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Pearl Zanker Elementary

Q: Is Pearl Zanker Elementary a good school?

Pearl Zanker Elementary ranks 991 st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

991^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 83% of California elementary schools

Summary

Pearl Zanker Elementary is a K-6 public school serving 563 students in the high-achieving Milpitas Unified district, consistently earning a solid 4-star rating and ranking in the 83rd percentile statewide.

While Pearl Zanker is a strong school by broader regional standards, it is considered a middle performer within its own district, with academic scores in English, math, and science consistently below the Milpitas Unified average. It is notably outperformed by nearby schools like John Sinnott Elementary and Mabel Mattos Elementary. A key area for attention is chronic absenteeism, which at 12.5% is higher than at other local elementary schools such as Anthony Spangler Elementary (9.7%) and significantly higher than John Sinnott Elementary (3.6%).

The school demonstrates particular strengths in supporting English Language Learners and students in special education, with these groups achieving very high statewide rankings. Performance varies by grade, with strong 3rd-grade math but a noticeable drop in 6th-grade math proficiency. With per-student spending comparable to district peers, Pearl Zanker's stability and effectiveness with specific student populations are notable assets as it works to improve attendance and upper-grade academic outcomes.

563

Students ?

24.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,938

Per pupil spending ?

35.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1585 Fallen Leaf Dr.
Milpitas, CA 95035-6762

(408) 635-2882

District: Milpitas Unified

Students who attend Pearl Zanker Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rancho Milpitas Middle
High:	Milpitas High

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

67.1%

Hispanic:

16.0%

Two or more races:

8.0%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Pearl Zanker Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 73rd percentile in 2013 → 83rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (62% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 17% of California elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2013

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg66%

California avg41%

991^st of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 17%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 10Elementary Schools in the Milpitas Unified

223^rd of 1,543Milpitas Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.5	991 of 5857	83.1%	★★★★☆
2024	74.1	1405 of 5869	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	80.4	1153 of 5859	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	85.6	919 of 5883	84.4%	★★★★☆
2019	85.8	859 of 5789	85.2%	★★★★☆
2018	83.5	957 of 5662	83.1%	★★★★☆
2017	79.8	1142 of 5692	79.9%	★★★★☆
2016	81.0	1088 of 5614	80.6%	★★★★☆
2015	80.6	1087 of 5611	80.6%	★★★★☆
2013	71.3	1516 of 5530	72.6%	★★★★☆
2012	75.8	1232 of 5390	77.1%	★★★★☆
2011	67.8	1590 of 5377	70.4%	★★★★☆
2010	73.3	1314 of 5314	75.3%	★★★★☆
2009	77.5	1109 of 5193	78.6%	★★★★☆
2008	80.0	971 of 5113	81.0%	★★★★☆
2007	76.6	1113 of 5113	78.2%	★★★★☆
2006	74.6	1156 of 4818	76.0%	★★★★☆
2005	71.7	1265 of 4822	73.8%	★★★★☆
2004	67.7	1373 of 4809	71.4%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	65.5	507 of 1203	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	802 of 1205	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.4	604 of 1190	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.8	596 of 1154	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.1	545 of 1149	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.3	488 of 1071	54.4%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	72.0	378 of 3162	88.0%	★★★★☆
2023	81.1	256 of 3245	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	84.8	232 of 3311	93.0%	★★★★★
2019	80.8	307 of 3275	90.6%	★★★★★
2018	93.8	117 of 3246	96.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.5	873 of 5597	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	71.0	1451 of 5612	74.1%	★★★★☆
2023	83.1	984 of 5609	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	85.6	841 of 5635	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	87.6	684 of 5492	87.5%	★★★★☆
2018	80.4	1023 of 5413	81.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	51.3	2191 of 5107	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.7	3143 of 5107	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	3169 of 5087	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.1	1684 of 5084	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.2	1520 of 4963	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.1	2284 of 4830	52.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	72.9	1113 of 5460	79.6%	★★★★☆
2024	64.9	1506 of 5517	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	57.6	1900 of 5363	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.3	1404 of 5264	73.3%	★★★★☆
2019	73.0	1029 of 5173	80.1%	★★★★☆
2018	75.6	891 of 5084	82.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.9	1114 of 5628	80.2%	★★★★☆
2024	74.0	1326 of 5643	76.5%	★★★★☆
2023	74.6	1311 of 5638	76.7%	★★★★☆
2022	82.3	996 of 5663	82.4%	★★★★☆
2019	82.2	958 of 5510	82.6%	★★★★☆
2018	83.5	907 of 5431	83.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.1	559 of 2847	80.4%	★★★★☆
2024	71.0	477 of 2635	81.9%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2024)88th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)84th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)80th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)80th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)80th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2025)58th percentile-25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)57th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy64%+16 vs state

Mathematics61%+23 vs state

Science56%+23 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, August 5, 2017

We've been very happy at Zanker. The special education support staff are fantastic, the administrative staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and the teachers are amazing. Campus is well-kept and well-resourced. Close Quote

Schools Near Pearl Zanker Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Immunizations Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CSA Spanish Overall (2025)					CSA Spanish Listening (2025)					CSA Spanish Writing (2025)					CSA Spanish Reading (2025)					CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CSA Spanish Overall 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 5th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 6th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading All Grades	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pearl Zanker Elementary	Public	K-6	1585 Fallen Leaf Dr.	Milpitas	95035	Santa Clara County	Milpitas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 635-2882	563	23	24.4	35.9%	18 (3.2%)	26 (4.6%)	90 (16.0%)	378 (67.1%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	45 (8.0%)	83.5	991^st of 5857 public elementary schools	83.1%		74.1	1405^th of 5869 public elementary schools	76.1%	414																					55.9		55.9	66.3	66.3	57.4	66.2			64.3	72.1	64.8	54.4	48.7			60.8	97.2			97.2		$21,938	$20,824	$1,114
Mabel Mattos Elementary	Public	K-6	1750 McCandless Dr.	Milpitas	95035	Santa Clara County	Milpitas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 635-2852	746	31	24.4	15.1%	46 (6.2%)	9 (1.2%)	43 (5.8%)	592 (79.4%)	6 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (6.6%)	95.7	265^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.5%		94.9	352^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	94.0%	87																					72.3		72.3	71.4	76.0	81.9	76.5			76.3	81.0	83.3	77.7	79.0			80.3						$17,063	$16,038	$1,025
Northwood Elementary	Public	K-5	2760 East Trimble Rd.	San Jose	95132	Santa Clara County	Berryessa Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 923-1940	452	19	23.7	13.3%	23 (5.1%)	9 (2.0%)	54 (11.9%)	350 (77.4%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.7%)	88.1	775^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.8%		90.8	646^th of 5869 public elementary schools	89.0%	129																					70.4		70.4	58.8	59.0	75.0				64.6	68.6	66.7	76.5				70.7						$19,001	$17,972	$1,029
Orchard Elementary	Public	K-8	921 Fox Ln.	San Jose	95131	Santa Clara County	Orchard Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 944-0388	740	45	16.4	50.1%	33 (4.5%)	29 (3.9%)	347 (46.9%)	270 (36.5%)	5 (0.7%)	10 (1.4%)	46 (6.2%)	28.3	4111^th of 5857 public elementary schools	29.8%		33.5	3640^th of 5869 public elementary schools	38.0%	471																					21.3	31.5	26.1	26.0	25.4	44.3	35.4	55.3	43.8	38.7	28.8	30.4	27.9	18.8	42.7	12.3	26.7						$50,846	$50,244	$602
Abram Agnew Elementary	Public	K-5	3534 Zanker Rd.	San Jose	95134	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 669-4100	505	24	21.0	25.0%	85 (16.8%)	9 (1.8%)	143 (28.3%)	240 (47.5%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	21 (4.2%)	70.7	1568^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.2%		63.1	1925^th of 5869 public elementary schools	67.2%	357																					45.6		45.6	67.5	42.4	57.1				56.8	62.3	43.1	50.9				53.2						$33,794	$33,326	$468
Brooktree Elementary	Public	K-5	1781 Olivetree Dr.	San Jose	95131	Santa Clara County	Berryessa Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 923-1910	387	18	21.5	40.6%	17 (4.4%)	9 (2.3%)	116 (30.0%)	224 (57.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.2%)	56.2	2243^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	61.7%		63.9	1880^th of 5869 public elementary schools	68.0%	363																					44.2		44.2	48.1	48.9	68.2				54.6	39.6	31.8	34.1				35.5						$19,044	$17,808	$1,236
Anthony Spangler Elementary	Public	K-6	140 North Abbott	Milpitas	95035	Santa Clara County	Milpitas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 635-2870	610	25	24.4	35.2%	29 (4.8%)	19 (3.1%)	110 (18.0%)	408 (66.9%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.7%)	37 (6.1%)	87.7	790^th of 5857 public elementary schools	86.5%		82.9	1041^st of 5869 public elementary schools	82.3%	251																					51.7		51.7	62.2	64.6	80.0	84.0			73.5	62.2	58.5	65.9	66.0			63.4	96.0	98.4	96.0	98.4	97.6	$21,414	$20,228	$1,186
Laneview Elementary	Public	K-5	2095 Warmwood Ln.	San Jose	95132	Santa Clara County	Berryessa Union Elementary	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 923-1920	349	16	21.8	37.5%	16 (4.6%)	5 (1.4%)	104 (29.8%)	208 (59.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.3%)	71.4	1537^th of 5857 public elementary schools	73.8%		67	1729^th of 5869 public elementary schools	70.5%	192																					54.4		54.4	55.8	46.3	65.5				55.9	57.4	42.6	52.6				50.9						$17,750	$16,616	$1,134
Robert Randall World Languages	Public	K-8	1300 Edsel Dr.	Milpitas	95035	Santa Clara County	Milpitas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 635-2662	285	13	21.9	59.3%	8 (2.8%)	2 (0.7%)	229 (80.4%)	34 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.9%)	42.6	3029^th of 5857 public elementary schools	48.3%		27.6	4151^st of 5869 public elementary schools	29.3%	1122	26.8	20.0	9.8	7.7	16.7	61.0	26.7	58.5	15.4	44.2	31.7	40.0	12.2	19.2	25.4	26.8	23.3	7.3	3.9	15.9	29.3		29.3	31.7	40.0	36.6	25.9			33.8	63.4	60.0	24.4	22.2			43.2						$26,519	$25,262	$1,257
John Sinnott Elementary	Public	K-6	2025 Yellowstone Ave.	Milpitas	95035	Santa Clara County	Milpitas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 635-2674	686	27	25.4	22.6%	28 (4.1%)	3 (0.4%)	80 (11.7%)	538 (78.4%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (4.7%)	96.1	238^th of 5857 public elementary schools	95.9%		96.5	206^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.5%	32																					68.5		68.5	72.6	80.7	81.1	83.7			79.6	75.8	82.9	79.3	80.7			79.8						$21,520	$20,212	$1,308

Frequently Asked Questions about Pearl Zanker Elementary

What district is Pearl Zanker Elementary in?

Milpitas Unified

How many students attend Pearl Zanker Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 563 students attended Pearl Zanker Elementary.

Is Pearl Zanker Elementary a good school?

Pearl Zanker Elementary ranks 991^st of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Pearl Zanker Elementary attend?

Students who attend Pearl Zanker Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rancho Milpitas Middle
High : Milpitas High

What is the racial makeup of Pearl Zanker Elementary?

Students at Pearl Zanker Elementary are 67% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 5% African American, 3% White.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.