Santa Clara: english

The shaded band is this county's normal range. If nothing about how it works changes, nearly every future year should land inside it. Zero means the typical student just meets the state standard. The small numbers under the years are how many students were tested.

Step 1 · Each year's result

For each grade tested, take the average (mean) scale score from the California Department of Education's results file, and subtract the lowest score that counts as "Standard Met" for that grade. That is the grade's distance from standard. Weight each grade by its share of the students tested, then add the grades up. Grades where the state hides the average because ten or fewer students tested are left out entirely.

2015 from sb_ca2015_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	85,678	2435.0	− 2432	3	× 21479 / 142595	0.5
4	85,680	2481.9	− 2473	8.9	× 21297 / 142595	1.3
5	85,682	2524.7	− 2502	22.7	× 21129 / 142595	3.4
6	85,684	2543.8	− 2531	12.8	× 21019 / 142595	1.9
7	85,686	2567.3	− 2552	15.3	× 20386 / 142595	2.2
8	85,688	2586.5	− 2567	19.5	× 20003 / 142595	2.7
11	85,690	2624.7	− 2583	41.7	× 17282 / 142595	5.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						17

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	79,498	2444.7	− 2432	12.7	× 20458 / 142363	1.8
4	79,501	2488.6	− 2473	15.6	× 21259 / 142363	2.3
5	79,502	2533.6	− 2502	31.6	× 21109 / 142363	4.7
6	79,505	2555.9	− 2531	24.9	× 20708 / 142363	3.6
7	79,507	2577.9	− 2552	25.9	× 20716 / 142363	3.8
8	79,508	2597.1	− 2567	30.1	× 20282 / 142363	4.3
11	79,510	2629.1	− 2583	46.1	× 17831 / 142363	5.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						26

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	81,679	2443.7	− 2432	11.7	× 20261 / 141760	1.7
4	81,681	2487.5	− 2473	14.5	× 20338 / 141760	2.1
5	81,684	2524.4	− 2502	22.4	× 21001 / 141760	3.3
6	81,685	2553.1	− 2531	22.1	× 20635 / 141760	3.2
7	81,688	2580.7	− 2552	28.7	× 20445 / 141760	4.1
8	81,689	2595.3	− 2567	28.3	× 20606 / 141760	4.1
11	81,691	2634.0	− 2583	51	× 18474 / 141760	6.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						25

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	81,867	2450.6	− 2432	18.6	× 18997 / 139114	2.5
4	81,868	2494.7	− 2473	21.7	× 20201 / 139114	3.2
5	81,871	2529.7	− 2502	27.7	× 20241 / 139114	4
6	81,872	2550.3	− 2531	19.3	× 20476 / 139114	2.8
7	81,875	2580.0	− 2552	28	× 20450 / 139114	4.1
8	81,876	2596.5	− 2567	29.5	× 20401 / 139114	4.3
11	81,879	2623.2	− 2583	40.2	× 18348 / 139114	5.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						26

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	82,483	2451.9	− 2432	19.9	× 18954 / 136434	2.8
4	82,484	2495.6	− 2473	22.6	× 18774 / 136434	3.1
5	82,485	2535.7	− 2502	33.7	× 19986 / 136434	4.9
6	82,486	2553.3	− 2531	22.3	× 19695 / 136434	3.2
7	82,487	2580.6	− 2552	28.6	× 20185 / 136434	4.2
8	82,488	2598.4	− 2567	31.4	× 20266 / 136434	4.7
11	82,489	2628.3	− 2583	45.3	× 18574 / 136434	6.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						29

2021 from sb_ca2021_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	80,779	2461.6	− 2432	29.6	× 4751 / 42157	3.3
4	80,780	2504.1	− 2473	31.1	× 4958 / 42157	3.7
5	80,781	2546.9	− 2502	44.9	× 5548 / 42157	5.9
6	80,782	2563.9	− 2531	32.9	× 5434 / 42157	4.2
7	80,783	2599.5	− 2552	47.5	× 5781 / 42157	6.5
8	80,784	2614.2	− 2567	47.2	× 5732 / 42157	6.4
11	80,785	2651.7	− 2583	68.7	× 9953 / 42157	16.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						46

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	82,666	2442.7	− 2432	10.7	× 16736 / 120974	1.5
4	82,667	2488.4	− 2473	15.4	× 17071 / 120974	2.2
5	82,668	2527.0	− 2502	25	× 17196 / 120974	3.6
6	82,669	2547.1	− 2531	16.1	× 17081 / 120974	2.3
7	82,670	2578.2	− 2552	26.2	× 16890 / 120974	3.7
8	82,671	2591.4	− 2567	24.4	× 18224 / 120974	3.7
11	82,672	2632.1	− 2583	49.1	× 17776 / 120974	7.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						24

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	82,640	2439.5	− 2432	7.5	× 16248 / 118716	1
4	82,641	2484.9	− 2473	11.9	× 16674 / 118716	1.7
5	82,642	2526.4	− 2502	24.4	× 17130 / 118716	3.5
6	82,643	2544.5	− 2531	13.5	× 16762 / 118716	1.9
7	82,644	2573.1	− 2552	21.1	× 16904 / 118716	3
8	82,645	2587.4	− 2567	20.4	× 16925 / 118716	2.9
11	82,646	2624.3	− 2583	41.3	× 18073 / 118716	6.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						20

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	82,650	2436.6	− 2432	4.6	× 16075 / 117564	0.6
4	82,651	2481.9	− 2473	8.9	× 16454 / 117564	1.2
5	82,652	2523.4	− 2502	21.4	× 16737 / 117564	3
6	82,653	2545.1	− 2531	14.1	× 16849 / 117564	2
7	82,654	2572.5	− 2552	20.5	× 16747 / 117564	2.9
8	82,655	2586.5	− 2567	19.5	× 16931 / 117564	2.8
11	82,656	2625.5	− 2583	42.5	× 17771 / 117564	6.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						19

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	82,328	2438.0	− 2432	6	× 15862 / 116604	0.8
4	82,329	2485.7	− 2473	12.7	× 16218 / 116604	1.8
5	82,330	2525.1	− 2502	23.1	× 16558 / 116604	3.3
6	82,331	2548.2	− 2531	17.2	× 16562 / 116604	2.4
7	82,332	2577.7	− 2552	25.7	× 16832 / 116604	3.7
8	82,333	2589.9	− 2567	22.9	× 16824 / 116604	3.3
11	82,334	2625.2	− 2583	42.2	× 17748 / 116604	6.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						22

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	82,226	2437.4	− 2432	5.4	× 15217 / 113633	0.7
4	82,227	2483.8	− 2473	10.8	× 15931 / 113633	1.5
5	82,228	2527.8	− 2502	25.8	× 16226 / 113633	3.7
6	82,229	2543.9	− 2531	12.9	× 16314 / 113633	1.9
7	82,230	2576.5	− 2552	24.5	× 16570 / 113633	3.6
8	82,231	2591.8	− 2567	24.8	× 16794 / 113633	3.7
11	82,232	2624.8	− 2583	41.8	× 16581 / 113633	6.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						21

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. 17, 26, 25, 26, 29, 46, 24, 20, 19, 22, 21 → 25
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 9 · 2016→2017: 1 · 2017→2018: 1 · 2018→2019: 3 · 2019→2021: 17 · 2021→2022: 22 · 2022→2023: 4 · 2023→2024: 1 · 2024→2025: 3 · 2025→2026: 1 → average 6.2
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 6.2 × 2.66 = 16.5. Upper limit 41.5, lower limit 8.5.

Why 2.66? It is the standard factor from quality control, the work of Walter Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming. It turns "how much the result typically changes in a year" into "how far it can wander by chance alone".

Years with no result (no state tests were given in spring 2020) are skipped: the year-to-year change runs from the last year with a result to the next one.

Step 3 · Free or reduced-price meals

The share of enrolled students eligible for free or reduced-price meals — for a county, the total across its schools. From 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26.