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6.9avg / 10

Santa Clara Unified School District

School District · Santa Clara, California

Students: 14,236
Teachers (FTE): 730

Avg Rating

6.9

out of 10

Schools

30

19 elem, 4 mid, 6 high

Enrollment

14,236

Student-Teacher Ratio

19.5:1

How this district compares

California rank

#167 of 713

districts by avg. composite

Vs. state average

+0.6

above California avg

Per-pupil spending

$27,283

+$9,636 vs California median

District size

14,236 students

Much larger than California median

The short answer

Santa Clara Unified ranks #167 of 713 California districts by overall school rating. Santa Clara Unified's schools with real test data average 6.9/10 across 28 schools. Its top-rated schools are Ponderosa Elementary (9.2/10), Kathryn Hughes Elementary (8.6/10), and Adrian Wilcox High (8.5/10). Schools with estimated (proxy) scores are excluded from this ranking.

Best value · beats the odds
Ponderosa Elementary

Rates 9.2/10 despite 27% of students being economically disadvantaged. That's about 2.3 points higher than its student-poverty level predicts. Roughly as clean a case of strong results without an affluent-ZIP price tag as you'll find among Santa Clara Unified schools.

Most improved · 2022 → 2024
Buchser Middle

STAAR proficiency rose +7.9 points from 2022 to 2024. That's the biggest jump among Santa Clara Unified schools across the two most recent comparable testing years.

Top-Rated Schools in Santa Clara Unified

Ranked by MySchoolScout composite rating using only schools with real test data (28 of 30). "Value" = points above what student poverty predicts. Estimated (proxy) scores are excluded.

#SchoolRating
1Ponderosa Elementary9.2 / 10
2Kathryn Hughes Elementary8.6 / 10
3Adrian Wilcox High8.5 / 10
4Pomeroy Elementary8.5 / 10
5Braly Elementary8.4 / 10
6Juan Cabrillo Middle8.2 / 10
7Abram Agnew Elementary8.2 / 10
8Marian A. Peterson Middle7.9 / 10
9Don Callejon7.6 / 10
10Buchser Middle7.4 / 10

See all 30 schools — including those with estimated data — in the full directory below. How we rate schools.

About Santa Clara Unified

Santa Clara Unified is a Santa Clara, California school district serving 30 schools.The district educates 14,236 students with a student-teacher ratio of 19.5:1. District-level spending was $27,283 per student in fiscal year 2023 (NCES F-33).

With an average rating of 6.9/10, Santa Clara Unified demonstrates solid academic performance.

The highest-rated school in the district is Ponderosa Elementary, which has a composite score of 9.2/10.

In standardized testing, Santa Clara Unified students show an average math proficiency of 50.8% and ELA proficiency of 57.0%.

The district includes 19 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 6 high schools.

District Map

Schools in Santa Clara Unified, colored by MySchoolScout rank. Click a pin for details.

District Average Test Scores

Math Proficiency50.8%
School
State
Not reported
ELA Proficiency57.0%
School
State
Not reported

Average proficiency across all schools in Santa Clara Unified with test data.

District Details

State
California
City
Santa Clara
Total Enrollment
14,236
Teachers (FTE)
730
District spending per student
$27,283NCES F-33 · FY 2023 · This annual source is three years behind the current year.
Child poverty rate
5.7%Census SAIPE · 2024
District directory year
2023

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Santa Clara Unified?

Santa Clara Unified has 30 schools in total — 19 elementary, 4 middle, and 6 high schools. You can explore each school's ratings and details on this page.

What is the average rating for Santa Clara Unified?

The average composite rating for Santa Clara Unified is 6.9/10. This score is calculated from the individual ratings of all schools with academic data in the district.

What is the district spending per student in Santa Clara Unified?

Santa Clara Unified's district-level spending was $27,283 per student in fiscal year 2023, according to NCES F-33. This is district context, not an individual-school expense.

What is the student-teacher ratio in Santa Clara Unified?

The average student-teacher ratio in Santa Clara Unified is 19.5:1.

What is the top-rated school in Santa Clara Unified?

Ponderosa Elementary is the highest-rated school in Santa Clara Unified with a composite score of 9.2/10.

What are the test scores in Santa Clara Unified?

Across schools in Santa Clara Unified with test data, the average math proficiency is 50.8% and the average ELA (reading/writing) proficiency is 57.0%. These figures represent the percentage of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards.

How does Santa Clara Unified compare to other districts in California?

Santa Clara Unified has an average school rating of 6.9/10 across 30 schools. Families can compare this to other districts in California by visiting individual district pages. Factors like school size, available programs, and community demographics also play a role in choosing the right fit.

How does MySchoolScout rate schools?

MySchoolScout ratings blend student growth, poverty-adjusted academic performance, and learning environment — plus college readiness for high schools. Weights vary by school level, and equity data is shown for context without being factored into the score. Learn more about our rating system on our methodology page.

District Averages

Overall Rating
6.9/10
Math Proficiency
50.8%
ELA Proficiency
57.0%

How we rate schools

A clear 1–10 score built from public data — growth, academics, and learning environment. No hidden criteria, no pay-to-play.

See how we rate

Other School Districts in CA

Compare Santa Clara Unified with neighboring districts in the state.

See all districts in CA →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data, California Dept. of Education, and U.S. Census ACS for the 2023–24 school year. Rankings computed by MySchoolScout. See all data sources.

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