John Muir Middle, San Leandro CA

Original Research by School Decision on John Muir Middle

John Muir Middle serves grades six through eight in San Leandro, a mixed-use East Bay city with a diverse student population and a neighborhood anchored by two BART stations and a downtown civic center. The school enrolls about that many students, with a substantial portion qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and Asian, reflecting San Leandro's demographic makeup.

On state assessments, the school shows uneven performance across subjects. In English language arts, proficiency rates range from the low-to-mid range in sixth grade to roughly at the midpoint in seventh grade, then dip again in eighth grade. Mathematics presents a steeper challenge, with proficiency rates in the low-to-mid range across all three grades and declining as students move into eighth grade. Science proficiency in eighth grade sits in the low-to-mid range. When proficiency rates are averaged across tested subjects and grades, John Muir sits below the midpoint relative to districts in Alameda County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what interventions or supports are in place, particularly in mathematics where the trend is downward by grade level.

Data on special populations such as students with individualized education plans and English learners was not available from the sources reviewed, so prospective families should ask the school directly about how it identifies and serves these students, especially given that the neighborhood itself is linguistically and economically diverse. No information was available on chronic absenteeism, course access, staffing levels, or attendance rates, which could all shape the day-to-day student experience.

San Leandro Unified approved Measure J, a bond in 2024 that extends rather than increases the school-bond tax rate and funds renovations, modernized classrooms, seismic upgrades, and notably affordable rental housing for teachers and staff. This is a district-wide commitment that affects both the school environment students encounter and the tax landscape families navigate. The district has also undertaken a phased adoption of new high school math materials designed to better serve multilingual learners and align with the California Math Framework, a curricular shift that will affect students as they transition out of middle school.

The broader San Leandro context is one of transit-oriented growth and economic diversification. Two BART stations bookend the city, the downtown area functions as a civic and cultural hub, and large ongoing development projects aim to concentrate new housing and commerce around transit corridors. Kaiser Permanente's medical center and the emerging technology sector are reshaping local employment alongside the city's manufacturing heritage. Housing values in the zip code reflect the Bay Area's broader market, and most employed San Leandro residents work outside the city. For families considering the school or the neighborhood, the presence of nearby transit, walkable downtown amenities, and clear growth plans signal a place designed around public transportation and walkability, even though most of the city outside these cores remains car-dependent.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 26% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 25% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 14% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 42% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 43% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 36% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 25% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 44% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

This schoolSan Leandro 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-income36%Higher-income56%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income79%35 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income36%Higher-income61%25 pp gap

Mathematics

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

Grade 7Lower-income23%Higher-income53%30 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income14%Higher-income39%24 pp gap