Is Sylvia Cassell Elementary a good school?

Sylvia Cassell Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.3% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Sylvia Cassell Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 253 students attended Sylvia Cassell Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sylvia Cassell Elementary?

Students at Sylvia Cassell Elementary are 80% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 2% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Sylvia Cassell Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sylvia Cassell Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Ocala Middle High : William C. Overfelt High

Sylvia Cassell Elementary

Summary:

Sylvia Cassell Elementary is a public elementary school in San Jose, California, serving 267 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District, which is ranked 1274 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sylvia Cassell Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 5-10% of California elementary schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating it is among the lowest-performing schools in the state. The school struggles across all student subgroups, with its Hispanic, English Language Learner, and Low Socioeconomic Status students performing particularly poorly compared to state averages. Proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are significantly below the district and state averages, often by 10-20 percentage points or more. Additionally, Sylvia Cassell Elementary has grappled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 15.6% to 26.6% in recent years, well above the state average.

Interestingly, nearby schools such as Thomas P. Ryan Elementary, Adelante Dual Language Academy, and A.J. Dorsa Elementary generally perform better than Sylvia Cassell Elementary across various metrics, including academic achievement, student group performance, and chronic absenteeism. This suggests that the challenges faced by Sylvia Cassell Elementary may be exacerbated by the socioeconomic factors of its student population, which is predominantly low-income. The success of nearby schools, such as those with dual language programs, highlights the potential for improving educational outcomes in this community.

Detail:

Public K-5

1300 Tallahassee Dr.
San Jose, CA 95122-3939

(408) 928-7200

District: Alum Rock Union Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
5609^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,769

Students who attend Sylvia Cassell Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Ocala Middle
High:	William C. Overfelt High

Student/teacher ratio: 19.4

Number of students: 253

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

80.2%

Asian:

14.2%

White:

1.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 85.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Sylvia Cassell Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sylvia Cassell Elementary ranks worse than 95.7% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks last among 16 ranked elementary schools in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.12. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (80.2%), Asian (14.2%), two or more races (1.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 85.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sylvia Cassell Elementary is 19.4, which is the 3^rd best among 16 elementary schools in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Sylvia Cassell Elementary employs 13 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sylvia Cassell Elementary is $14,769, which is the 2^nd highest among 16 elementary schools in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sylvia Cassell Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Sylvia Cassell Elementary 5609^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Sylvia Cassell Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Alum Rock Union Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Alum Rock Union Elementary 1274^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Sylvia Cassell Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Sylvia Cassell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	34.83	2947^th	4809	38.7%
2005	36.88	2896^th	4822	39.9%
2006	29.48	3341^st	4818	30.7%
2007	46.52	2523^rd	5113	50.7%
2008	31.64	3476^th	5113	32.0%
2009	29.63	3732^nd	5193	28.1%
2010	43.98	2922^nd	5314	45.0%
2011	45.47	2862^nd	5377	46.8%
2012	42.09	3130^th	5390	41.9%
2013	45.00	3005^th	5530	45.7%
2015	30.19	3685^th	5611	34.3%
2016	29.71	3794^th	5614	32.4%
2017	21.65	4546^th	5692	20.1%
2018	25.25	4219^th	5662	25.5%
2019	20.96	4709^th	5789	18.7%
2022	14.72	5383^rd	5883	8.5%
2023	12.29	5541^st	5874	5.7%
2024	11.12	5609^th	5862	4.3%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sylvia Cassell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	32.72	2197^th	3246	32.3%
2019	29.48	2540^th	3275	22.4%
2022	18.84	3238^th	3311	2.2%
2023	25.72	2832^nd	3250	12.9%
2024	29.25	2594^th	3160	17.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sylvia Cassell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	28.70	3870^th	5084	23.9%
2019	24.50	4261^st	5173	17.6%
2022	17.55	4807^th	5264	8.7%
2023	13.55	5140^th	5374	4.4%
2024	10.19	5384^th	5511	2.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sylvia Cassell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.26	4148^th	5413	23.4%
2019	13.10	5145^th	5492	6.3%
2022	15.20	5174^th	5635	8.2%
2023	15.67	5088^th	5617	9.4%
2024	13.78	5210^th	5605	7.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sylvia Cassell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.71	3964^th	5431	27.0%
2019	32.52	3583^rd	5510	35.0%
2022	16.00	5124^th	5663	9.5%
2023	10.58	5496^th	5650	2.7%
2024	10.13	5473^rd	5636	2.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sylvia Cassell Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	25.18	3897^th	4830	19.3%
2019	18.85	4451^st	4963	10.3%
2022	10.40	5001^st	5084	1.6%
2023	11.61	4971^st	5098	2.5%
2024	9.49	5008^th	5102	1.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Sylvia Cassell Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	79	46	187	364	5	n/a	n/a	0	681
1989	74	49	225	348	1	n/a	n/a	0	697
1990	68	52	230	347	1	n/a	n/a	0	698
1991	59	52	244	345	1	n/a	n/a	0	701
1992	43	45	266	326	1	n/a	n/a	0	681
1993	39	49	273	317	1	n/a	n/a	0	679
1994	39	39	275	358	0	n/a	n/a	0	711
1995	27	17	264	301	2	n/a	n/a	0	611
1996	27	17	264	301	2	n/a	n/a	0	611
1997	30	14	255	293	1	n/a	n/a	0	593
1998	29	14	240	299	1	n/a	n/a	0	583
1999	23	15	247	318	0	n/a	n/a	0	603
2000	26	15	212	358	1	n/a	n/a	2	614
2001	16	20	202	380	0	n/a	n/a	4	622
2002	9	17	136	395	4	n/a	n/a	0	561
2003	9	17	136	395	4	n/a	n/a	0	561
2004	15	29	116	413	6	n/a	n/a	0	579
2005	27	23	117	457	6	n/a	n/a	0	630
2006	20	18	127	496	6	n/a	n/a	0	667
2007	18	13	109	460	5	n/a	n/a	1	606
2008	14	6	99	479	2	n/a	n/a	0	600
2009	15	5	90	506	1	3	0	0	620
2010	9	10	95	510	2	3	0	0	629
2011	3	6	104	458	1	4	0	0	576
2012	3	10	101	446	1	5	0	0	566
2013	3	6	90	398	2	3	0	0	502
2014	3	5	88	386	3	3	0	0	488
2015	5	4	86	352	2	2	1	0	452
2016	4	7	67	337	0	2	1	0	418
2017	3	6	70	346	0	0	2	0	427
2018	4	2	62	337	0	0	1	0	406
2019	1	2	57	323	1	1	4	0	389
2020	3	3	55	297	0	1	3	0	362
2021	0	2	50	275	0	3	6	0	336
2022	5	4	44	231	0	2	6	0	292
2023	4	4	36	217	1	1	4	0	267
2024	4	2	36	203	1	3	4	0	253

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sylvia Cassell Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	681	25.0	27.2	n/a
1989	697	24.0	29.0	n/a
1990	698	23.0	30.3	n/a
1991	701	24.0	29.2	n/a
1992	681	24.4	27.9	68.3
1993	679	23.0	29.5	69.4
1994	711	23.0	30.9	81.4
1995	611	20.0	30.6	79.5
1996	611	20.0	30.6	79.5
1997	593	21.8	27.2	77.4
1998	583	22.8	25.6	82.3
1999	603	25.8	23.4	74.6
2000	614	28.3	21.7	76.1
2001	622	32.6	19.1	69.4
2002	561	27.0	20.8	73.3
2003	561	27.0	20.8	73.3
2004	579	24.0	24.1	71.3
2005	630	28.0	22.5	78.7
2006	667	33.0	20.2	99.6
2007	606	31.0	19.5	99.7
2008	600	34.0	17.6	99.5
2009	620	31.0	19.4	99.5
2010	629	31.3	20.0	78.4
2011	576	n/a	n/a	79.7
2012	566	29.7	19.0	n/a
2013	502	27.6	18.1	99.4
2014	488	22.0	22.1	89.1
2015	452	21.0	21.5	90.3
2016	418	19.0	22.0	88
2017	427	20.0	21.3	90.6
2018	406	20.0	20.3	87.2
2019	389	17.0	22.8	87.4
2020	362	n/a	n/a	89.2
2021	336	16.0	21.0	80.7
2022	292	14.0	20.8	78.4
2023	267	13.0	20.5	84.6
2024	253	13.0	19.4	85.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Sylvia Cassell Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	681	25.0	27.2	n/a
1989	697	24.0	29.0	n/a
1990	698	23.0	30.3	n/a
1991	701	24.0	29.2	n/a
1992	681	24.4	27.9	68.3
1993	679	23.0	29.5	69.4
1994	711	23.0	30.9	81.4
1995	611	20.0	30.6	79.5
1996	611	20.0	30.6	79.5
1997	593	21.8	27.2	77.4
1998	583	22.8	25.6	82.3
1999	603	25.8	23.4	74.6
2000	614	28.3	21.7	76.1
2001	622	32.6	19.1	69.4
2002	561	27.0	20.8	73.3
2003	561	27.0	20.8	73.3
2004	579	24.0	24.1	71.3
2005	630	28.0	22.5	78.7
2006	667	33.0	20.2	99.6
2007	606	31.0	19.5	99.7
2008	600	34.0	17.6	99.5
2009	620	31.0	19.4	99.5
2010	629	31.3	20.0	78.4
2011	576	n/a	n/a	79.7
2012	566	29.7	19.0	n/a
2013	502	27.6	18.1	99.4
2014	488	22.0	22.1	89.1
2015	452	21.0	21.5	90.3
2016	418	19.0	22.0	88
2017	427	20.0	21.3	90.6
2018	406	20.0	20.3	87.2
2019	389	17.0	22.8	87.4
2020	362	n/a	n/a	89.2
2021	336	16.0	21.0	80.7
2022	292	14.0	20.8	78.4
2023	267	13.0	20.5	84.6
2024	253	13.0	19.4	85.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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