Independence: math

The shaded band is this school'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.

Measured against the grade 5 bar

The state's math test uses one scale for every grade, so a score means the same thing in grade 3 as in grade 8.

Many students here are still learning English. The math test is written in English, with some translation help, and many of its questions are word problems. In 2026, 5 of the 16 students who took the math test were English learners.

8th The average 8th grader scores 41 points under the grade 5 bar. 2487 vs. 2528. The 8th-grade bar is 2586.

2026 results. "Meets standard" is the state's mark for being on track for that grade.

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
11	79,323	2486.5	− 2628	−141.5	× 44 / 44	−141.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−142

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	73,507	2462.0	− 2567	−105	× 11 / 73	−15.8
8	73,509	2492.3	− 2586	−93.7	× 12 / 73	−15.4
11	73,510	2477.4	− 2628	−150.6	× 50 / 73	−103.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−134

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	75,472	2439.4	− 2586	−146.6	× 12 / 68	−25.9
11	75,473	2498.0	− 2628	−130	× 56 / 68	−107.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−133

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	75,657	2482.3	− 2567	−84.7	× 16 / 77	−17.6
8	75,659	2454.4	− 2586	−131.6	× 15 / 77	−25.6
11	75,661	2479.0	− 2628	−149	× 46 / 77	−89
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−132

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	76,179	2493.5	− 2586	−92.5	× 20 / 65	−28.5
11	76,180	2507.9	− 2628	−120.1	× 45 / 65	−83.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−112

2021 from sb_ca2021_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	74,755	2501.5	− 2567	−65.5	× 11 / 45	−16
8	74,756	2496.0	− 2586	−90	× 11 / 45	−22
11	74,757	2508.4	− 2628	−119.6	× 23 / 45	−61.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−99

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	76,346	2511.1	− 2567	−55.9	× 35 / 165	−11.9
8	76,347	2475.1	− 2586	−110.9	× 58 / 165	−39
11	76,348	2541.7	− 2628	−86.3	× 72 / 165	−37.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−88

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	76,328	2513.3	− 2567	−53.7	× 11 / 44	−13.4
11	76,330	2473.4	− 2628	−154.6	× 33 / 44	−116
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−129

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	76,318	2487.3	− 2586	−98.7	× 17 / 55	−30.5
11	76,319	2507.2	− 2628	−120.8	× 38 / 55	−83.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−114

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	75,991	2470.1	− 2586	−115.9	× 11 / 32	−39.8
11	75,992	2514.0	− 2628	−114	× 21 / 32	−74.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−115

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	75,901	2486.8	− 2586	−99.2	× 16 / 16	−99.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−99

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −142, −134, −133, −132, −112, −99, −88, −129, −114, −115, −99 → −117.9
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 8 · 2016→2017: 1 · 2017→2018: 1 · 2018→2019: 20 · 2019→2021: 13 · 2021→2022: 11 · 2022→2023: 41 · 2023→2024: 15 · 2024→2025: 1 · 2025→2026: 16 → average 12.7
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 12.7 × 2.66 = 33.8. Upper limit −84.1, lower limit −151.7.

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. From 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26.