Martin Murphy Middle, San Jose CA

Original Research by School Decision on Martin Murphy Middle

Martin Murphy Middle is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in south San Jose. The school enrolls a diverse student body, with a substantial share of students from Hispanic backgrounds, a meaningful Asian population, and representation across other racial and ethnic groups. A substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, marking economic diversity in the enrollment.

On California's state assessments in 2024-25, the school's results show meaningful gaps in student proficiency. In English language arts across all grades, the school is below the midpoint among county school districts. In sixth-grade ELA, about half of students met proficiency standards, but this dropped to lower levels in seventh and eighth grades. Mathematics proficiency was lower still, with fewer than half of students meeting standards in any grade, and seventh grade showing the weakest performance of the three grades. In eighth-grade science, proficiency fell further, with roughly one in four students meeting standards. The school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it below the midpoint compared to other schools in Santa Clara County.

The school sits in San Jose, a sprawling Silicon Valley city that is a patchwork of distinct neighborhoods. The immediate area around Martin Murphy is in south San Jose, in a residential district. Housing values in the zipcode are substantially elevated compared to state and national benchmarks, reflecting the broader Bay Area real estate market; families should be aware that home ownership carries a mortgage payment well above typical U.S. levels relative to income. The region's economy is anchored by technology employment, with Cisco, Apple, Google, and other major tech employers nearby.

The district, Morgan Hill Unified, encompasses San Jose and the surrounding Morgan Hill area and is navigating fiscal strain. The district faced budget cuts in 2024-25 due to the depletion of one-time COVID relief funds, which led to layoffs and program reductions. A facilities bond that would have funded repairs and renovations across schools was defeated at the ballot in March 2020, leaving aging buildings unfunded. The district declined to place another bond measure on the November 2024 ballot but is reportedly preparing a bond and parcel tax measure for November 2026, a future change in property taxes that families in the district may eventually face. The combination of budget cuts already underway and deferred facility improvements creates a backdrop of constraint in the schools' operating environment.

A parent considering Martin Murphy should look into the school's current support and intervention programs directly with administrators, given the proficiency gaps evident in state test data. The school data available does not include information on attendance rates, discipline, course offerings, or staffing that would round out a full picture of the school environment.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 30% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 731%

School 31% · District 37% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 36% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 647%

School 47% · District 40% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 50% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 47% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Science

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 34% · ▼ 8 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 60% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

This schoolMorgan Hill 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 6Lower-income34%Higher-income59%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income29%Higher-income56%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income25%Higher-income53%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income46%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income18%Higher-income41%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income21%Higher-income44%23 pp gap