Tierra Linda Middle, San Carlos CA

Original Research by School Decision on Tierra Linda Middle

Tierra Linda Middle is a mid-sized neighborhood school serving grades six through eight in San Carlos, a small, walkable Peninsula city known for its compact downtown and quiet residential hills. The school sits on the city's west side near Belmont, drawing from residential neighborhoods rather than from downtown.

Academically, Tierra Linda shows solid proficiency across both English language arts and mathematics. In ELA, students in grade six post strong performance, with performance improving further in grades seven and eight. Math proficiency is also sound, though with slightly more variability by grade; seventh grade marks the peak. The school also reports proficiency data in eighth-grade science. Across the three tested subjects and grade levels where data is available, Tierra Linda's proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in San Mateo County.

The student body reflects the broader San Mateo County demographics. A large share of students are Asian or white, with meaningful representation of students who identify as Hispanic or multiracial. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a generally affluent student population, though data on special populations like English learners and students with IEPs was not available. The school enrolls roughly balanced cohorts across the three grades.

San Carlos and its school district sit in one of California's most expensive housing markets. Home values are substantially above state and national benchmarks, and monthly rents are also high. For a family moving to the area, housing affordability is a significant consideration. The district has been active in capital planning, with voters approving a bond measure in March 2024 to modernize facilities across all nine schools, including work on HVAC, roofs, and safety systems. The district is also expanding transitional kindergarten and is facing a projected budget deficit; a parcel tax renewal measure is headed to the November ballot. These district-level financial matters may affect program offerings and operations over the coming years.

San Carlos itself is stable and civic-minded. Downtown concentrates on independently owned restaurants, cafes, and specialty retail along Laurel Street, which was converted to a pedestrian mall in 2023. Much of the city's growth has centered on transit-oriented apartment development around the Caltrain station, and the city has recently adopted a new Downtown Specific Plan. Beyond the downtown core, neighborhoods are tree-lined and residential; the citywide walk score is lower, making daily life more car-dependent in the hills. The city's employers span life sciences, technology, and specialty retail, typical of the Peninsula.

Tierra Linda's peer, Central Middle School, is the other middle school in the district and serves a slightly different neighborhood. After eighth grade, students feed into the Sequoia Union High School District, with many attending Sequoia High School in Redwood City.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 77% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 784%

School 84% · District 81% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 54 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 878%

School 78% · District 77% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 50 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 685%

School 85% · District 83% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 788%

School 88% · District 89% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 42 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 889%

School 89% · District 89% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 79% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 78% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolSan Carlos 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-income60%Higher-income81%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income90%60 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income55%Higher-income94%40 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income93%50 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income75%49 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income77%54 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income59%Higher-income88%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income21%Higher-income84%62 pp gap