How does Atascadero Middle compare to other middle schools in Atascadero?

Atascadero Middle has a Scope Score of 44.4/100, ranked #997 among California middle schools. 19% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,581 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Atascadero Middle?

18.6% of students at Atascadero Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 43.7% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Atascadero Middle improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, Atascadero Middle's proficiency rate decreases by 5.3 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This pattern in test scores may reflect a variety of factors beyond the school itself.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Atascadero Middle?

30.0% of students at Atascadero Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in the Scope Score.

Atascadero Middle

Middle School

Atascadero Unified AtascaderoSan Luis Obispo County93422

📍 6501 Lewis Avenue

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

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Building Momentum

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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.

School overview

Enrollment

855 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

20:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

51%

Teachers

42 full-time

Dashboard indicators

How this school's scores changed from last year to this year

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+17.1 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+21.4 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

21.8%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 87 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic33.8%

White59.2%

Asian1.2%

Black0.9%

Other4.9%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Atascadero Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	18.6%
Met Standard	25.1%
Below Standard	56.3%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Exceeded standard: 18.6%

1.3pp above state avg (state avg 17.3%)

30% weight

✓Met or exceeded: 43.7%

4.2pp above state avg (state avg 39.5%)

20% weight

✓Baseline proficiency: 43.7%

Above state baseline (state avg 39.5%)

10% weight

Holding Back

▼Growth (G6→G8): -5.3pp

Scores decline across grades (state avg +0.8pp)

15% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 30.0%

10.7pp above state avg (state avg 19.3%)

15% weight

▼Suspension rate: 11.6%

7.5pp 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 →

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "44% proficient" for Atascadero Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

18.6% of students exceeded standard while 25.1% met it. That exceeded rate is near the state average of 17.3%. That's near the Atascadero Unified district average of 19.2%. Nearby schools (within ~3 miles) average 17.7% exceeded — about the same. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

Proficiency drops by 5.3 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance increased significantly and Math increased significantly year-over-year. 21.8% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 30.0%, above the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

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