How does Bidwell Junior High compare to other middle schools in Chico?

Bidwell Junior High has a Scope Score of 61.5/100, ranked #577 among California middle schools. 17% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,908 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Bidwell Junior High?

17.2% of students at Bidwell Junior High exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 44.6% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Bidwell Junior High improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, Bidwell Junior High's proficiency rate increases by 3.0 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 Bidwell Junior High?

16.3% of students at Bidwell Junior High 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.

Bidwell Junior High

Middle School

Chico Unified ChicoButte County95926

📍 2376 North Avenue

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

1,010 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

26:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

58%

Teachers

39 full-time

Dashboard indicators

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

ELA Year-over-Year

Declined

-13.5 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+9.5 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

18.6%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 43 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic26.5%

White56.5%

Asian4.8%

Black1.2%

Other10.9%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Bidwell Junior High
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	17.2%
Met Standard	27.5%
Below Standard	55.4%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Met or exceeded: 44.6%

5.1pp above state avg (state avg 39.5%)

20% weight

✓Growth (G6→G8): +3.0pp

Scores improve across grades (state avg +0.8pp)

15% weight

✓Chronic absenteeism: 16.3%

3.0pp below state avg (state avg 19.3%)

15% weight

✓Baseline proficiency: 44.6%

Above state baseline (state avg 39.5%)

10% weight

✓Suspension rate: 1.2%

2.9pp below state avg (state avg 4.1%)

10% weight

Holding Back

▼Exceeded standard: 17.2%

0.1pp below state avg (state avg 17.3%)

30% 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 "45% proficient" for Bidwell Junior High and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

17.2% of students exceeded standard while 27.5% met it. That exceeded rate is near the state average of 17.3%. That's 3.9 points below the Chico Unified district average of 21.1%. Nearby schools (within ~3 miles) average 18.1% 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 3.0 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 declined and Math increased year-over-year. 18.6% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 16.3%, better than the state average of 19.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

17.2%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

44.6%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

+3.0pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

16.3%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

1.2%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,908

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	317	20.2%	32.5%	26.5%	20.8%	52.7%
7th	341	15.3%	34.6%	21.7%	28.4%	49.9%
8th	294	20.4%	37.4%	20.4%	21.8%	57.8%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	316	14.2%	21.8%	32.9%	31.0%	36.1%
7th	345	13.0%	21.4%	28.7%	36.8%	34.5%
8th	295	20.0%	16.9%	27.8%	35.3%	37.0%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

McManus (John A.) Elementary

Also serves area

Citrus Avenue Elementary

33.5# in state

▼

Middle

Bidwell Junior High

61.5# in state

This school

▼

High School

Pleasant Valley High

70.0# in state

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