William Burnett Elementary, Milpitas CA

Original Research by School Decision on William Burnett Elementary

William Burnett Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Milpitas, a tech-centered Silicon Valley city where residential neighborhoods coexist with extensive industrial and commercial zones. The school sits within the Milpitas Unified district in Santa Clara County.

The student body is predominantly Asian, with smaller populations of Hispanic, multiracial, and other students. About half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a socioeconomically diverse population. The school itself is small to mid-sized for its grade band, with roughly even distribution across grades.

On California's 2024-25 state assessments, William Burnett shows mixed results by grade level. In English language arts, third grade performs well, while fourth grade dips notably lower. Fifth grade sits in the middle range, and sixth grade rebounds to strong performance. Mathematics shows a similar pattern: third grade achieves solid proficiency, fourth and fifth grades both sit below the midpoint, and sixth grade recovers. Science data, available only for fifth grade, shows performance at about the midpoint. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency sits above the midpoint among districts in Santa Clara County, though the year-to-year trend cannot be assessed because data is available only for the current school year.

The pattern suggests the school serves students across a range of academic readiness. The dip in fourth and fifth grades may reflect curriculum or developmental transitions worth understanding better; a parent might ask the school directly about supports in these grades and any summer or intervention programming. The strength of results in third and sixth grades indicates the school can deliver solid instruction at those levels.

Milpitas itself is a growing community undergoing significant change. The city is directing major new housing development toward its southern transit area near BART and light rail, with transit-oriented development already underway. The median home value in the area is quite high, though median household income is also high and reflects the region's tech economy. Rental prices are elevated, with renters bearing substantial costs relative to income. The city's character is mixed: residential neighborhoods read as quiet and family-oriented suburbs, but commercial zones sprawl alongside them, and the area is car-dependent despite efforts to build walkable centers near transit hubs.

The housing market here is expensive and competitive, typical of Silicon Valley. If you are considering William Burnett because you live or plan to live in the area, understand that the Milpitas real estate market follows Bay Area patterns of high cost and appreciating value, with new multifamily development occurring as the city densifies near transit.

The school serves a multicultural, relatively affluent community with significant Asian representation. Data on English learner enrollment and special education rates was not available, so a parent seeking to understand support for those populations should contact the school directly. Similarly, information about specific programs, staffing, or classroom practices did not come through in available sources, so visiting or calling the school office would provide that picture.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 72% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 452%

School 52% · District 67% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 62% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 666%

School 66% · District 64% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 65%

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

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 67% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 70% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 675%

School 75% · District 73% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Science

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 55% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

This schoolMilpitas Unified, 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 3Lower-income53%Higher-income81%29 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income68%40 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income49%Higher-income80%31 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income89%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income91%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income23%Higher-income72%49 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income80%44 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income78%30 pp gap