School Profile · Acton
High Desert: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
High Desert 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.
3620 Antelope Woods Road, 93510 (opens in new tab)·Acton-Agua Dulce Unified·Acton·Grades 5-8·307 students·71% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 269-0310
Scope Score
27
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,690 statewide · #7 of 8 in Acton-Agua Dulce Unified
High Desert scores 27 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 24th 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 →
Most rating sites would stop at “26% proficient” and call it done. High Desert deserves a closer read. The school sits in Acton, where two-thirds of 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.
24%
70%
Grade 6 · 30% proficient
8%
28%
64%
Grade 7 · 36% proficient
27%
66%
Grade 8 · 34% proficient
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
6.8%
State 16.8%
10.1pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
26.3%
State 39.3%
13.0pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-2.8pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
26.3%
State 18.5%
7.8pp above state avg
Suspension rate
3.0%
State 3.7%
0.6pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
20.4%
State 18.0%
2.5pp above 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
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 Elementary Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 37
iLEAD Hybrid
Acton-Agua Dulce Unified · 0.3 mi
Developing
42/100
iLEAD Online
Acton-Agua Dulce Unified · 0.3 mi
Developing
32/100
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic58.3%
White36.5%
Asian0.7%
Black1.9%
Other2.6%
GenderFemale 49.5%Male 50.5%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 71.3% (8pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
307
553 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$24,725
District avg: $17,135 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
20.4% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
At High Desert in Acton, 26.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 30.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. High Desert trails its district average for low-income students by 4.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (25.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 32.2 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 217 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · English Learner+8.2pp
34.5% vs 26.3% overall · n=55
ELA · English Learner−32.2pp
0.0% vs 32.2% overall · n=17
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−7.2pp
0.0% vs 7.2% overall · n=15
Math · English Learner−18.9pp
0.0% vs 18.9% overall · n=17
Math Exceeded · English Learner−5.9pp
0.0% vs 5.9% overall · n=17
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income218 tested
ELA 26.3%·Math 16.1%· -4.1pp vs district
Hispanic180 tested
ELA 25.7%·Math 13.9%· -3.5pp vs district
White110 tested
ELA 40.9%·Math 25.5%· +1.0pp 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 7.2pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +7.2pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$121K
$36K above CA median
Median Home Value
$740K
$81K above CA median
Bachelor's+
30%
5pp 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
9.5 years avg experience
16 teachers · 6% first-year · 6% second-year
Teacher Credentials
79% 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 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%
6.8%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 39th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
26.3%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 40th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-2.8pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 41th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
26.3%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 39th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.0%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 52th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
20.4%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 49th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 84 | 7% | 21% | 30% | 42% | 29% | −19 |
| Grade 6 | 67 | 6% | 24% | 33% | 37% | 30% | −17 |
| Grade 7 | 83 | 8% | 28% | 36% | 28% | 36% | −12 |
| Grade 8 | 70 | 7% | 27% | 31% | 34% | 34% | −12 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 84 | 5% | 13% | 26% | 56% | 18% | −17 |
| Grade 6 | 67 | 9% | 13% | 33% | 45% | 22% | −13 |
| Grade 7 | 83 | 7% | 16% | 19% | 58% | 23% | −11 |
| Grade 8 | 73 | 3% | 10% | 26% | 62% | 12% | −20 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 157 | 4% | 13% | 62% | 20% |
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 | 217 | 26.3% | −4 | −12 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 179 | 25.7% | −4 | −13 |
| White | 110 | 40.9% | +1 | −21 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Desert ← | — | 27 | 6.8% | 26.3% | −2.8 | 3.0% |
| California average | — | 40 | 16.8% | 39.3% | +1.5 | 3.7% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #827 → #2044 → #1981 → #1965 → #1690
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 12 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
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
Frequently asked questions
Is High Desert a good middle school?
High Desert has a Scope Score of 27 out of 100, placing it in the 24th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,690 statewide. 6.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 10.1 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 High Desert's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 26.3% of students at High Desert met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 6.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 6.8% 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. 443 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does High Desert rank in California?
High Desert ranks #1,690 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 24th 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 High Desert getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at High Desert decreases by 2.8 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 High Desert?
26.3% of students at High Desert are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 3.0%. 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 High Desert compare to other schools in Acton?
High Desert scores 27/100 (24th 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 307 students. Use the schools in Acton page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does High Desert serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At High Desert in Acton, 26.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 30.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. High Desert trails its district average for low-income students by 4.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.1% Math proficient); Hispanic students (25.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 32.2 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 217 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.