How does Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade compare to other middle schools in Palmdale?

Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade has a Scope Score of 19.2/100, ranked #1559 among California middle schools. 5% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,595 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade?

5.4% of students at Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 18.8% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade's proficiency rate increases by 1.8 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 Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade?

34.7% of students at Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade 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.

Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade

Middle School

Palmdale Elementary PalmdaleLos Angeles County93550Magnet Program

📍 3243 East Avenue R-8

Magnet program — a specialized public school with a focused theme (STEM, arts, language immersion, etc.). Admission is typically through a district lottery, not based on neighborhood attendance boundaries. Students from across the district may apply.

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.

Dashboard indicators

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

ELA Year-over-Year

Increased

+8.0 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Maintained

+1.3 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

24.4%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 176 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	5.4%
Met Standard	13.5%
Below Standard	81.2%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Growth (G6→G8): +1.8pp

Scores improve across grades (state avg +0.8pp)

15% weight

Holding Back

▼Exceeded standard: 5.4%

11.9pp below state avg (state avg 17.3%)

30% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 18.8%

20.7pp below state avg (state avg 39.5%)

20% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 34.7%

15.4pp above state avg (state avg 19.3%)

15% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 18.8%

Below state baseline (state avg 39.5%)

10% weight

▼Suspension rate: 15.1%

11.0pp 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 "19% proficient" for Cactus Medical, Health and Technology Magnet Acade and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

5.4% of students exceeded standard while 13.5% met it. That exceeded rate is 11.9 points below the state average of 17.3%. That's 3.0 points below the Palmdale Elementary district average of 8.3%. Nearby schools (within ~3 miles) average 4.8% 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 1.8 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 and Math maintained year-over-year. 24.4% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 34.7%, 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