Summary:
ZIP code 94540 has 12 schools: eight elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school, serving students from elementary through high school. In 2025–2026, the schools’ average proficiency was below the state rate in all three subjects: by 12 percentage points in English language arts (ELA), 13 in math and 11 in science. The most important takeaway is that results vary widely from school to school rather than pointing to one consistently strong or weak group.
Stonebrae Elementary stands out, leading all 12 schools in ELA, math and science, with proficiency of 51%, 43% and 33%, respectively. It is above the state rate in ELA by 2 points and math by 5, but below it in science by 3. At the other end, Tyrrell Elementary has the lowest ELA result, 26%; Ruus Elementary has the lowest math result, 17%; and Park Elementary has the lowest science result, 5%. Hayward High is another ELA bright spot at 51%, 2 points above state, but its math result is 21%, 18 points below state.
Across the 12 schools, average proficiency rose from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026 by 2 points in ELA, 2 in math and 6 in science, though the group remained below state in each subject. SchoolDigger rankings also moved in different directions: Schafer Park Elementary gained 10 percentile points over three years, while Ruus lost 12; these are ranking changes, not test-score changes. Similar enrollment and student-teacher ratios do not guarantee similar results: Stonebrae and Schafer Park enroll 605 and 606 students and have ratios of 21.7 and 21.6, yet Stonebrae leads by 5 points in ELA and 9 in math. Their reported free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 54% and 77%, respectively, for school year 2024–2025; these figures are context, not an explanation for performance.
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