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School Profile · Terra Bella

Carl Smith Middle: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Carl Smith posts 31% meeting the standard and 11.6% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

23825 Avenue 92, 93270 (opens in new tab)·Terra Bella Union Elementary·Terra Bella·Grades 6-8·262 students·93% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(559) 535-4451
Scope Score
42
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #1,096 statewide

Carl Smith Middle scores 42 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 51st 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 “31% proficient” and call it done. Carl Smith deserves a closer read. The school sits in Terra Bella, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

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.

12%
24%
64%
Grade 6 · 36% proficient
10%
33%
57%
Grade 7 · 43% proficient
18%
26%
56%
Grade 8 · 44% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 6.1pp across grades; the floor rises 8.8pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
11.6%
State 16.8%
5.2pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+13.9pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
31.2%
State 39.3%
8.1pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
16.6%
State 18.5%
1.9pp below state avg
Suspension rate
5.8%
State 3.7%
2.1pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
12.1%
State 18.0%
5.9pp below 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

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

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

Hispanic97.7%
White1.5%
Asian0.4%
Other0.4%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 93.1% (29pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
262
598 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$19,084
District avg: $15,302 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
12.1% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$63,930 – $131,289
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Carl Smith Middle in Terra Bella, 38.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 37.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Carl Smith Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 1.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (41.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 25.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 244 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Suspension · Disabilities+5.3pp
11.1% vs 5.8% overall · n=27
ELA · English Learner−25.9pp
15.0% vs 40.9% overall · n=138
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−12.6pp
0.6% vs 13.2% overall · n=138
Math · English Learner−16.6pp
4.9% vs 21.5% overall · n=140
Math Exceeded · English Learner−9.1pp
0.9% vs 10.0% overall · n=140

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income246 tested
ELA 38.9%·Math 20.7%· +1.2pp vs district
Hispanic256 tested
ELA 41.3%·Math 21.9%· +1.1pp vs district
English Learner140 tested
ELA 15.9%·Math 4.3%· -5.3pp 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 rises by 10.5pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +10.5pp.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 59%Support 35%Other 6%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$67K
$18K below CA median
Median Home Value
$308K
$351K below CA median
Bachelor's+
7%
28pp below 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
12.4 years avg experience
14 teachers · 7% second-year
Teacher Credentials
92% fully credentialed
7.7% on intern/emergency permit

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 Carl Smith Middle a good middle school?
Carl Smith Middle has a Scope Score of 42 out of 100, placing it in the 51st percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,096 statewide. 11.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 5.2 percentage points below 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 Carl Smith Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 31.2% of students at Carl Smith Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 11.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 11.6% 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. 520 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Carl Smith Middle rank in California?
Carl Smith Middle ranks #1,096 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 51st 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 Carl Smith Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Carl Smith Middle increases by 13.9 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 Carl Smith Middle?
16.6% of students at Carl Smith 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 5.8%. 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 Carl Smith Middle compare to other schools in Terra Bella?
Carl Smith Middle scores 42/100 (51st 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 262 students. Use the schools in Terra Bella page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Carl Smith Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Carl Smith Middle in Terra Bella, 38.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 37.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Carl Smith Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 1.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (41.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 25.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 244 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 · 38%
11.6%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 44th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
+13.9pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 63th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
31.2%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 44th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
16.6%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 53th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
5.8%
↓ vs CA 3.7% · 41th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
12.1%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 38th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 68512%24%27%38%35%−11
Grade 79010%33%24%32%43%−4
Grade 88418%26%27%29%44%−2
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 6866%8%30%56%14%−21
Grade 79010%8%24%58%18%−16
Grade 88514%19%26%41%33%+1
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11845%26%48%21%

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 Disadvantaged24438.9%+1+1
Hispanic/Latino25441.3%+1+2
English Learners13815.9%−5+6
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Carl Smith Middle ←4211.6%31.2%+13.95.8%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
42%42%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #837 → #1001 → #596 → #795 → #1096
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue