Raymond J. Fisher Middle, Los Gatos CA

Original Research by School Decision on Raymond J. Fisher Middle

Raymond J. Fisher Middle is a regular public middle school serving grades 6 through 8 in Los Gatos, a small, affluent town in the Los Gatos Valley south of San Jose. The school sits within the Los Gatos Union Elementary School District, which spans the town and its surroundings. Enrollment is moderate for a middle school, distributed fairly evenly across the three grade levels.

The student body is predominantly white and Asian, with smaller populations of Hispanic, multiracial, and other students. Very few students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the broader economic character of Los Gatos. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status were not available.

Academically, Fisher performs well. In English language arts, proficiency runs in the upper range across the three grades, with seventh grade notably strong. Math proficiency is solid across grades 6 through 8, with seventh grade slightly higher than sixth and eighth. Eighth-grade science proficiency is also solid. When proficiency rates are averaged across all tested subjects and grades, Fisher's overall performance places it in the top quartile relative to other schools in Santa Clara County. This is a genuine strength that reflects consistent solid performance across the tested curriculum.

The most recent complete year of state testing was 2024-25, so trend data were not yet available to show whether performance has been rising, stable, or declining. A parent wanting to understand trajectory would want to ask the school directly about recent academic trends.

Fisher offers athletics and competitive sports including basketball, soccer, volleyball, cross country, track and field, tennis, and wrestling. The school website can provide details on clubs, academic programs, and other offerings.

Los Gatos itself is a small, walkable town organized around a pedestrian-friendly historic downtown of independent retail, restaurants, and services, with residential neighborhoods of established Victorians and Craftsman homes immediately adjacent. The town has historically pursued a slow-growth development philosophy, though as of 2026 significant mixed-use housing projects are approved or in planning along Highway 17 and South Santa Cruz Avenue. The area is defined by Netflix's large headquarters campus and the broader tech sector presence in Silicon Valley. Housing values in Los Gatos are very high, and rents are steep, placing Los Gatos at the top of the regional market. The town's median household income is among the highest in California.

The Los Gatos Union Elementary School District is engaged in significant capital improvement. In November 2024, voters approved a major facilities bond to upgrade classrooms, safety and security systems, and electrical and heating systems across elementary and middle schools. This represents a long-term property-tax obligation tied to home values. Additionally, voters approved a parcel tax in November 2021 to fund teacher retention and core programs, also an ongoing commitment. Both measures reflect community willingness to invest in school infrastructure and staffing, though they carry real cost implications for property owners.

Fisher is a well-performing neighborhood middle school in an affluent, small-town setting where the majority of students come from educated, high-income families and strong academic preparation is the norm.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 676%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 46 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 778%

School 78% · District 78%

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

Grade 873%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 45 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 673%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 786%

School 86% · District 86%

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

Grade 881%

School 81% · District 81%

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

Science

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 71%

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

Social studies

Grade 878%

School 78% · District 78%

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

This schoolLos Gatos 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 6Lower-income44%Higher-income74%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income58%Higher-income87%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income72%Higher-income82%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income78%45 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income55%Higher-income79%24 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income60%Higher-income74%14 pp gap