How does Bell Middle compare to other middle schools in San Diego?

Bell Middle has a Scope Score of 32.4/100, ranked #1275 among California middle schools. 6% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,301 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Bell Middle?

6.2% of students at Bell Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 25.6% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Bell Middle improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, Bell Middle's proficiency rate increases by 9.1 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This suggests the school may be adding value over time.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Bell Middle?

29.7% of students at Bell 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.

Bell Middle

Middle School

San Diego Unified San DiegoSan Diego County92139

📍 620 Briarwood Road

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.

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

713 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

20:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

79%

Teachers

35 full-time

Dashboard indicators

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

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased Significantly

+18.4 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+3.5 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

26.9%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 104 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic51.6%

White4.2%

Asian0.7%

Black13.3%

Other30.1%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Bell Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	6.2%
Met Standard	19.4%
Below Standard	74.4%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Growth (G6→G8): +9.1pp

Scores improve across grades (state avg +0.8pp)

15% weight

Holding Back

▼Exceeded standard: 6.2%

11.1pp below state avg (state avg 17.3%)

30% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 25.6%

13.9pp below state avg (state avg 39.5%)

20% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 29.7%

10.4pp above state avg (state avg 19.3%)

15% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 25.6%

Below state baseline (state avg 39.5%)

10% weight

▼Suspension rate: 6.4%

2.3pp 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 "26% proficient" for Bell Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

6.2% of students exceeded standard 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 1 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 12.1% exceeded — 5.9 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

Students here improve by 9.1 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 increased significantly and Math increased year-over-year. 26.9% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 29.7%, 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

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

6.2%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

25.6%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

+9.1pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

29.7%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

6.4%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,301

Across all grades & subjects

Grade trajectory

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

ELA Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

Math Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	225	7.6%	18.7%	34.7%	39.1%	26.2%
7th	199	9.1%	31.7%	23.1%	36.2%	40.7%
8th	225	8.0%	33.3%	25.3%	33.3%	41.3%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	226	2.6%	9.7%	22.6%	65.0%	12.4%
7th	200	4.0%	13.5%	24.0%	58.5%	17.5%
8th	226	5.8%	9.7%	33.6%	50.9%	15.5%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Pacific View Leadership Elemen…

Valencia Park Elementary

30.3# in state

Paradise Hills Elementary

▼

Middle

Bell Middle

32.4# in state

This school

▼

High School

Also serves area

Feeder patterns derived from 2015-16 NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries may have changed. Contact your school district for current information.