The top reported proficiency rate is 95% in English language arts. The lowest is 89% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Bullis Charter
Bullis Charter is a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade charter school in Los Altos that delivers strong academic results across its student body. The school's proficiency rates are consistently high in both English language arts and mathematics, with most grades well above typical district and state performance levels. In math, students in grades three through six show particularly strong proficiency, and across all tested grades the school averages high proficiency overall. English language arts proficiency is similarly robust, especially in grades five, seven, and eight. Science proficiency data is available only for fifth and eighth grade, where results remain solid, though eighth-grade science performance is noticeably lower than the pattern in earlier grades and other subjects.
The school enrolls roughly a thousand students spread across kindergarten through eighth grade, with moderate representation across early elementary, upper elementary, and middle grades. The student body is predominantly Asian, with substantial representation also from students of two or more races and white students; Hispanic enrollment is present at a much smaller share. Fewer than a small handful of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, making Bullis a school with very limited low-income enrollment despite charter renewal conditions requiring the school to increase its diversity and set measurable goals to enroll more students from historically underserved groups.
Bullis sits in the top quartile for overall proficiency when compared to other districts across Santa Clara County. The school does not yet serve high school grades, so a graduation rate is not applicable. Data on the school's enrollment of English learners and students with disabilities was not available.
The immediate context for families includes significant change. The district has designated Bullis as the first occupant of a new permanent campus at the San Antonio site in Mountain View, with opening planned for fall 2028. Currently the school operates from portable classrooms distributed across two junior high school campuses, which has defined its physical setup for years. The new campus is designed for a particular student capacity that is smaller than Bullis's current enrollment, and this mismatch is contested; families may want to follow how the district and school navigate that constraint as plans move forward. Additionally, beginning with the 2025-26 school year, Bullis expanded Transitional Kindergarten eligibility to include any child turning four by September 1, broadening early-entry pathways for families with younger children.
The district is also implementing a transition to a middle-school-only model in fall 2028, in which grades six through eight will occupy their own campuses. This will reshape which grades attend Bullis and where the school houses its students. The current facilities agreement with Bullis ends June 30, 2027, so a parent considering enrollment should understand that housing and logistical arrangements remain in flux for the next two school years.
Bullis's charter was renewed in August 2024 with tighter county oversight. The approval tied continued operation to requirements that the school increase enrollment of historically underserved students, set measurable diversity goals, report annually on its admissions lottery, and remove caps on its low-income enrollment preference. The school has already implemented a lottery preference for in-district students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a change made after county scrutiny of the school's lack of racial and economic diversity. These conditions reflect an ongoing institutional commitment to broaden access, though current enrollment data shows the school remains predominantly high-income and Asian; families interested in the school should understand both the stated commitment to diversify and the current composition they will find.
Los Altos itself is a small, mature residential community with a village-scale downtown centered on Main and State Streets, where walk scores reach high eighties to low nineties. The city is building housing at an accelerating pace under state mandates, with several multifamily and affordable projects now underway or recently approved in the downtown, though growth remains contested among residents concerned about density. The area is anchored by the Los Altos Library and the newer Hillview Community Center in the Civic Center campus, parks like Shoup Park, and small employers including Toyota Research Institute and the Los Altos School District itself. Most residents commute to broader Silicon Valley job centers. Housing values in the area are substantially above both state and national benchmarks, reflecting a high-cost market.
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