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School Profile · El Cajon

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

EJE Middle Academy posts 28% meeting the standard and 9.8% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

851 South Johnson Avenue, 92020 (opens in new tab)·Cajon Valley Union·El Cajon·Grades 6-8·254 students·68% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(619) 401-4150
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
37
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #1,159 statewide · #2 of 10 in Cajon Valley Union

EJE Middle Academy scores 37 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 48th 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 →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “28% proficient” and call it done. EJE Middle Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in El Cajon, where two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 9.6% chronic absenteeism — versus 18.5% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.

As a charter, EJE Middle Academy enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

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.

9%
21%
70%
Grade 6 · 30% proficient
14%
32%
54%
Grade 7 · 46% proficient
12%
27%
61%
Grade 8 · 39% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 3.2pp across grades; the floor rises 9.7pp. 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 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
9.8%
State 16.8%
7.1pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
28.3%
State 39.3%
11.0pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+4.2pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
9.6%
State 18.5%
8.9pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.6%
State 3.7%
3.1pp 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

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

All schools in El Cajon →

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

Hispanic93.3%
White3.9%
Black1.2%
Other1.6%
GenderFemale 55.1%Male 44.9%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 67.7% (4pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
254
606 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
17:1
4 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$14,459
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$56,646 – $131,982
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At EJE Middle Academy in El Cajon, 32.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 27.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. EJE Middle Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (14.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (34.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 34.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 185 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−34.1pp
4.2% vs 38.4% overall · n=67
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−11.6pp
0.0% vs 11.6% overall · n=67
Math · English Learner−17.2pp
1.2% vs 18.4% overall · n=67
Math Exceeded · English Learner−8.0pp
0.0% vs 8.0% overall · n=67

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income185 tested
ELA 32.4%·Math 14.7%· +4.9pp vs district
Hispanic232 tested
ELA 34.9%·Math 16.5%· +5.2pp vs district
English Learner67 tested
ELA 4.5%·Math 1.5%· -0.1pp 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 12.6pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +1.2pp.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 62%Support 35%Other 3%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$76K
$9K below CA median
Median Home Value
$813K
$154K above CA median
Bachelor's+
27%
8pp 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
4.6 years avg experience
15 teachers · 40% first-year · 7% second-year
Teacher Credentials
69% 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 nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
9.8%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 42th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
28.3%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 41th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+4.2pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 59th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
9.6%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 62th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.6%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 62th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 6829%21%37%34%29%−17
Grade 79014%32%18%36%47%−1
Grade 87712%27%26%35%39%−7
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 6825%12%40%43%17%−18
Grade 79011%11%18%60%22%−12
Grade 8768%8%34%50%16%−16
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11773%13%73%12%

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 Disadvantaged18532.4%+5−6
Hispanic/Latino23234.9%+5−4
English Learners674.5%−0−6
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
EJE Middle Academy ←—379.8%28.3%+4.20.6%
College Preparatory Middle2.7 mi9258.1%84.0%+0.80.8%
Hillsdale Middle3.3 mi4523.0%49.4%−2.08.2%
Parkway Sports and Health Science Academy1.9 mi3417.3%42.5%−13.28.1%
California average—4016.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
49%37%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #614 → #833 → #1379 → #1310 → #1159
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 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

How to get into a charter school in LA →

Frequently asked questions

Is EJE Middle Academy a good middle school?
EJE Middle Academy has a Scope Score of 37 out of 100, placing it in the 48th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,159 statewide. 9.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 7.1 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 EJE Middle Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 28.3% of students at EJE Middle Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 9.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 9.8% 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. 497 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does EJE Middle Academy rank in California?
EJE Middle Academy ranks #1,159 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 48th 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 EJE Middle Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at EJE Middle Academy increases by 4.2 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 EJE Middle Academy?
9.6% of students at EJE Middle Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 0.6%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. 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 EJE Middle Academy compare to other schools in El Cajon?
EJE Middle Academy scores 37/100 (48th 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 254 students. Use the schools in El Cajon page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does EJE Middle Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At EJE Middle Academy in El Cajon, 32.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 27.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. EJE Middle Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (14.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (34.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 34.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 185 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.
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