Santa Clara County Community: 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.

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
8	85,886	2361.5	− 2586	−224.5	× 25 / 94	−59.7
11	85,887	2405.7	− 2628	−222.3	× 69 / 94	−163.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−223

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	79,729	2362.4	− 2586	−223.6	× 18 / 83	−48.5
11	79,730	2411.6	− 2628	−216.4	× 65 / 83	−169.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−218

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	81,910	2362.5	− 2586	−223.5	× 19 / 40	−106.2
11	81,912	2355.1	− 2628	−272.9	× 21 / 40	−143.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−249

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	82,102	2343.4	− 2586	−242.6	× 16 / 32	−121.3
11	82,105	2391.6	− 2628	−236.4	× 16 / 32	−118.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−240

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	82,714	2368.4	− 2586	−217.6	× 14 / 26	−117.2
11	82,715	2412.3	− 2628	−215.7	× 12 / 26	−99.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−217

2021 from sb_ca2021_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
11	81,029	2440.5	− 2628	−187.5	× 18 / 18	−187.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−188

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	82,899	2353.4	− 2567	−213.6	× 12 / 28	−91.5
8	82,900	2407.1	− 2586	−178.9	× 16 / 28	−102.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−194

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	82,901	2332.5	− 2586	−253.5	× 12 / 12	−253.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−254

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	82,583	2374.3	− 2586	−211.7	× 12 / 12	−211.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−212

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −223, −218, −249, −240, −217, −188, −194, −254, −212 → −221.7
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 5 · 2016→2017: 31 · 2017→2018: 9 · 2018→2019: 23 · 2019→2021: 29 · 2021→2023: 6 · 2023→2024: 60 · 2024→2025: 42 → average 25.6
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 25.6 × 2.66 = 68.1. Upper limit −153.6, lower limit −289.8.

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.