Sam H. Lawson Middle

Summary:

Sam H. Lawson Middle is a highly-ranked public middle school located in Cupertino, California, serving 816 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Cupertino Union School District, which is ranked 41 out of 1,568 districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sam H. Lawson Middle has consistently ranked among the top 15 middle schools in California over the past several years, with a ranking of 15 out of 2,777 schools in the 2023-2024 school year. The school's students demonstrate exceptional academic performance, with over 80% proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics on the Smarter Balanced Assessments, significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school also excels in serving diverse student populations, ranking highly for female, male, Asian, White, and multi-racial students, as well as English Language Learners and students with disabilities.

While Warren E. Hyde Middle and John F. Kennedy Middle, two other schools in the Cupertino Union School District, also demonstrate strong academic results, the differences in performance between them and Sam H. Lawson Middle are not as significant as one might expect. Additionally, Sam H. Lawson Middle's low chronic absenteeism rates, which are significantly lower than the district and state averages, suggest a strong culture of attendance and engagement among students and families.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 10401 Vista Dr.
       Cupertino, CA  95014-2081


(408) 255-7500

District: Cupertino Union

SchoolDigger Rank:
15th of 2,777 California Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $7,511 Help


Feeder schools for Sam H. Lawson Middle:

Elementary:    C. B. Eaton Elementary
    Garden Gate Elementary
    L. P. Collins Elementary

Student/teacher ratio:  18.6 Help
Number of students:  816

Racial breakdown:

Asian:
83.5%
White:
6.0%
Two or more races:
6.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  12.7% Help


 See top rated California middle schools

 Compare Sam H. Lawson Middle to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Sam H. Lawson Middle ranks better than 99.5% of middle schools in California. It also ranks 3rd among 5 ranked middle schools in the Cupertino Union School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 99.1. (See more...)
Help
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
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Asian (83.5%), two or more races (6%), White (6%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 12.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sam H. Lawson Middle is 18.6, which is the lowest among 5 middle schools in the Cupertino Union School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Sam H. Lawson Middle employs 43.8 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sam H. Lawson Middle is $7,511. 3 middle schools in the Cupertino Union School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sam H. Lawson Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Sam H. Lawson Middle 15th of 2777 California public middle schools. (See Sam H. Lawson Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Cupertino Union:

SchoolDigger ranks Cupertino Union 41st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Sam H. Lawson Middle

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Rank History for all students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2007 95.17 35th 1999 98.2%
2008 94.31 39th 2005 98.1%
2009 93.88 30th 2063 98.5%
2010 94.37 24th 2179 98.9%
2011 93.72 26th 2236 98.8%
2012 92.67 34th 2259 98.5%
2013 88.93 107th 2379 95.5%
2015 98.73 12th 2477 99.5%
2016 98.50 12th 2497 99.5%
2017 98.78 18th 2508 99.3%
2018 98.81 15th 2480 99.4%
2019 98.43 25th 2715 99.1%
2021 99.18 10th 894 98.9%
2022 99.40 10th 2740 99.6%
2023 99.29 14th 2802 99.5%
2024 99.10 15th 2777 99.5%
See the entire list of California Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 89.24 34th 665 94.9%
2023 91.61 23rd 678 96.6%
2024 90.60 29th 699 95.9%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 99.91 7th 1364 99.5%
2019 92.31 55th 1442 96.2%
2021 100.00 1st 363 99.7%
2022 99.97 2nd 1540 99.9%
2023 99.46 7th 1529 99.5%
2024 99.85 3rd 1477 99.8%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 94.38 60th 1538 96.1%
2024 93.96 63rd 1550 95.9%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 98.86 20th 2230 99.1%
2019 81.05 285th 2369 88.0%
2021 99.53 5th 721 99.3%
2022 99.30 18th 2458 99.3%
2023 99.44 10th 2549 99.6%
2024 98.04 45th 2575 98.3%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 97.97 17th 2262 99.2%
2019 97.74 28th 2380 98.8%
2021 98.77 10th 738 98.6%
2022 99.13 8th 2509 99.7%
2023 99.14 11th 2547 99.6%
2024 98.82 14th 2546 99.5%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 98.99 17th 1369 98.8%
2019 90.89 80th 1491 94.6%
2021 97.88 7th 354 98.0%
2022 95.07 51st 1531 96.7%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 99.08 15th 2273 99.3%
2019 98.55 25th 2407 99.0%
2021 99.27 9th 763 98.8%
2022 99.36 14th 2527 99.4%
2023 99.07 18th 2558 99.3%
2024 98.93 19th 2547 99.3%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 84.06 53rd 700 92.4%
2019 81.78 83rd 745 88.9%
2022 86.60 34th 733 95.4%
2023 85.25 41st 718 94.3%
2024 83.86 59th 741 92.0%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 60.07 688th 2213 68.9%
2024 78.82 346th 2383 85.5%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Sam H. Lawson Middle

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 90.77 57th 1496 96.2%
2019 85.36 160th 1602 90.0%
2022 92.98 38th 1555 97.6%
2023 87.37 121st 1552 92.2%
2024 94.33 20th 1535 98.7%
See the entire list of Best California Middle Schools for White 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.

Sam H. Lawson Middle Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: California Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3.5)
50%

0%

0%

50%

0%

  

by a parent
Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Open Quote Very stressful school in terms of academics. Lowers student self esteem. PTA is indifferent to the real needs of students. Current principal Kit Bragg seems to suffer from apathy. Close Quote


by a student
Sunday, March 10, 2019

Open Quote I LOVE IT! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Sam H. Lawson Middle

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2006 149 2 390 13 1 n/a n/a 0 555
2007 199 5 650 24 1 n/a n/a 6 885
2008 165 5 800 23 2 n/a n/a 0 995
2009 150 4 839 15 5 1 8 0 1022
2010 158 8 861 23 2 0 9 0 1061
2011 152 7 831 24 2 1 5 0 1022
2012 159 6 833 27 2 2 5 0 1034
2013 136 10 899 33 1 2 5 0 1086
2014 125 6 953 36 2 1 7 0 1130
2015 122 4 1020 32 3 2 12 0 1195
2016 115 5 1080 25 3 3 18 0 1249
2017 106 6 1166 31 3 3 20 0 1335
2018 96 4 1074 31 1 0 22 0 1228
2019 95 4 971 41 1 1 25 0 1138
2020 87 2 981 30 1 0 32 3 1136
2021 69 0 960 22 3 0 45 1 1100
2022 47 2 795 22 3 0 48 2 919
2023 49 6 681 30 0 1 49 0 816

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 Sam H. Lawson Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2006 555 26.6 20.9 2.7
2007 885 35.4 25.0 3.3
2008 995 45.2 22.0 3
2009 1022 43.0 21.7 3
2010 1061 43.0 24.6 4.1
2011 1022 n/a n/a 2.9
2012 1034 45.3 22.8 n/a
2013 1086 48.2 22.5 2.3
2014 1130 50.6 22.3 2.7
2015 1195 53.0 22.5 2.6
2016 1249 57.0 21.9 2.4
2017 1335 60.0 22.2 3
2018 1228 57.6 21.3 4.1
2019 1138 52.6 21.6 5.1
2020 1136 n/a n/a 3
2021 1100 52.1 21.1 3.3
2022 919 48.2 19.0 9.9
2023 816 43.8 18.6 12.7

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 Sam H. Lawson Middle

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2006 555 26.6 20.9 2.7
2007 885 35.4 25.0 3.3
2008 995 45.2 22.0 3
2009 1022 43.0 21.7 3
2010 1061 43.0 24.6 4.1
2011 1022 n/a n/a 2.9
2012 1034 45.3 22.8 n/a
2013 1086 48.2 22.5 2.3
2014 1130 50.6 22.3 2.7
2015 1195 53.0 22.5 2.6
2016 1249 57.0 21.9 2.4
2017 1335 60.0 22.2 3
2018 1228 57.6 21.3 4.1
2019 1138 52.6 21.6 5.1
2020 1136 n/a n/a 3
2021 1100 52.1 21.1 3.3
2022 919 48.2 19.0 9.9
2023 816 43.8 18.6 12.7

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.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sam H. Lawson Middle

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2018 $7,511

Data source: California Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sam H. Lawson Middle

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 25th of 2715 Middle schoolsRanks 14th of 2802 Middle schools
 0.4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Sam H. Lawson Middle)82.184.6
 2.5%
   6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Cupertino Union)83.385.2
 1.9%
   6th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)48.544.2
 4.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Sam H. Lawson Middle)8585.5
 0.4%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Cupertino Union)85.484.6
 0.8%
   6th Grade Mathematics (California)38.533.2
 5.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Sam H. Lawson Middle)87.888.9
 1%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Cupertino Union)87.587.4
 0.1%
   7th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)51.447.4
 3.9%
7th Grade Mathematics (Sam H. Lawson Middle)91.289.5
 1.7%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Cupertino Union)88.685.9
 2.7%
   7th Grade Mathematics (California)37.933.2
 4.7%
8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Sam H. Lawson Middle)87.290.5
 3.3%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Cupertino Union)86.886.9
 0.1%
   8th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)49.445.7
 3.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Sam H. Lawson Middle)88.991.8
 2.9%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Cupertino Union)85.584.5
 1%
   8th Grade Mathematics (California)36.629.9
 6.7%
8th Grade Science (Sam H. Lawson Middle)7486
 12%
   8th Grade Science (Cupertino Union)75.479.3
 4%
   8th Grade Science (California)30.828.8
 2.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students1138816
 28.3%
African American46
 50%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian971681
 29.9%
Hispanic4130
 26.8%
Pacific Islander11
White9549
 48.4%
Two or More Races2549
 96%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients5.1%12.7%
 7.6%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Sam H. Lawson Middle

Students at Sam H. Lawson Middle are 83% Asian, 6% White, 6% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

Yes! Sam H. Lawson Middle is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 15th of 2777 California middle schools.

In the 2022-23 school year, 816 students attended Sam H. Lawson Middle.


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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.





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