Berryessa Union Elementary, San Jose CA

Original Research by School Decision on Berryessa Union Elementary

Berryessa Union Elementary is an alternative school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in San Jose. It is a small alternative school within the Berryessa Union Elementary district, located in the Berryessa area of San Jose.

The school's academic profile shows uneven performance across grades and subjects, with a notable pattern of strength in the earlier grades and decline in the middle grades. In third and fourth grade, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts are solid, with roughly four-fifths of third-graders meeting standards in each subject and similar or slightly higher rates in fourth grade. This represents consistent performance in the lower grades where alternative schools often show strength in foundational skills.

The picture shifts significantly in the upper grades. Sixth-grade math proficiency drops substantially—only a small share of students achieved proficiency that year. Seventh-grade math improves somewhat but remains well below the earlier grades. In English language arts, the pattern is more stable but lower overall: sixth-graders show modest proficiency, while seventh and eighth graders demonstrate moderate to stronger performance, particularly in eighth grade where proficiency exceeds half of students tested. Eighth-grade science proficiency sits around the midpoint. The available comparison data places this school's overall proficiency index above the median among tested schools in Santa Clara County, though the data here reflects small numbers of students at each grade.

The school serves a very small enrollment. Current enrollment figures were not available, and demographic data on race, ethnicity, free-or-reduced-price lunch participation, special education status, and English learner representation are not reported. This may reflect the scale of the school or data reporting constraints. Likewise, state testing data for fifth grade is suppressed due to small cohort size.

As an alternative school, Berryessa Union Elementary likely serves students with distinct learning preferences, academic needs, or histories compared to traditional elementary and middle schools. Parents considering this setting should understand that alternative schools often employ non-traditional teaching methods, smaller class sizes, and individualized approaches, though the specific pedagogical model here is not documented in the available data. The school's grade configuration through eighth grade means students will transition to a traditional high school setting for ninth grade and beyond.

The broader San Jose context is one of high housing costs and a technology-dominated economy anchored by Cisco, Apple, Google, and Intel. Downtown is undergoing substantial residential development and urban densification. The area is served by VTA light rail and bus transit, with major transit expansion planned around Diridon Station. A parent considering Berryessa Union Elementary should discuss directly with the school the nature of its alternative approach, how it addresses the upper-grade proficiency challenges evident in the test data, and what support systems are in place for students transitioning onward.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 381%

School 81% · District 65% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 485%

School 85% · District 60% · ▲ 24 pts above district

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

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 50% · ▼ 40 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Grade 733%

School 33% · District 54% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 47% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 380%

School 80% · District 61% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 480%

School 80% · District 62% · ▲ 18 pts above district

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

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 65% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 69% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 65% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Science

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 46% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

This schoolBerryessa 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.