School Scores
How School API Scores Affect San Mateo County & Santa Clara County Real Estate
When considering which community to call home, any family with children stresses the quality and performance of the school district above anything else. High-rated schools often go hand-in-hand with safe neighborhoods, culturally diverse downtown areas, and opportunities for professional growth and post-secondary education. Thus, school scores are often a reflection of the quality of the community itself.
Real estate prices in the area are strongly influenced by the performance of the schools. Santa Clara County Schools and San Mateo County Schools are subject to the California State Academic Performance Index (API), which is designed to measure California students’ growth and performance for a particular year. Schools are given an API score between 200 and 1000, with a target score of 800.
Most Santa Clara County Schools and San Mateo County Schools score well, especially the elementary schools. High school scores tend to drop off as less economically advantaged students are mixed in with affluent school districts. For example, all Los Altos elementary school students attend schools that score in the mid 900s, but go on to attend middle Mountain View High School (scored at 824) or Los Altos High School (792). Top tier students score on par with students in the highest scoring districts, they just attend a school that is more economically and culturally diverse.
Palo Alto, Cupertino, and Fremont, have High Schools where the scores are outstanding and in the 900’s. High Schools in Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Los Altos, Sunnyvale and San Jose have a greater diversity of students and the scores reflect this, yet scores are still quite high.
Santa Clara County Schools and San Mateo County schools provide demanding and rewarding academic classes, including advanced placement classes to their college bound students. Outstanding students in most Santa Clara County high schools continue on to top rated Universities such as Stanford, UCLA, UC Berkley and the Ivies.