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School Profile · Foster City

Bowditch Middle: High scores, real growth, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Bowditch posts 47.4% exceeding the standard — versus 16.8% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.

1450 Tarpon Street, 94404 (opens in new tab)·San Mateo-Foster City·Foster City·Grades 6-8·929 students·19% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(650) 312-7680·Website
Scope Score
72
💪 Strong All-Around · Strong
ranked #135 statewide · #3 of 6 in San Mateo-Foster City

Bowditch Middle scores 72 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 94th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

Most rating sites would stop at “74% proficient” and call it done. Bowditch deserves a closer read. It sits at the 94th percentile of 2,238 California middle schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: 47.4% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 16.8%.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

37%
35%
28%
Grade 6 · 72% proficient
44%
35%
21%
Grade 7 · 79% proficient
36%
39%
25%
Grade 8 · 75% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding holds steady across grades; the floor rises 2.8pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
47.4%
State 16.8%
30.6pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
74.1%
State 39.3%
34.8pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+2.3pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
9.3%
State 18.5%
9.3pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.6%
State 3.7%
1.0pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
26.2%
State 18.0%
8.2pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
High School
No feeder data available for this level

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

Private alternatives nearby

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

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic15.6%
White16.6%
Asian49.1%
Black1.2%
Other17.6%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 19.4% (44pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
929
Near CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$20,227
District avg: $15,293 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
26.2% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$65,604 – $128,965
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Bowditch Middle in Foster City, 44.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 26.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Bowditch Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 17.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (47.1% Math proficient); Asian students (85.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 64.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 171 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+22.2pp
31.5% vs 9.3% overall · n=73
Suspension · Disabilities+16.9pp
19.5% vs 2.6% overall · n=77
ELA · English Learner−64.5pp
10.4% vs 74.9% overall · n=73
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−37.6pp
1.2% vs 38.7% overall · n=73
Math · Disabilities−48.5pp
24.8% vs 73.3% overall · n=62
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−45.5pp
10.5% vs 56.1% overall · n=62

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income172 tested
ELA 44.4%·Math 47.1%· +17.9pp vs district
Asian437 tested
ELA 85.3%·Math 91.3%· +3.0pp vs district
White145 tested
ELA 74.5%·Math 67.6%· +3.0pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 5.3pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -0.7pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 63%Support 31%Other 6%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$192K
$107K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.71M
$1.06M above CA median
Bachelor's+
74%
39pp above CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
14.4 years avg experience
44 teachers · 5% first-year
Teacher Credentials
86% fully credentialed

Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25

Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →

Frequently asked questions

Is Bowditch Middle a good middle school?
Bowditch Middle has a Scope Score of 72 out of 100, placing it in the 94th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #135 statewide. 47.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 30.6 percentage points above the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Bowditch Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 74.1% of students at Bowditch Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 47.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 26.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 47.4% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 1,776 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Bowditch Middle rank in California?
Bowditch Middle ranks #135 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 94th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Bowditch Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Bowditch Middle increases by 2.3 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the middle Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Bowditch Middle?
9.3% of students at Bowditch Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 2.6%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Bowditch Middle compare to other schools in Foster City?
Bowditch Middle scores 72/100 (94th percentile) among California middle schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 929 students. Use the schools in Foster City page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Bowditch Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Bowditch Middle in Foster City, 44.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 26.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Bowditch Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 17.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (47.1% Math proficient); Asian students (85.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 64.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 171 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
47.4%
↑ vs CA 16.8% · 84th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
74.1%
↑ vs CA 39.3% · 78th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+2.3pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 48th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
9.3%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 63th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.6%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 54th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
26.2%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 57th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 632037%35%17%12%72%+25
Grade 728244%35%11%10%79%+31
Grade 828536%39%15%11%74%+28
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 632255%16%13%16%71%+36
Grade 728356%21%13%11%77%+43
Grade 828458%15%13%15%73%+40
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1128533%25%36%5%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged17144.4%+18+6
Asian43585.3%+3+11
White14574.5%+3+13
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Bowditch Middle ←7247.4%74.1%+2.32.6%
California average4016.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
77%72%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #71 → #73 → #80 → #86 → #135
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue