Kipp Heritage Academy, San Jose CA

Original Research by School Decision on Kipp Heritage Academy

KIPP Heritage Academy is a public charter middle school in San Jose serving fifth through eighth grades. The school enrolls a community that is majority economically disadvantaged and deeply diverse in ethnic composition, with large Asian and Hispanic populations in roughly equal shares.

Academically, the school shows a pattern of strength in English language arts and relative softness in mathematics. Across all tested grades in English, the school's proficiency runs consistently in the high seventies range. In math, the picture diverges sharply by grade: fifth graders achieve proficiency at a substantially higher rate, while proficiency declines markedly in sixth and seventh grades before dropping further in eighth grade. Science proficiency in grade five is solid, but eighth-grade science proficiency is lower. When proficiency across tested subjects and grades is averaged together, the school sits above the midpoint among the county's public schools, a meaningful position that reflects the English strength and grade-five performance pulling the overall index up.

The decline in math proficiency as students progress through the grades is the most striking pattern in the data. A parent or student considering this school may want to look into this further with the school: what drives the grade-to-grade drop, what interventions are in place for students struggling with math in the upper grades, and whether the school has identified root causes or structural responses. This pattern often surfaces when schools face capacity or resource constraints in upper-grade instruction, but it could reflect demographic change, course structure, or other factors specific to this community.

The school serves a substantial population in need of economic support, with a majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is roughly balanced across all four grades served. The school operates as a regular public charter school located in the 95111 zip code on the city's east side.

San Jose itself is Silicon Valley's largest city and a patchwork of distinct neighborhoods. Downtown is increasingly dense with new residential towers under construction or approved, while surrounding areas like Almaden Valley and West San Jose are largely suburban and single-family in character. The city's economy is dominated by technology; Cisco and other major tech employers anchor the labor market. Housing values in the 95111 area are substantial, though rental costs are more moderate. A reader considering the school should factor in whether the neighborhood's character and commute fit their family's daily rhythm.

No multi-year trend data is available to show whether performance is moving up, down, or stable; only current-year results are present in the record. Data on special education enrollment, English learner identification rates, discipline, attendance, and staff composition are not available. The school's full course offerings, enrichment programs, and pedagogical approach were not detailed in the available information.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 572%

School 72% · district not reported

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 655%

School 55% · district not reported

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · district not reported

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

Grade 842%

School 42% · district not reported

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 581%

School 81% · district not reported

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 677%

School 77% · district not reported

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 777%

School 77% · district not reported

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

Grade 877%

School 77% · district not reported

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Science

Grade 561%

School 61% · district not reported

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 849%

School 49% · district not reported

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 12 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 5Lower-income76%Higher-income87%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income74%Higher-income82%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income73%Higher-income83%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income71%Higher-income92%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income66%Higher-income81%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income52%Higher-income62%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income54%Higher-income60%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income64%30 pp gap