School Profile · Bakersfield
Emerson Middle: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Emerson posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
801 Fourth Street, 93304·Bakersfield City·Bakersfield·Grades 6-8·813 students·90% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 631-5260·Website
Scope Score
20
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,544 statewide · #6 of 7 in Bakersfield City
Emerson Middle scores 20 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 10th 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 “16% proficient” and call it done. Emerson 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.
22%
72%
Grade 6 · 28% proficient
18%
79%
Grade 7 · 21% proficient
20%
74%
Grade 8 · 26% proficient
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
3.2%
State 17.3%
14.1pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
15.7%
State 39.5%
23.8pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-3.3pp
State +0.8pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
26.0%
State 19.1%
6.9pp above state avg
Suspension rate
9.3%
State 4.2%
5.1pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
8.4%
State 17.7%
9.3pp 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 21
Curran Middle
Bakersfield City · 2.3 mi
Needs Support
22/100
Washington Middle
Bakersfield City · 3.1 mi
Needs Support
20/100
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
13:1Private4.5 mi
Stockdale Christian School
California Ave · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-8 · 423 students
15:1Private2.6 mi
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
Columbus St · Roman Catholic · Grades Pre-K-8 · 297 students
14:1Private2.7 mi
Olive Knolls Christian School
Fruitvale Ave · Church of Christ · Grades Pre-K-8 · 272 students
16:1Private5.3 mi
Heritage Christian Schools
Bernard St · Lutheran (Missouri Synod) · Grades Pre-K-8 · 221 students
16:1Private3.2 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic77.1%
White6.2%
Asian0.9%
Black13.2%
Other2.7%
GenderFemale 50.7%Male 49.2%Non-binary 0.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
813
Near CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
90%
26pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$19,211
District avg: $15,168 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
8.4% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$59,232 – $118,012
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Emerson Middle in Bakersfield, 24.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Emerson Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 1.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (5.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (25.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 22.7 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 719 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Homeless+14.8pp
40.8% vs 26.0% overall · n=76
Suspension · Black+11.5pp
20.8% vs 9.3% overall · n=125
ELA · English Learner−22.7pp
2.5% vs 25.2% overall · n=140
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−5.1pp
0.0% vs 5.1% overall · n=140
Math · English Learner−6.0pp
0.0% vs 6.0% overall · n=142
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income729 tested
ELA 24.3%·Math 5.5%· -1.2pp vs district
Hispanic599 tested
ELA 25.7%·Math 5.8%· -1.8pp vs district
English Learner142 tested
ELA 2.1%·Math 0.0%· -2.3pp 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 2.8pp 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
$51K
$34K below CA median
Median Home Value
$241K
$418K below CA median
Bachelor's+
11%
24pp 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
9.1 years avg experience
38 teachers · 8% first-year · 3% second-year
Teacher Credentials
53% fully credentialed
13.3% 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%
3.2%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 35th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
15.7%
↓ vs CA 39.5% · 32th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-3.3pp
↓ vs CA +0.8pp · 38th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
26.0%
↓ vs CA 19.1% · 40th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
9.3%
↓ vs CA 4.2% · 30th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
8.4%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 52th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 172 | 6% | 22% | 19% | 52% | 28% | −18 |
| Grade 7 | 310 | 3% | 18% | 19% | 59% | 22% | −26 |
| Grade 8 | 289 | 6% | 20% | 17% | 57% | 26% | −20 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 174 | 1% | 7% | 20% | 73% | 7% | −28 |
| Grade 7 | 315 | 2% | 6% | 15% | 77% | 7% | −27 |
| Grade 8 | 292 | 1% | 2% | 15% | 82% | 3% | −29 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 296 | 4% | 13% | 59% | 24% |
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 | 719 | 24.3% | −1 | −14 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 592 | 25.7% | −2 | −13 |
| English Learners | 140 | 2.1% | −2 | −8 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerson Middle ← | — | 20 | 3.2% | 15.7% | −3.3 | 9.3% |
| Curran Middle | 2.3 mi | 22 | 4.3% | 17.5% | +0.1 | 7.1% |
| Washington Middle | 3.1 mi | 20 | 2.9% | 12.8% | −4.1 | 4.9% |
| 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 #1515 → #1648 → #1484 → #1517 → #1544
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 14 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 Emerson Middle a good middle school?
Emerson Middle has a Scope Score of 20 out of 100, placing it in the 10th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,544 statewide. 3.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 14.1 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 Emerson Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 15.7% of students at Emerson Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 3.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 12.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 3.2% 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. 1,552 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Emerson Middle rank in California?
Emerson Middle ranks #1,544 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 10th 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 Emerson Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Emerson Middle decreases by 3.3 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 Emerson Middle?
26.0% of students at Emerson Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 9.3%. 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 Emerson Middle compare to other schools in Bakersfield?
Emerson Middle scores 20/100 (10th 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 813 students. Use the schools in Bakersfield page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Emerson Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Emerson Middle in Bakersfield, 24.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 25.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Emerson Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 1.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (5.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (25.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 22.7 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 719 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.