How does David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy compare to other middle schools in Palmdale?

David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy has a Scope Score of 19.4/100, ranked #1555 among California middle schools. 5% of students exceed standard, with a total of 1,860 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy?

4.8% of students at David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 18.6% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

Is David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy improving or declining?

Based on CAASPP data, David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy's proficiency rate increases by 1.1 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 David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy?

31.8% of students at David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy 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.

David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy

Middle School

Palmdale Elementary PalmdaleLos Angeles County93551Magnet Program

📍 39221 22nd Street West

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

🌱

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.

School overview

Enrollment

1,006 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

22:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

84%

Teachers

46 full-time

Dashboard indicators

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

ELA Year-over-Year

Declined

-6.7 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Increased

+9.2 pts DFS change

EL Proficiency (ELPAC)

14.4%

English learners at Level 4 (Well Developed) · 125 tested

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic70.9%

White5.4%

Asian0.8%

Black17.8%

Other5.2%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	4.8%
Met Standard	13.8%
Below Standard	81.4%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Growth (G6→G8): +1.1pp

Scores improve across grades (state avg +0.8pp)

15% weight

Holding Back

▼Exceeded standard: 4.8%

12.5pp below state avg (state avg 17.3%)

30% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 18.6%

20.9pp below state avg (state avg 39.5%)

20% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 31.8%

12.5pp above state avg (state avg 19.3%)

15% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 18.6%

Below state baseline (state avg 39.5%)

10% weight

▼Suspension rate: 9.8%

5.7pp 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 David G. Millen Law and Government Magnet Academy and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

4.8% of students exceeded standard while 13.8% met it. That exceeded rate is 12.5 points below the state average of 17.3%. That's 3.6 points below the Palmdale Elementary district average of 8.3%. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

Students here improve by 1.1 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 declined and Math increased year-over-year. 14.4% of English learners reached Level 4 (Well Developed) on ELPAC.

Chronic absenteeism is 31.8%, 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

Key metrics

% Exceeded Standard

4.8%

Students scoring above proficient

% Met or Above

18.6%

Students meeting standard

Growth (G6→G8)

+1.1pp

Change in proficiency rate

Chronic Absenteeism

31.8%

Students missing 10%+ of days

Suspension Rate

9.8%

Students suspended at least once

Total Tested

1,860

Across all grades & subjects

Grade trajectory

How proficiency compares across grade levels this year (different students, same test year)

ELA Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

Math Trajectory

G6 → G7 → G8

ELA scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	278	4.3%	18.7%	21.9%	55.0%	23.0%
7th	299	4.7%	20.7%	25.4%	49.2%	25.4%
8th	353	8.2%	19.0%	24.9%	47.9%	27.2%

Math scores by grade

Grade	Tested	Exceeded	Met	Nearly Met	Not Met	Met+Above
6th	280	2.5%	9.6%	19.3%	68.6%	12.1%
7th	299	5.0%	8.7%	20.4%	65.9%	13.7%
8th	351	4.0%	6.3%	18.2%	71.5%	10.3%

K-12 Feeder PathBoundary data

Elementary

Ocotillo Elementary

25.8# in state

Summerwind Elementary

Also serves area

▼

Middle

David G. Millen Law and Govern…Magnet

19.4# in state

This school

▼

High School

Palmdale Academy CharterCharter

No score# in state

Feeder patterns derived from 2015-16 NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries may have changed. Contact your school district for current information.