Summary
Santee Elementary serves 318 students in grades K–6 in San Jose, within the Franklin-McKinley Elementary district. Its results have improved, but the most important finding for families is that proficiency remains below both district and California levels in English language arts (ELA), math and science.
Among the three nearby K–6 schools in its district, Santee ranks third of four in ELA and math, but second of four in science—its strongest local comparison. In 2025–2026, 26% of Santee students were proficient in ELA, 22% in math and 17% in science; the state results were 49%, 38% and 36%, respectively. Math is closest to the state, while science is closest to the district: Santee was 7 percentage points below the district in science, compared with 9 in ELA and 7 in math. Fourth grade is a relative bright spot: Santee exceeded district results in ELA and math by 2 and 4 points. Sixth grade is the clearest concern, with 23% proficient in ELA and 16% in math, versus 38% and 29% districtwide. Santee also slightly exceeded nearby Robert F. Kennedy Elementary in ELA and math, while its science result was higher than Kennedy’s and Jeanne R. Meadows Elementary’s.
Results have risen since 2022–2023: proficiency increased by 7 percentage points in ELA, 13 in math and 10 in science, while the gaps to the state narrowed by 4, 9 and 4 points. SchoolDigger ranks Santee in the 16th percentile and gives it 1 star for 2025–2026, an improvement from the 2nd percentile in 2023–2024; among nearby schools with reported rankings, it is fifth of seven. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for English Language Learner students fell from the 35th percentile in 2021–2022 to the 3rd in 2023–2024, a notable decline in how well the school serves this group by that measure. For male students, the ranking rose from the 1st percentile in 2023–2024 to the 28th in 2025–2026. Santee’s student-teacher ratio was 19.2 in 2024–2025, the lowest reported among nearby schools. Its free/reduced lunch eligible rate was 90% that year, the second-highest among nearby schools with the same measure.
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