

The school's website and publicly reported materials do not detail the specific curriculum model, class structure, whether the school uses online learning components, or enrichment programs offered. Information on class sizes, staff credentials, school climate, or specialized supports for English learners and students with disabilities was not available. A parent considering Rocketship Spark would benefit from visiting the school, reviewing its renewal petition with the authorizer, and asking directly about teaching methods, instructional pacing, and how the school supports students at different achievement levels.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · district not reported

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 462%

School 62% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · district not reported

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 446%

School 46% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Science

Grade 554%

School 54% · district not reported

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income41%Higher-income59%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income37%Higher-income57%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income47%Higher-income59%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income54%Higher-income70%16 pp gap