School Profile · Lancaster
Challenger Middle: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Challenger posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
41725 North 170th Street, East, 93535·Wilsona Elementary·Lancaster·Grades 6-8·403 students·85% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 264-1790
Scope Score
15
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,641 statewide
Challenger Middle scores 15 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 4th percentile of 1,714 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 “12% proficient” and call it done. Challenger deserves a closer read. The school sits in Lancaster, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
15%
81%
Grade 6 · 19% proficient
23%
77%
Grade 7 · 23% proficient
18%
81%
Grade 8 · 19% proficient
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
1.1%
State 17.3%
16.2pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
11.7%
State 39.5%
27.8pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-2.4pp
State +0.8pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
34.4%
State 19.1%
15.3pp above state avg
Suspension rate
10.1%
State 4.2%
5.9pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
8.8%
State 17.7%
8.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
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
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic82.9%
White7.9%
Asian0.3%
Black6.5%
Other2.5%
GenderFemale 43.4%Male 56.6%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
403
457 below CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
85%
21pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$23,835
District avg: $15,629 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
8.8% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
At Challenger Middle in Lancaster, 19.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 19.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Challenger Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (3.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (20.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 17.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 341 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · English Learner+5.6pp
40.0% vs 34.4% overall · n=130
Suspension · Black+26.6pp
36.7% vs 10.1% overall · n=30
ELA · English Learner−17.8pp
2.2% vs 20.0% overall · n=101
1 more gap by subject
Math · Disabilities−3.4pp
0.0% vs 3.4% overall · n=18
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income341 tested
ELA 19.8%·Math 3.2%· +0.3pp vs district
Hispanic327 tested
ELA 20.9%·Math 3.4%· +0.1pp vs district
English Learner101 tested
ELA 2.0%·Math 1.0%· -2.6pp 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 0.8pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -0.8pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$61K
$24K below CA median
Median Home Value
$300K
$359K below CA median
Bachelor's+
14%
21pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2022) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
17.4 years avg experience
20 teachers · 10% first-year
Teacher Credentials
88% 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 →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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%
1.1%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 33th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
11.7%
↓ vs CA 39.5% · 29th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-2.4pp
↓ vs CA +0.8pp · 38th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
34.4%
↓ vs CA 19.1% · 28th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
10.1%
↓ vs CA 4.2% · 27th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
8.8%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 47th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 132 | 4% | 15% | 26% | 55% | 19% | −28 |
| Grade 7 | 124 | 0% | 23% | 20% | 57% | 23% | −25 |
| Grade 8 | 129 | 1% | 18% | 21% | 60% | 19% | −27 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 133 | 1% | 4% | 17% | 79% | 5% | −30 |
| Grade 7 | 125 | 2% | 4% | 20% | 74% | 6% | −28 |
| Grade 8 | 127 | 0% | 0% | 9% | 91% | 0% | −32 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 128 | 1% | 9% | 68% | 23% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 341 | 19.8% | +0 | −18 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 327 | 20.9% | +0 | −18 |
| English Learners | 101 | 2.0% | −3 | −8 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenger Middle ← | — | 15 | 1.1% | 11.7% | −2.4 | 10.1% |
| California average | — | 40 | 17.3% | 39.5% | +0.8 | 4.2% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1332 → #1631 → #1577 → #1608 → #1641
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 18 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,714 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Challenger Middle a good middle school?
Challenger Middle has a Scope Score of 15 out of 100, placing it in the 4th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,641 statewide. 1.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 16.2 percentage points below the California average of 17.3%. 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 Challenger Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 11.7% of students at Challenger Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 1.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 10.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 1.1% 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. 770 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Challenger Middle rank in California?
Challenger Middle ranks #1,641 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 4th 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 Challenger Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Challenger Middle decreases by 2.4 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. 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 Challenger Middle?
34.4% of students at Challenger Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 10.1%. 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 Challenger Middle compare to other schools in Lancaster?
Challenger Middle scores 15/100 (4th 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 403 students. Use the schools in Lancaster page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Challenger Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Challenger Middle in Lancaster, 19.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 19.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Challenger Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 0.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (3.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (20.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 17.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 341 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.