Murdock-portal Elementary, San Jose CA

Original Research by School Decision on Murdock-portal Elementary

Murdock-Portal Elementary sits in an affluent, technology-oriented corner of San Jose. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade, a small to mid-size enrollment for its grade span, in a neighborhood shaped by the region's economic concentration in tech and professional services.

The school's academic standing is notably strong. Math proficiency across grades three through five ranges from the mid-to-high range, with reading comprehension slightly more consistent across the tested grades. Science proficiency at fifth grade is also well above the midpoint. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Santa Clara County, a set of districts drawn from the county membership. Only one year of assessment data is available, so trend information is not yet present.

The student body is predominantly Asian, with a secondary group of students identifying as two or more races. A small number of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not appear to identify itself as serving a title-one population. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status were not available. Kindergarten through fifth grade span means the school does not administer state testing in earlier grades, explaining gaps in proficiency data for those levels. Kindergarten enrollment is comparable to other grades served, suggesting a cohort-like structure.

The housing market in the school's zip code is characterized by steep prices and high monthly carrying costs. Home values are multiples of the state benchmark and substantially above the national median. Rental costs are also steep relative to median household income, with the annual rent burden approaching two-thirds of typical earnings. This economic context shapes the school's population: families tend to have strong purchasing power and employment in high-wage sectors, particularly technology. The neighborhood itself is part of San Jose's broader suburban fabric—tree-lined, single-family residential, and car-dependent, without the walkability or urban density of downtown or established neighborhood centers.

A parent may want to look into program diversity and enrichment offerings directly with the school, as those details were not available in the data. Likewise, staffing information, discipline practices, and chronic absenteeism rates are not reported here. The school's website, if available, would be a natural starting point for operational questions.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 397%

School 97% · District 85% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 54 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 495%

School 95% · District 83% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 58 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above county median

Grade 595%

School 95% · District 82% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 65 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 393%

School 93% · District 77% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 52 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Grade 493%

School 93% · District 78% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 598%

School 98% · District 81% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 52 pts above state median · ▲ 40 pts above county median

Science

Grade 594%

School 94% · District 71% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 66 pts above state median · ▲ 51 pts above county median

This schoolCupertino Union, 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.