Ben Painter Elementary, San Jose CA

Original Research by School Decision on Ben Painter Elementary

Ben Painter Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in San Jose's Rough and Ready area. The school enrolls a small cohort, with higher representation of Asian and Hispanic students and a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment tilts heavily toward kindergarten and early elementary, with smaller cohorts in the upper grades.

State testing results from the most recent school year show proficiency in the mid-range for math and below the midpoint for English language arts. In math, proficiency rates sit around the midpoint in third and fourth grades but drop sharply in fifth grade. In English language arts, proficiency starts lower in third grade and falls further as grade level increases, with fifth-grade results notably weak. Science proficiency in fifth grade aligns with the lower reading performance. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits below the midpoint relative to other districts in Santa Clara County. The school serves no grade seven, so no secondary testing data is available; the school's grade configuration ends at fifth.

The school is a regular public school within Alum Rock Union Elementary District, a district for which parent-relevant policy changes were not available in the search.

San Jose's housing market reflects the region's technology economy and high cost of living. Housing values in the area are substantial, with rental markets showing year-over-year growth. The median household income in the area is moderate compared to housing costs, meaning rent consumes a notable share of household budgets and mortgage payments exceed monthly rent. The school sits on the east side of the city, an area with suburban residential character. Employment is dominated by technology firms, with Cisco Systems and other major tech employers anchoring the regional economy alongside manufacturing and professional services. Downtown San Jose, several miles away, is undergoing sustained redevelopment with new residential towers and mixed-use projects, though the broader city remains car-dependent outside downtown and a few neighborhood centers.

A parent may want to look further into the school's instructional approaches in math and reading, particularly the significant drop in proficiency in the upper elementary grades, to understand what support systems or instructional strategies are in place and how the school addresses skill gaps as students move upward. The small cohort size in grades four and five also warrants a conversation with the school about class composition and staffing continuity.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 29% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 27% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 17% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 24% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 29% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 28% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 15% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

This schoolAlum Rock Union Elementary, 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-income34%Higher-income35%1 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income48%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income41%Higher-income60%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income48%2 pp gap