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Merritt Trace Elementary

Q: Is Merritt Trace Elementary a good school?

Merritt Trace Elementary ranks 3667 th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

3667^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Elementary Schools

Better than 37% of California elementary schools

Summary

Merritt Trace Elementary is a large K-5 public school serving 829 students in San Jose, part of the San Jose Unified district, with a current statewide ranking in the 37th percentile and academic proficiency below district and state averages.

The school faces significant challenges, including a chronic absenteeism rate of 26.1%, though this shows improvement from recent years, and it serves a population where over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Notably, the school demonstrates a wide performance gap between different student groups, with its Spanish language program being a relative strength, outperforming the state average. Within its own district, it performs better than nearby Gardner Elementary and Horace Mann Elementary but lags behind higher-performing schools like River Glen.

Comparisons with nearby schools in other districts reveal stark contrasts; for example, Washington Open Elementary in the Santa Clara Unified district, just over a mile away, ranks in the 93rd percentile with much lower absenteeism. Merritt Trace is the largest elementary school in its immediate area and operates with a higher student-teacher ratio and lower per-student funding than some of these cross-district counterparts, highlighting how resources and community factors can create different educational environments in close proximity.

829

Students ?

22.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,767

Per pupil spending ?

54.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

651 Dana Ave.
San Jose, CA 95126-2003

(408) 535-6257

District: San Jose Unified

Students who attend Merritt Trace Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Herbert Hoover Middle
High:	Abraham Lincoln High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

71.8%

White:

15.2%

Two or more races:

6.3%

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Compare Merritt Trace Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 49th percentile in 2015 → 37th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (32% vs 41% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg45%

California avg41%

3,667^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 49% (2015) to bottom 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 27Elementary Schools in the San Jose Unified

788^th of 1,543San Jose 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	33.7	3667 of 5857	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.9	3535 of 5869	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	3399 of 5859	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.2	3281 of 5883	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.8	884 of 1417	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.3	3441 of 5789	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.8	3417 of 5662	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.0	3243 of 5692	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.3	3193 of 5614	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.9	2860 of 5611	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	38.0	3458 of 5530	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	40.8	3218 of 5390	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	45.6	2853 of 5377	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.7	2937 of 5314	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.7	2833 of 5193	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	39.9	2949 of 5113	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	40.6	2869 of 5113	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	45.0	2439 of 4818	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	41.8	2615 of 4822	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2004	31.0	3183 of 4809	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	41.5	1022 of 2227	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.8	129 of 293	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.9	731 of 2585	71.7%	★★★★☆
2018	53.6	702 of 2128	67.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	22.9	2954 of 3162	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	2712 of 3245	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.5	2167 of 3311	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.7	278 of 602	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.1	1189 of 3275	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.7	1730 of 3246	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	3941 of 5597	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	3590 of 5612	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.6	3256 of 5609	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.5	3158 of 5635	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.4	733 of 1267	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.5	3536 of 5492	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.4	3882 of 5413	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	22.6	4264 of 5107	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.7	3767 of 5107	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.2	3370 of 5087	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.8	3394 of 5084	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.8	3258 of 4963	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	3387 of 4830	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	13.4	5151 of 5460	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	5192 of 5517	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	4264 of 5363	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	3805 of 5264	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.0	851 of 1110	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.1	3788 of 5173	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.9	4064 of 5084	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	3101 of 5628	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.5	3247 of 5643	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.4	3310 of 5638	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.0	3202 of 5663	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.5	828 of 1272	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.7	3057 of 5510	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.7	2810 of 5431	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.2	519 of 670	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	72.2	173 of 610	71.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.7	1341 of 2847	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.2	754 of 2635	71.4%	★★★★☆
2023	36.3	1371 of 2420	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	68.7	831 of 2598	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.3	1184 of 2651	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.8	1241 of 2661	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.0	1525 of 2726	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.1	1579 of 2834	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.8	1392 of 2737	49.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

White (2025)68th percentile+31 vs school

Disabled (2022)54th percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2025)53rd percentile+16 vs school

Male (2025)45th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)23rd percentile-17 vs school

Hispanic (2025)17th percentile-21 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)7th percentile-33 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy37%-12 vs state

Science30%-3 vs state

Mathematics28%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Merritt Trace Elementary

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)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Overall All Grades	CSA Spanish Listening 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Listening All Grades	CSA Spanish Writing 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing 7th Grade	CSA Spanish Writing All Grades	CSA Spanish Reading 4th Grade	CSA Spanish Reading 7th 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	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Merritt Trace Elementary	Public	K-5	651 Dana Ave.	San Jose	95126	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6257	829	37	22.1	54.3%	126 (15.2%)	16 (1.9%)	595 (71.8%)	38 (4.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	52 (6.3%)	33.7	3667^th of 5857 public elementary schools	37.4%		34.9	3535^th of 5869 public elementary schools	39.8%	132													29.9		29.9	41.1	32.8	37.2				36.9	36.8	25.2	23.3				27.9	93.1	97.0	97.7	94.7	96.2	97.0	$20,767	$825	$19,942
Luther Burbank Elementary	Public	K-8	4 Wabash Ave.	San Jose	95128	Santa Clara County	Luther Burbank	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 295-1814	426	22	19.3	69.7%	11 (2.6%)	10 (2.3%)	383 (89.9%)	17 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	26.4	4285^th of 5857 public elementary schools	26.8%		30.4	3898^th of 5869 public elementary schools	33.6%	387													7.6	14.0	10.4	13.2	45.7	21.6	37.0	31.9	40.5	31.3	25.6	41.7	9.4	37.5	34.0	39.5	30.5	90.9						$23,268	$3,737	$19,531
Washington Open Elementary	Public	K-5	270 Washington Ave.	Santa Clara	95050	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 423-3900	352	16	22.7	8.2%	127 (36.1%)	4 (1.1%)	48 (13.6%)	119 (33.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (15.3%)	93.8	415^th of 5857 public elementary schools	92.9%		96.4	225^th of 5869 public elementary schools	96.2%	190													68.5		68.5	66.7	90.4	77.8				77.9	70.2	80.8	74.1				74.9							$29,018	$854	$28,164
Sherman Oaks Elementary	Public, Charter	K-8	1800 Fruitdale Ave.	San Jose	95128	Santa Clara County	Campbell Union	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 795-1140	524	22	23.8	59.0%	37 (7.1%)	5 (1.0%)	468 (89.3%)	7 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	44.1	2943^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	49.8%		44.3	2908^th of 5869 public elementary schools	50.5%	35	20.0	14.5	17.2	18.3	25.8	22.1	36.7	22.6	29.5	15.0	11.3	13.1	38.3	28.9	34.3	35.3	26.7	38.3	53.3	41.9	57.8	41.2	43.1	28.3	38.3	40.9	29.0	41.3	36.2							$20,988	$1,150	$19,838
Gardner Elementary	Public	K-5	502 Illinois Ave.	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6225	385	21	18.5	70.1%	18 (4.7%)	11 (2.9%)	334 (86.8%)	9 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.1%)	14.9	5270^th of 5857 public elementary schools	10.0%		21.9	4684^th of 5869 public elementary schools	20.2%	586													13.6		13.6	18.3	25.0	26.8				23.0	21.7	19.3	13.8				18.5							$21,101	$786	$20,315
River Glen	Public	K-8	1088 Broadway	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6240	463	16	29.3	46.9%	41 (8.9%)	5 (1.1%)	391 (84.4%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.9%)	55.5	2277^th of 5857 public elementary schools	61.1%		48.4	2642^nd of 5869 public elementary schools	55.0%	365													27.3	44.7	35.3	40.0	50.9	45.5	74.5	66.0	51.1	54.2	38.2	49.1	29.1	51.0	41.7	36.2	40.8							$20,522	$752	$19,770
Westwood Elementary	Public	K-5	435 Saratoga Ave.	Santa Clara	95050	Santa Clara County	Santa Clara Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 423-4300	368	18	20.6	37.5%	79 (21.5%)	14 (3.8%)	169 (45.9%)	72 (19.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	32 (8.7%)	57.2	2203^rd of 5857 public elementary schools	62.4%		73.6	1428^th of 5869 public elementary schools	75.7%	775													32.4		32.4	61.8	58.9	50.0				56.4	50.0	45.0	23.5				38.6							$30,459	$1,378	$29,081
Blackford Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	1970 Willow St.	San Jose	95125	Santa Clara County	Campbell Union	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 978-4675	414	19	21.7	57.0%	32 (7.7%)	27 (6.5%)	295 (71.3%)	29 (7.0%)	4 (1.0%)	5 (1.2%)	22 (5.3%)	15.6	5214^th of 5857 public elementary schools	11.0%		20.9	4777^th of 5869 public elementary schools	18.6%	437													11.9		11.9	27.1	18.6	18.3				20.8	25.0	19.7	20.0				21.2	95.8		97.2				$20,523	$1,160	$19,363
Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	788 Locust St.	San Jose	95110	Santa Clara County	Rocketship Mateo Sheedy Elementary District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(877) 806-0920	454	17	27.5	79.5%	8 (1.8%)	48 (10.6%)	376 (82.8%)	15 (3.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	45	2882^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	50.8%		49.6	2581^st of 5869 public elementary schools	56.0%	301													20.7		20.7	30.0	51.5	44.8				41.3	35.8	51.5	39.0				41.8	83.2	85.2	94.1	84.2	86.1	84.2	$21,822	$2,777	$19,045
Horace Mann Elementary	Public	K-5	55 North Seventh St.	San Jose	95112	Santa Clara County	San Jose Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(408) 535-6237	293	14	20.4	74.4%	15 (5.1%)	10 (3.4%)	233 (79.5%)	24 (8.2%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	15.4	5232^nd of 5857 public elementary schools	10.7%		18.4	4997^th of 5869 public elementary schools	14.9%	235													19.6		19.6	7.7	15.2	36.5				20.0	9.3	3.9	23.2				12.4	89.5	96.5	96.5	94.7	94.7		$20,810	$769	$20,041

Frequently Asked Questions about Merritt Trace Elementary

How many students attend Merritt Trace Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 829 students attended Merritt Trace Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Merritt Trace Elementary?

Students at Merritt Trace Elementary are 72% Hispanic, 15% White, 6% Two or more races, 5% Asian, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of Merritt Trace Elementary attend?

Students who attend Merritt Trace Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Herbert Hoover Middle
High : Abraham Lincoln High

What district is Merritt Trace Elementary in?

San Jose Unified

Is Merritt Trace Elementary a good school?

Merritt Trace Elementary ranks 3667^th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Merritt Trace Elementary!

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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.