How does Daniel J. Savage Middle compare to other middle schools in Modesto?

Daniel J. Savage Middle has a Scope Score of 48.9/100, ranked #880 among California middle schools. 18% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,767 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Daniel J. Savage Middle?

17.6% of students at Daniel J. Savage Middle exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 42.8% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is Daniel J. Savage Middle improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, Daniel J. Savage Middle's proficiency rate decreases by 3.7 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth. This pattern in test scores may reflect a variety of factors beyond the school itself.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Daniel J. Savage Middle?

20.6% of students at Daniel J. Savage Middle 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.

Daniel J. Savage Middle

Middle School

Sylvan Union Elementary ModestoStanislaus County95355

📍 1900 Maid Mariane Lane

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,714 California middle schools

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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.

School overview

Enrollment

901 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

22:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

41%

Teachers

41 full-time

Dashboard indicators

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

ELA Year-over-Year

Maintained

-0.5 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Maintained

-1.2 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

17.5%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 63 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic46.5%

White33.1%

Asian5.4%

Black3.2%

Other11.8%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Daniel J. Savage Middle
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	17.6%
Met Standard	25.2%
Below Standard	57.2%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Exceeded standard: 17.6%

0.2pp above state avg (state avg 17.3%)

30% weight

✓Met or exceeded: 42.8%

3.2pp above state avg (state avg 39.5%)

20% weight

✓Baseline proficiency: 42.8%

Above state baseline (state avg 39.5%)

10% weight

Holding Back

▼Growth (G6→G8): -3.7pp

Scores decline across grades (state avg +0.8pp)

15% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 20.6%

1.3pp above state avg (state avg 19.3%)

15% weight

▼Suspension rate: 6.5%

2.4pp 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 "43% proficient" for Daniel J. Savage Middle and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

17.6% of students exceeded standard while 25.2% met it. That exceeded rate is near the state average of 17.3%. That's 2.0 points above the Sylvan Union Elementary district average of 15.5%. The 1 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 22.3% exceeded — 4.8 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

Proficiency drops by 3.7 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 growth — a signal that the school may not be sustaining early gains.

California's Dashboard shows ELA performance maintained and Math maintained year-over-year. 17.5% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 20.6%, 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