Jefferson, Tracy CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson

Jefferson is a middle school serving grades five through eight in Tracy, California, with an enrollment of roughly five hundred students. The school sits in the western suburbs of Tracy, in San Joaquin County, drawing students from surrounding neighborhoods in a city that functions largely as a commuter community offering Central Valley affordability with Bay Area access. The area is undergoing rapid residential growth through large master-planned developments, and Jefferson serves families in both the established parts of Tracy and the newer southwest neighborhoods.

Academic performance at Jefferson is solid in language arts and mathematics. Across all grades tested, the school's overall proficiency in English language arts sits above the midpoint among districts in San Joaquin County, and proficiency in mathematics is similarly positioned. Grade-by-grade, English language arts proficiency runs in the low to mid-seventy percent range, with eighth grade showing the strongest result. Mathematics proficiency is slightly lower, running between seventy and seventy-three percent across grades. Science proficiency, measured through California's science test, sits in the mid-sixty percent range at both fifth and eighth grade, somewhat softer than the core literacy and math numbers. These results reflect a school where the majority of students meet grade-level standards, but not uniformly across all subjects or grades.

The student body is demographically distinctive for Tracy. A substantial majority of the enrollment is Asian, reflecting both the broader demographic shift in the area and likely the concentration of Asian families in certain neighborhoods and master-planned communities. Hispanic students make up a meaningful second share of enrollment, with white students and other groups present in smaller numbers. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a proxy for economic need that is notably lower than in many California schools, suggesting the school draws from a mix of middle-income and higher-income households.

The school operates as a regular public school within Jefferson Elementary School District, which has recently added its first new campus in decades. Corral Hollow Elementary, a K-8 school, opened in 2024 in the Tracy Hills master-planned community on the southwest side, providing neighborhood-school access for families moving into that rapidly growing area. A second new K-8 school, Franklyn Cole Elementary, is planned for the Ellis development but faced infrastructure delays that pushed its opening to 2027. These investments signal the district is adapting to Tracy's growth, though families in newer neighborhoods should confirm school assignments and timelines carefully.

Jefferson itself is an established school serving the western part of the city. Data on specific programs, class sizes, staffing, or course breadth was not available, so a parent may want to contact the school or district directly to understand its course offerings at the middle-school level, any magnet or specialized programs, and how it integrates with the high schools students feed into. The school's solid proficiency results suggest effective instruction in core subjects, though the relative softness in science offers something a parent might explore further with the school if science instruction is a priority for their child.

Housing in Tracy's zip code runs higher than California's state median, reflecting the influx of Bay Area commuters and the desirability of the newer master-planned neighborhoods. Rental costs are also substantial. The market cooled in 2025 after years of rapid appreciation, with homes taking longer to sell, so families considering a move to this area may find slightly more negotiating room than in prior years, though affordability relative to Bay Area options remains a draw for working families.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 52% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 43 pts above state median · ▲ 53 pts above county median

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 60% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

Grade 770%

School 70% · District 63% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 52% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 64% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 675%

School 75% · District 66% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 67% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 877%

School 77% · District 64% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 55% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 51% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 56% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

This schoolJefferson 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 5Lower-income44%Higher-income80%36 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income59%Higher-income81%22 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income58%Higher-income79%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income62%Higher-income83%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income61%Higher-income76%15 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income59%Higher-income77%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income58%Higher-income75%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income49%Higher-income81%33 pp gap