School Profile · Bakersfield
Curran Middle: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Curran posts low test scores — and scores are climbing 0.1pp from grade 6 to grade 8. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
1116 Lymric Way, 93309·Bakersfield City·Bakersfield·Grades 6-8·973 students·87% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 631-5240·Website
Scope Score
22
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,486 statewide · #5 of 7 in Bakersfield City
Curran Middle scores 22 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 13th 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 “18% proficient” and call it done. Curran deserves a closer read. The school sits in Bakersfield, 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.
20%
75%
Grade 6 · 25% proficient
9%
20%
71%
Grade 7 · 29% proficient
21%
72%
Grade 8 · 28% proficient
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
4.3%
State 17.3%
13.1pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
17.5%
State 39.5%
22.0pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+0.1pp
State +0.8pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
26.6%
State 19.1%
7.5pp above state avg
Suspension rate
7.1%
State 4.2%
2.8pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
13.7%
State 17.7%
4.0pp 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
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
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 25
Greenfield Middle
Greenfield Union · 3 mi
Needs Support
30/100
Emerson Middle
Bakersfield City · 2.3 mi
Needs Support
20/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 51
W. A. Kendrick Elementary
Greenfield Union · 2.9 mi
Solid
59/100
Downtown Elementary
Bakersfield City · 2.8 mi
Developing
48/100
Quailwood Elementary
Fruitvale Elementary · 2.3 mi
Developing
46/100
Nearby High Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 44
South High
Kern High · 2.3 mi
Developing
47/100
West High
Kern High · 0.8 mi
Developing
44/100
Bakersfield High
Kern High · 2.1 mi
Developing
40/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Valley Achievement Center
Ming Ave · Nonsectarian · Grades 8-12 · 25 students
13:1Private2.2 mi
Stockdale Christian School
California Ave · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-8 · 423 students
15:1Private1.4 mi
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
Columbus St · Roman Catholic · Grades Pre-K-8 · 297 students
14:1Private4.5 mi
Olive Knolls Christian School
Fruitvale Ave · Church of Christ · Grades Pre-K-8 · 272 students
16:1Private5.2 mi
Country Christian School
Dean Ave · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-8 · 217 students
24:1Private4.7 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic79.2%
White5.1%
Asian0.7%
Black11.6%
Other3.3%
GenderFemale 48.3%Male 51.7%Non-binary 0.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
973
Near CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
87%
24pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$19,376
District avg: $15,168 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
13.7% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$59,232 – $118,012
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Curran Middle in Bakersfield, 27.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Curran Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (7.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (29.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 24.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 835 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Homeless+40.1pp
66.7% vs 26.6% overall · n=42
Suspension · Black+16.5pp
23.6% vs 7.1% overall · n=127
ELA · English Learner−24.0pp
3.7% vs 27.7% overall · n=169
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−7.3pp
0.0% vs 7.3% overall · n=169
Math · English Learner−6.0pp
1.4% vs 7.3% overall · n=171
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income845 tested
ELA 27.5%·Math 7.2%· +2.0pp vs district
Hispanic757 tested
ELA 29.4%·Math 8.3%· +1.9pp vs district
English Learner171 tested
ELA 3.0%·Math 1.2%· -1.5pp 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 4.1pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -2.2pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$64K
$21K below CA median
Median Home Value
$320K
$339K below CA median
Bachelor's+
20%
15pp 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
10.3 years avg experience
49 teachers · 29% first-year · 6% second-year
Teacher Credentials
37% fully credentialed
7.0% 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 →
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%
4.3%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 36th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
17.5%
↓ vs CA 39.5% · 33th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+0.1pp
↓ vs CA +0.8pp · 41th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
26.6%
↓ vs CA 19.1% · 39th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
7.1%
↓ vs CA 4.2% · 39th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
13.7%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 50th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 192 | 5% | 20% | 27% | 48% | 26% | −21 |
| Grade 7 | 363 | 9% | 20% | 29% | 42% | 29% | −19 |
| Grade 8 | 374 | 7% | 21% | 25% | 46% | 28% | −18 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 194 | 1% | 8% | 28% | 63% | 9% | −26 |
| Grade 7 | 369 | 2% | 6% | 21% | 71% | 7% | −27 |
| Grade 8 | 375 | 1% | 5% | 19% | 75% | 6% | −26 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 379 | 3% | 10% | 69% | 18% |
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 | 835 | 27.5% | +2 | −11 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 748 | 29.4% | +2 | −9 |
| English Learners | 169 | 3.0% | −1 | −7 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curran Middle ← | — | 22 | 4.3% | 17.5% | +0.1 | 7.1% |
| Greenfield Middle | 3 mi | 30 | 8.8% | 30.1% | −1.5 | 4.5% |
| Emerson Middle | 2.3 mi | 20 | 3.2% | 15.7% | −3.3 | 9.3% |
| 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 #1331 → #1496 → #1424 → #1475 → #1486
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 11 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 Curran Middle a good middle school?
Curran Middle has a Scope Score of 22 out of 100, placing it in the 13th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,486 statewide. 4.3% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 13.1 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 Curran Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 17.5% of students at Curran Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 4.3% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 13.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 4.3% 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. 1,867 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Curran Middle rank in California?
Curran Middle ranks #1,486 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 13th 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 Curran Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Curran Middle increases by 0.1 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 Curran Middle?
26.6% of students at Curran Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 7.1%. 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 Curran Middle compare to other schools in Bakersfield?
Curran Middle scores 22/100 (13th 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 973 students. Use the schools in Bakersfield page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Curran Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Curran Middle in Bakersfield, 27.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Curran Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (7.2% Math proficient); Hispanic students (29.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 24.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 835 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.