Every school has strengths the data doesn’t fully capture. Visit and see for yourself. Resources alone aren't driving results yet — deeper challenges may be at play
What the numbers actually mean
Most rating sites report "64% proficient" and stop there. We think that number deserves more context — here's what we found when we looked deeper:
35.8% 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 28.2% met it. That exceeded rate is 18.5 points above the state average of 17.3%. That's 3.0 points below the Capistrano Unified district average of 38.8%. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.
We tracked the same cohort across years (2023 G6 → 2025 G8): students gained 54 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 comparisonCalifornia's Dashboard shows ELA performance declined and Math declined year-over-year. 17.9% 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 18.7%, better than the state average of 19.1%.
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.
✓Exceeded standard: 35.8%18.5pp above 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: 64.0%24.5pp above 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▼Growth (G6→G8): -0.4ppScores decline 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✓Chronic absenteeism: 18.7%0.4pp below 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✓EL proficiency (ELPAC): 17.9%1.1pp 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▼Suspension rate: 7.8%3.6pp 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 2025The 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.
- –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
Student demographics
3 more gaps by subject
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 3.7pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +5.7pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Whole Child
Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25
5-year trend
How Niguel Hills Middle compares
| Metric | This school | CA avg |
|---|---|---|
| Exceeded Standard | 35.8% | 17.3% |
| Met or Exceeded | 64.0% | 39.5% |
| Chronic Absenteeism | 18.7% | 19.1% |
| Suspension Rate | 7.8% | 4.2% |
| Cohort Growth | Above avg | Average |
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 scores by grade
| Grade | Tested | Exceeded | Met | Met+Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | 191 | 40.3% | 31.9% | 72.3% |
| 7th | 226 | 31.9% | 33.6% | 65.5% |
| 8th | 202 | 37.1% | 34.6% | 71.8% |
Math scores by grade
| Grade | Tested | Exceeded | Met | Met+Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | 194 | 37.1% | 24.2% | 61.3% |
| 7th | 228 | 29.4% | 22.8% | 52.2% |
| 8th | 203 | 38.9% | 22.2% | 61.1% |
Science scores by grade
| Grade | Tested | Exceeded | Met | Met+Above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8th | 199 | 24.1% | 26.1% | 50.3% |
199 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
Frequently asked questions
Is Niguel Hills Middle a good middle school?
What are Niguel Hills Middle's CAASPP test scores?
How does Niguel Hills Middle rank in California?
Is Niguel Hills Middle getting better or worse?
What is the attendance and school culture like at Niguel Hills Middle?
How does Niguel Hills Middle compare to other schools in Laguna Niguel?
How does Niguel Hills Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
See something that doesn’t look right?
Report a data issueData source: California Department of Education (2025 test year) · How we score · Explore all schools · Blog