Hayes Elementary, San Jose CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Hayes Elementary

Hayes Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in the southern part of San Jose, in the Oak Grove School District. The school has an enrollment of roughly mid-sized for its grade span, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with meaningful Asian representation and smaller numbers of white, multiracial, and Black students. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

State testing results from the most recent assessment cycle show that proficiency in both mathematics and English language arts falls below the midpoint among Santa Clara County districts. In mathematics, performance is lower in the upper elementary grades (grades four and five) than in grade six. In English language arts, the school shows a steeper climb: third and fourth grade proficiency is well below the county median, but sixth grade proficiency reaches above it. Science testing, available only for fifth grade, shows proficiency around the county minimum. These results suggest the school faces meaningful headwinds in building foundational skills in the lower grades, with some recovery visible by sixth grade, though overall attainment across tested grades sits in the bottom quartile countywide.

The school sits within Oak Grove School District, which has recently undergone substantial infrastructure investment. In November 2022, voters approved a school facilities bond with strong support, designed to modernize classrooms, upgrade technology, improve security, and expand science labs and STEAM learning spaces. The bond was structured so property tax rates are not expected to rise beyond the current level as older bonds expire. This investment is happening across the district. Additionally, Oak Grove offers choice programs that families can select, including a dedicated TK-6th grade STEAM program at another school site, a Virtual Learning Academy, an Indigo program, and Spanish Dual Language Immersion. These options mean families in the district can shape their child's school experience based on pedagogical preference.

The Hayes attendance zone sits in southern San Jose, part of a sprawling, car-dependent residential landscape typical of the city's outlying neighborhoods. The area around the school is suburban in character. San Jose as a whole is heavily shaped by its role as the economic anchor of Silicon Valley: the largest employers are in technology, including companies like Cisco Systems, Apple, and Google. Downtown San Jose, several miles away, is undergoing sustained densification with new housing towers and is home to San Jose State University and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. The Guadalupe River Trail and surrounding parks offer recreation access. For families relocating to this part of San Jose, the housing market is high-cost. Property values in the 95136 zip code are well above the state average, and rents are elevated; affordability metrics suggest the rent-to-income ratio is steep for typical households. This is a neighborhood where housing carries significant financial weight.

The school's test performance data is limited to one school year, so no trend information is available. A parent considering Hayes may want to look into further with the school what instructional approaches are in place to strengthen foundational skills in the early grades, what support the recent bond investments are providing, and how the school is tracking progress. The district's investment in modernization and the availability of choice programs across Oak Grove suggest capacity for improvement and parent agency in school selection.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 52% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 47% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 39% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 44% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 325%

School 25% · District 43% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 45% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 46% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 653%

School 53% · District 52%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 36% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

This schoolOak Grove 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 3Lower-income20%Higher-income32%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income68%47 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income13%Higher-income52%39 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income50%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income25%Higher-income62%37 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income22%Higher-income52%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income13%Higher-income32%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income52%11 pp gap