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Bell Middle

Grades 6-82024–25 data
San Diego UnifiedSan Diego, San Diego County92139
📍 620 Briarwood Road📞 (619) 430-1000🌐 Website
Needs Support
28/100
Needs Support — 26th percentile statewide
#1,263 of 1,714 CA middle schools
↓ 4.1 pts since 2019
📈 On the Rise

On an upward trajectory — scores are improving faster than average. Worth a closer look. Additional resources are fueling an upward trend

School Climate
71% of students attend consistently
Chronic absenteeism: 29.5% (state avg: 19.1%)
"Attend consistently" means missing ≤10% of school days (the chronic absenteeism threshold).
High suspension rate
6.3% suspension rate (state avg: 4.2%)
Share of students who received at least one suspension during the year.
Source: California Dept. of Education, 2024–25See breakdown by student group →

What the numbers actually mean

Most rating sites report "26% proficient" and stop there. We think that number deserves more context — here's what we found when we looked deeper:

6.2% of students exceeded standard? Level 4 on California's CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment — the state defines four levels: Not Met, Nearly Met, Met, and Exceeded. while 19.4% met it. That exceeded rate is 11.1 points below the state average of 17.3%. That's 18.2 points below the San Diego Unified district average of 24.4%. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

CDE CAASPP 2025
Bell Middle
19%
California average
17%
22%
ExceededMet onlyBelow

We tracked the same cohort across years (2023 G6 → 2025 G8): students gained 42 scale score points? Pseudo-cohort tracking: we compare this school's G6 class from a prior year to the G8 class in the current year. Same school, same cohort aged forward. Uses SBAC scale scores designed for cross-year comparison., suggesting this school is adding measurable value over time.

SchoolScope cohort tracking · Same cohort tracked across years using SBAC scale scores — stronger than single-year cross-grade comparison

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance increased significantly and Math increased year-over-year. 26.9% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism? Missing 10%+ of enrolled school days. This is an official California Dashboard accountability indicator. is 29.5%, above the state average of 19.1%.

CDE Attendance 2025

Data you won't find on other sites: School-level per-pupil spending (not just district averages) · Current-year 2025 data direct from CDE · The exceeded vs. met split that most rating sites collapse into one number

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters → · Scope Score is SchoolScope's analysis of CDE data — not an official CDE rating. How we built this score (and what it misses) →

No single score captures a school. This is a starting point — visit, ask questions, trust your instincts.

▸ What this score doesn't capture
  • — Teaching quality, classroom culture, and how teachers connect with students
  • — Arts, athletics, extracurriculars, and enrichment programs
  • — How well the school serves students with IEPs or gifted learners
  • — Parent community engagement and satisfaction
  • — Whether the curriculum aligns with your family's values

Most of our data is updated once per year and may reflect the prior school year.

Before you visit
Questions worth asking and signals worth checking
What to verify
⚠Chronic absenteeism at 29.5% — 10.4 points above state average. High absenteeism often reflects community stress or disengagement, not just individual behavior.
Who this school is great for
✓Families prioritizing upward trajectory — proficiency improves 9.1pp G6→G8
△Worth checking: Families wanting top-end academic rigor — more students meet the bar (19%) than exceed it (6%); Families sensitive to attendance culture — absenteeism is 10.4pp above state average
These reflect data patterns, not guarantees. Your child's experience will depend on their teacher, grade, and classroom — things no score captures.
Score Factors
Academic Performance
✓Growth (G6→G8): +9.1pp
Scores improve across grades (state avg +0.8pp)
15% weight

Growth measures what the school adds, not what families bring. When available, we track the same cohort across years for a stronger signal.

Limitation: Cohort tracking is school-level (not individual students) — transfers and demographic shifts can affect results. Falls back to cross-sectional comparison when historical data is unavailable.

SchoolScope derived
Holding back
▼Exceeded standard: 6.2%
11.1pp below state avg (state avg 17.3%)
43% weight

Exceeded rate gets the highest weight because it separates schools that clear the bar from those that raise it.

Limitation: Reflects tested students only — opt-out rates are not published by CDE.

CDE CAASPP 2025
▼Met or exceeded: 25.6%
13.9pp below state avg (state avg 39.5%)
22% weight

Overall proficiency provides the broadest measure of academic achievement.

Limitation: Combines ‘met’ and ‘exceeded’ — the gap between them matters more than either alone.

CDE CAASPP 2025
School Climate
✓EL proficiency (ELPAC): 26.9%
10.1pp above state avg (state avg 16.8%)
5% weight

ELPAC Level 4 measures how well a school develops English proficiency — a school-quality signal for its EL population.

Limitation: Only available for schools with English Learner students. Weight redistributes to other dimensions when not applicable.

CDE ELPAC 2025
Holding back
▼Chronic absenteeism: 29.5%
10.4pp above state avg (state avg 19.1%)
10% weight

Absenteeism reflects school culture and family engagement — an official CA Dashboard accountability indicator.

Limitation: 10% threshold is the same for all schools regardless of demographics or geography.

CDE Attendance 2025
▼Suspension rate: 6.3%
2.1pp above state avg (state avg 4.2%)
5% weight

Low suspension rates correlate with positive school culture and restorative practices.

Limitation: Schools may differ in reporting practices — some underreport to improve metrics.

CDE Discipline 2025
We make judgment calls about what matters. We believe exceeded scores reveal more than proficiency alone, and that growth matters more than raw test results. Reasonable people could weight these differently — and that's fine. The factors above show exactly what we weighted and why, so you can decide where you agree and where you'd adjust. The middle school Scope Score uses 6 dimensions. How we built this score (and what it misses) →

The Scope Score emphasizes academic performance. It weights test proficiency, the exceeded-vs-met gap, and growth trajectory most heavily. If your family prioritizes arts, athletics, school culture, or teaching philosophy, this score captures some of that indirectly (through absenteeism and suspension) but not all of it. Different families should weight these dimensions differently — the score factors above let you see exactly what drives this number.

How to use this
  • –Use for long-term academic patterns, not this week's classroom experience
  • –Verify with a recent visit — scores can't capture a school mid-transformation
  • –Combine with local context — talk to parents, attend a school board meeting, trust your gut
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic51.6%
White4.2%
Asian0.7%
Black13.3%
Other30.1%
GenderFemale 46.7%Male 53.0%Non-binary 0.3%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
713
147 below CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
79%
15pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$21,167
District avg: $15,976 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
26.9% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$55,375 – $124,275
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Bell Middle in San Diego, 33.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Bell Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 9.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (29.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 36.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 538 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Two or More Races+10.9pp
40.4% vs 29.5% overall · n=57
Suspension · Black+10.7pp
17.0% vs 6.3% overall · n=100
ELA · English Learner−36.0pp
0.0% vs 36.0% overall · n=68
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−8.2pp
0.0% vs 8.2% overall · n=68
Math · English Learner−11.6pp
3.5% vs 15.1% overall · n=68
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−4.1pp
0.0% vs 4.1% overall · n=104

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income541 tested
ELA 33.5%·Math 13.5%· -9.1pp vs district
Hispanic346 tested
ELA 29.2%·Math 10.7%· -11.8pp vs district
Filipino134 tested
ELA 58.6%·Math 29.9%· -13.2pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 14.0pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +0.8pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 60%Support 36%Other 4%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$87K
$2K above CA median
Median Home Value
$568K
$91K below CA median
Bachelor's+
23%
12pp below CA avg
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
17.2 years avg experience
36 teachers · 6% second-year
Teacher Credentials
84% fully credentialed
1.3% on intern/emergency permit

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

5-year trend

3228'19'22'23'24'25
↓ 4.1 points since 2019
Rank: #1182 → #1357 → #1315 → #1325 → #1263Exceeded: 8% → 5% → 6% → 6% → 6%
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · No testing 2020–21 (COVID) · Scope Score based on CAASPP, absenteeism & suspension data

How Bell Middle compares

Bell Middle vs. California averages — 2025 CAASPP data
MetricThis schoolCA avg
Exceeded Standard6.2%17.3%
Met or Exceeded25.6%39.5%
Chronic Absenteeism29.5%19.1%
Suspension Rate6.3%4.2%
Cohort GrowthAverageAverage

Source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025 · Analyzed by SchoolScope

Grade trajectory

How proficiency compares across grade levels this year (different students, same test year)

ELA Trajectory
26.2%41.3%G6G7G8
Math Trajectory
12.4%15.5%G6G7G8

ELA scores by grade

GradeTestedExceededMetNearly MetNot MetMet+Above
6th2257.6%18.7%34.7%39.1%26.2%
7th1999.1%31.7%23.1%36.2%40.7%
8th2258.0%33.3%25.3%33.3%41.3%

Math scores by grade

GradeTestedExceededMetNearly MetNot MetMet+Above
6th2262.6%9.7%22.6%65.0%12.4%
7th2004.0%13.5%24.0%58.5%17.5%
8th2265.8%9.7%33.6%50.9%15.5%

Science scores by grade

GradeTestedExceededMetNearly MetNot MetMet+Above
8th2264.9%20.8%62.0%12.4%25.7%

226 students tested · CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually like ELA/Math. Not included in the Scope Score. · Data source: CDE CAST 2025

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
Middle
Bell Middle
28/100
This school
▼
High School

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

Schools nearby

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

Kinderland Montessori
Otay Lakes Rd · Nonsectarian · Grades Pre-K-6 · 42 students
14:1Private3.3 mi
Fred Finch Youth Center Nonpublic School
Spring Dr · Nonsectarian · Grades 8-12 · 11 students
6:1Private4.6 mi
Calvary Christian Academy
E Palomar St · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-12 · 385 students
12:1Private5 mi
Victory Christian Academy
Buena Vista Way · Greek Orthodox · Grades Pre-K-12 · 331 students
15:1Private3.7 mi
St. Rose of Lima School
Alvarado St Unit 2 · Roman Catholic · Grades Pre-K-8 · 318 students
25:1Private4.3 mi

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

Frequently asked questions

Is Bell Middle a good middle school?
Bell Middle has a Scope Score of 28 out of 100, placing it in the 26th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,263 statewide. 6.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 11.1 percentage points below the California average of 17.3%. The Scope Score weights five dimensions: the exceeded-vs-met split (45%), proficiency (25%), grade-level growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Bell Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 25.6% of students at Bell Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 6.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.4% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 6.2% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 1,301 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Bell Middle rank in California?
Bell Middle ranks #1,263 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 26th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Bell Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Bell Middle increases by 9.1 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Bell Middle?
29.5% of students at Bell Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 6.3%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Bell Middle compare to other schools in San Diego?
Bell Middle scores 28/100 (26th percentile) among California middle schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 713 students. Use the schools in San Diego page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Bell Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Bell Middle in San Diego, 33.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Bell Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 9.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (29.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 36.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 538 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.
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Data source: California Department of Education (2025 test year) · How we score · Explore all schools · Blog