River Glen, San Jose CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on River Glen

River Glen is a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade public school on Broadway in San Jose's Willow Glen-adjacent corridor, part of San Jose Unified. It runs the full K-8 span under one roof, which means a child can spend nine years here without a school transition, a feature that appeals to some families and simply describes the structure for others.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with white students making up a smaller secondary group and other racial and ethnic backgrounds present in smaller numbers. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing River Glen among schools that serve a meaningful proportion of economically disadvantaged families. English learner and special education enrollment rates were not available in the data provided.

On the California state assessments, the academic picture is mixed and worth reading carefully. In English language arts, the middle grades stand out: sixth-grade ELA proficiency is strong, and seventh grade is also solid. Third through fifth grade ELA results are more modest, clustered roughly around or just below half of students meeting the standard, and eighth grade sits similarly. In math, no grade reaches what would be considered strong proficiency; fourth and sixth grade lead the school's math results but remain in the low-to-mid range, while third, seventh, and eighth grade math results are below those. Fifth grade math is the lowest across tested grades. Science proficiency at fifth grade is low; at eighth grade it is more moderate. Taken as a whole, the school's overall proficiency index across subjects and grades places it below the midpoint among districts in Santa Clara County, relative to districts in Santa Clara County used as the comparison set. A parent who wants to understand the specific grade-level trajectory, particularly in math, would benefit from a direct conversation with the school about how instruction is sequenced and what support looks like for students who are not yet meeting grade-level standards. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether results are improving, holding, or declining.

Because River Glen stops at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate and no AP or dual-credit pathway to evaluate here. Those questions belong to whichever high school students feed into after leaving.

The housing market around River Glen is one of the most expensive in the country. Home values in the surrounding zip code sit at a level far above both the California statewide median and the national median, and rents are equally elevated. Monthly ownership costs on a typical home would consume a very large share of most household incomes. This context is relevant for any family weighing a move to attend this school: the neighborhood is financially accessible primarily to higher-income households or those with substantial equity from prior ownership.

Two district-level developments matter for families considering River Glen specifically. Voters approved a large facilities bond in late 2024, publicly reported as Measure R, which funds building renovations and other capital improvements across San Jose Unified's 41 schools and adds a long-term increment to property tax bills, something a buyer weighing the total cost of homeownership here should factor in. Separately, the district voted in early 2026 to close five elementary schools and redraw attendance boundaries beginning in the 2026-27 school year, driven by publicly reported enrollment decline over recent years. River Glen itself was not named among the schools closing, but boundary redraws can affect feeder patterns across a district, and families moving into the area should confirm current attendance zone assignments directly with the district.

San Jose itself is a large, internally varied city. The Broadway address puts River Glen in a section of the city with reasonable access to Willow Glen's walkable commercial strip and the Guadalupe River Trail, while the broader city is car-dependent outside of those corridors. The tech-dominated regional economy means the area draws a workforce connected to companies throughout Silicon Valley, which shapes the community around any school here.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 48% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 46% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 42% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 42% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 42% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 39% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 44% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 47% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 52% · ▼ 7 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 675%

School 75% · District 49% · ▲ 26 pts above district

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

Grade 766%

School 66% · District 51% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 49% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 38% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 41% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 55% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

This schoolSan Jose 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-income26%Higher-income50%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income63%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income41%Higher-income50%9 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income76%Higher-income73%3 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income55%Higher-income74%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income64%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income22%Higher-income50%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income67%39 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income43%28 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income54%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income54%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income55%35 pp gap