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School Profile · Corona

El Cerrito Middle: Low-income kids here outscore the state by 18 points. But 8th graders score lower than 6th graders.

El Cerrito posts numbers for its most vulnerable students that most schools don't reach overall. The trend line is the part worth a closer look.

7610 El Cerrito Road, 92881·Corona-Norco Unified·Corona·Grades 6-8·1,218 students·63% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(951) 736-3216·Website
Scope Score
53
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #388 statewide · #1 of 5 in Corona-Norco Unified

El Cerrito Middle scores 53 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 77th 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 →

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “64% proficient” and call it done. El Cerrito deserves a closer read. The school sits in Corona, where three in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 56.6% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide.

The story this school is actually telling

The equalizer · low-income proficiency
56.6%

of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide.

↑ the number zip-code rankings hide
The trajectory · grade 6→8
−31.4pp

proficiency falls from grade 6 (85%) to grade 8 (54%). The state average falls by −0.5pp over the same span.

↓ the part no ranking site shows you

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

56%
39%
Grade 6 · 95% proficient
26%
37%
37%
Grade 7 · 63% proficient
28%
36%
36%
Grade 8 · 64% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 27.4pp across grades; the floor slips 30.4pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A strong 6th grader at El Cerrito doesn't typically widen their lead by 8th grade. One question worth asking on a tour: are the strongest students being pushed, or coasting? A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

56.6%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

El Cerrito's most underrated number

56.6% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

El Cerrito low-income: 56.6%State low-income: 38.2%

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
34.6%
State 17.3%
17.3pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
64.4%
State 39.5%
24.9pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-31.4pp
State +0.8pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
10.7%
State 19.1%
8.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
8.0%
State 4.2%
3.7pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
31.2%
State 17.7%
13.5pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask the principal what changes between grade 6 and grade 8. The trajectory is the thing a tour will tell you more about than a spreadsheet.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School

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

All schools in Corona →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

Mount Carmel Academy
Coriander Cir · Nonsectarian · Grades 5-12 · 6 students
2:1Private5 mi

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic41.0%
White28.3%
Asian13.2%
Black7.6%
Other9.8%
GenderFemale 48.0%Male 52.0%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
1,218
358 above CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
63%
1pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
27:1
6 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,029
District avg: $12,310 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
31.2% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$75,444 – $141,046
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At El Cerrito Middle in Corona, 56.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 51.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. El Cerrito Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 5.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (37.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (54.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 63.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 739 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Homeless+33.1pp
43.8% vs 10.7% overall · n=16
Suspension · Homeless+9.6pp
17.6% vs 8.0% overall · n=17
ELA · English Learner−63.8pp
7.8% vs 71.6% overall · n=64
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−33.1pp
1.6% vs 34.7% overall · n=64
Math · English Learner−43.6pp
9.3% vs 52.9% overall · n=75
Math Exceeded · English Learner−28.4pp
2.8% vs 31.2% overall · n=75

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income748 tested
ELA 56.6%·Math 37.8%· +5.4pp vs district
Hispanic486 tested
ELA 54.3%·Math 34.2%· +5.3pp vs district
White331 tested
ELA 72.2%·Math 50.3%· +7.7pp 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 33.9pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -7.1pp.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 62%Support 36%Other 2%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$135K
$50K above CA median
Median Home Value
$800K
$141K above CA median
Bachelor's+
39%
4pp above 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
18.6 years avg experience
46 teachers · 4% first-year · 2% second-year
Teacher Credentials
93% 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%
34.6%
↑ vs CA 17.3% · 68th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
64.4%
↑ vs CA 39.5% · 69th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-31.4pp
↓ vs CA +0.8pp · 19th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
10.7%
↑ vs CA 19.1% · 62th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
8.0%
↓ vs CA 4.2% · 36th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
31.2%
↑ vs CA 17.7% · 60th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 67256%39%6%0%94%+48
Grade 755626%37%20%17%63%+15
Grade 854728%36%18%18%64%+18
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 67247%29%15%8%76%+41
Grade 756223%22%26%29%45%+11
Grade 855028%16%23%33%44%+12
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/1154918%28%45%9%

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 Disadvantaged73956.6%+5+18
Hispanic/Latino48154.3%+5+15
White33172.2%+8+10
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
El Cerrito Middle ←—5334.6%64.4%−31.48.0%
California average—4017.3%39.5%+0.84.2%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
62%53%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #526 → #411 → #533 → #498 → #388
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,714 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

Frequently asked questions

Is El Cerrito Middle a good middle school?
El Cerrito Middle has a Scope Score of 53 out of 100, placing it in the 77th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #388 statewide. 34.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 17.3 percentage points above 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 El Cerrito Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 64.4% of students at El Cerrito Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 34.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 29.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 34.6% 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. 2,359 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does El Cerrito Middle rank in California?
El Cerrito Middle ranks #388 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 77th 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 El Cerrito Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at El Cerrito Middle decreases by 31.4 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 El Cerrito Middle?
10.7% of students at El Cerrito Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 8.0%. 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 El Cerrito Middle compare to other schools in Corona?
El Cerrito Middle scores 53/100 (77th 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 1,218 students. Use the schools in Corona page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does El Cerrito Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At El Cerrito Middle in Corona, 56.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 51.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. El Cerrito Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 5.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (37.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (54.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 63.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 739 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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