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Arden Middle

Middle School
San Juan UnifiedSacramento, Sacramento County95864
📍 1640 Watt Avenue📞 (916) 971-7306🌐 Website
Scope Score
out of 100
State Rank
of 1,714 California middle schools
📈
On the Rise

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

Rising fast — imagine the trajectory with more resources

Scope Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

Exceeded: 17% (state avg: 17)
Proficiency: 42% (state avg: 40)
Growth: +7.2 (state avg: 43)
Attendance: 79% (state avg: 81)
Climate: 6.8% susp. (state avg: 72)

Score Factors

Helping
✓Met or exceeded: 41.8%
2.2pp above state avg (state avg 39.5%)
20% weight
✓Growth (G6→G8): +7.2pp
Scores improve across grades (state avg +0.8pp)
15% weight
✓Baseline proficiency: 41.8%
Above state baseline (state avg 39.5%)
10% weight
Holding Back
▼Exceeded standard: 16.8%
0.5pp below state avg (state avg 17.3%)
30% weight
▼Chronic absenteeism: 20.8%
1.5pp above state avg (state avg 19.3%)
15% weight
▼Suspension rate: 6.8%
2.7pp above state avg (state avg 4.1%)
10% weight
Unlike traditional school ratings, we show our work. Every factor, its weight, and how this school compares to the state average — so you can decide what matters most to your family. The middle school Scope Score is weighted across 6 dimensions. See full methodology →

5-year trend

56.055.0'19'22'23'24'25
Stable (±1.1)
Rank: #642 → #696 → #601 → #640 → #731Exceeded: 20% → 16% → 19% → 15% → 17%
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · No testing 2020–21 (COVID) · Scope Score based on CAASPP, absenteeism & suspension data

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard
16.8%
Students scoring above proficient
% Met or Above
41.8%
Students meeting standard
Growth (G6→G8)
+7.2pp
Change in proficiency rate
Chronic Absenteeism
20.8%
Students missing 10%+ of days
Suspension Rate
6.8%
Students suspended at least once
Total Tested
1,911
Across all grades & subjects

Grade trajectory

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

ELA Trajectory
45.5%56.1%G6G7G8
Math Trajectory
30.7%34.5%G6G7G8

ELA scores by grade

GradeTestedExceededMetNearly MetNot MetMet+Above
6th26414.8%30.7%24.6%29.9%45.5%
7th34715.6%36.0%22.2%26.2%51.6%
8th34625.1%30.9%21.7%22.3%56.1%

Math scores by grade

GradeTestedExceededMetNearly MetNot MetMet+Above
6th26412.1%18.6%25.0%44.3%30.7%
7th34814.9%17.2%26.1%41.7%32.2%
8th34218.1%16.4%22.5%43.0%34.5%

Science (CAST)

Level%
Exceeded8.7%
Met21.4%
Nearly Met56.1%
Not Met13.9%
Met+30.1%

346 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

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "42% proficient" for Arden Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

16.8% of students exceeded standard while 25.0% met it. That exceeded rate is near the state average of 17.3%. That's 3.1 points above the San Juan Unified district average of 13.7%. Nearby schools (within ~3 miles) average 16.1% exceeded — about the same. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

Students here improve by 7.2 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth, suggesting the school is adding value beyond what students arrive with.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance maintained and Math maintained year-over-year. 11.1% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 20.8%, above the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

School profile

Enrollment
956 students
Free/Reduced Lunch
41%
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
11.1%
Level 4 (Well Developed) · District avg: 11.3% · CA avg: 16.8% · 135 tested

Teachers & staff

Student-Teacher Ratio
25:1
CA avg: ~21:1 · 39 full-time teachers
Teacher Salary Range
$60,000 – $118,000
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
Principal
Teresa Cummings

District-level salary data from CDE Form J-90 (2024–25). Individual school salaries may vary.

Student demographics

Hispanic
26.4%
District 26.1%
State 55.4%
White
50.1%
District 47.7%
State 20.8%
Asian
8.3%
District 9.6%
State 9.9%
Black
5.4%
District 6.6%
State 5.0%
Other
9.8%
District 10.0%
State 8.9%
Free/Reduced Lunch41%
District 55%
State 64%
Gender
Female 49.5%Male 50.4%Non-binary 0.1%

Data source: California Department of Education · District and state averages for comparison

School Funding

$15,777
per student (school-level spending)
District avg:$16,227
This school receives $450 less per student
$3,210 less than state average
$12,024$30,514
California district range
Spending Breakdown
Instruction 60%Support 37%Other 4%
2018–2023 Trend
↑ 23.4%
$13,148 → $16,227
Score per $1K
3.48
Scope Score / $1K spent
Full district breakdown →Source: CDE ESSA School-Level Expenditure, 2023–24

Neighborhood profile

Median Household Income
$124K
$39K above CA median
Median Home Value
$718K
Bachelor's Degree+
57%
Adults age 25+ in this ZIP

Despite high neighborhood income, this school’s outcomes trail expectations

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2022) · ZIP 95864

Nearby schools

Nearby Middle Schools

3 within ~3 mi · avg 35

See more on map →

Nearby Elementary Schools

14 within ~3 mi · avg 32

See more on map →

Nearby High Schools

3 within ~3 mi · avg 53

See more on map →
All schools in Sacramento →
K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data
▼
Middle
Arden Middle
55/100
This school

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

Private alternatives nearby

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

Sacramento Country Day School
Latham Dr · Nonsectarian · Grades PK-12 · 521 students
7:1Private2 mi
More Life Christian Academy
Fell St · Nonsectarian · Grades PK-12 · 195 students
49:1Private4.2 mi
Korean School of Sacramento
S Port Dr Ste 2 · Nonsectarian · Grades PK-12 · 110 students
85:1Private3.5 mi
Aldar Academy
Engle Rd · Nonsectarian · Grades 2-12 · 60 students
60:1Private2.8 mi
El Rancho School
El Camino Ave · Nonsectarian · Grades PK-6 · 59 students
7:1Private2.9 mi
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Data source: California Department of Education (2025 test year) · How we score · Explore all schools · Blog