School Profile · Lancaster
Joe Walker Middle: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.
Joe Walker posts 50% meeting the standard against 40% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.
5632 West Avenue L-8, 93536·Westside Union Elementary·Lancaster·Grades 6-8·781 students·59% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 943-3258
Scope Score
32
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,086 statewide · #2 of 3 in Westside Union Elementary
Joe Walker Middle scores 32 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 37th 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 “50% proficient” and call it done. Joe Walker deserves a closer read. The school sits in Lancaster, where more than half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
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.
48%
48%
Grade 6 · 96% proficient
12%
28%
60%
Grade 7 · 40% proficient
13%
26%
61%
Grade 8 · 39% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding falls 35.3pp across grades; the floor slips 57.8pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
22.6%
State 17.3%
5.2pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
49.5%
State 39.5%
10.0pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-55.9pp
State +0.8pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
24.4%
State 19.1%
5.3pp above state avg
Suspension rate
10.2%
State 4.2%
6.0pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
22.9%
State 17.7%
5.2pp above state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
Middle
Joe Walker Middle
32/100
This school
▼
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 28
Hillview Middle
Westside Union Elementary · 2.6 mi
Developing
39/100
Endeavour Middle
Lancaster Elementary · 2.1 mi
Needs Support
17/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 44
Gregg Anderson Academy
Westside Union Elementary · 2.3 mi
Solid
60/100
Quartz Hill Elementary
Westside Union Elementary · 1 mi
Developing
37/100
Rancho Vista Elementary
Westside Union Elementary · 2.5 mi
Developing
36/100
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 ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic51.9%
White25.9%
Asian2.0%
Black12.2%
Other8.1%
GenderFemale 48.4%Male 51.5%Non-binary 0.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
781
Near CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
59%
5pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
24:1
3 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$16,026
District avg: $11,235 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
22.9% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$64,194 – $132,656
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Joe Walker Middle in Lancaster, 34.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 37.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Joe Walker Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 2.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (38.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 52.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 462 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+10.4pp
34.8% vs 24.4% overall · n=112
Suspension · Foster Youth+26.8pp
37.0% vs 10.2% overall · n=27
ELA · English Learner−52.1pp
2.4% vs 54.5% overall · n=40
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−21.8pp
0.0% vs 21.8% overall · n=40
Math · English Learner−36.6pp
0.0% vs 36.6% overall · n=40
Math Exceeded · English Learner−18.4pp
0.0% vs 18.4% overall · n=40
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income462 tested
ELA 34.5%·Math 16.9%· -2.9pp vs district
Hispanic404 tested
ELA 38.5%·Math 18.0%· -5.5pp vs district
White196 tested
ELA 49.5%·Math 37.6%· -5.1pp 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 falls by 67.6pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -8.3pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$97K
$12K above CA median
Median Home Value
$451K
$208K below CA median
Bachelor's+
25%
10pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2022) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
16.3 years avg experience
35 teachers · 9% first-year
Teacher Credentials
90% fully credentialed
4.8% 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%
22.6%
↑ vs CA 17.3% · 56th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
49.5%
↑ vs CA 39.5% · 58th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-55.9pp
↓ vs CA +0.8pp · 0th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
24.4%
↓ vs CA 19.1% · 42th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
10.2%
↓ vs CA 4.2% · 27th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
22.9%
↑ vs CA 17.7% · 43th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 33 | 48% | 48% | 3% | 0% | 97% | +50 |
| Grade 7 | 356 | 12% | 28% | 23% | 37% | 40% | −8 |
| Grade 8 | 373 | 13% | 26% | 23% | 38% | 39% | −7 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 33 | 42% | 33% | 21% | 3% | 76% | +41 |
| Grade 7 | 353 | 10% | 13% | 27% | 49% | 24% | −10 |
| Grade 8 | 368 | 9% | 13% | 21% | 57% | 22% | −11 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 372 | 5% | 20% | 61% | 15% |
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 | 462 | 34.5% | −3 | −4 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 404 | 38.5% | −5 | −0 |
| White | 196 | 49.5% | −5 | −12 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Walker Middle ← | — | 32 | 22.6% | 49.5% | −55.9 | 10.2% |
| Hillview Middle | 2.6 mi | 39 | 27.6% | 54.6% | −45.1 | 7.6% |
| Endeavour Middle | 2.1 mi | 17 | 1.8% | 11.6% | −0.6 | 10.6% |
| 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 #918 → #937 → #731 → #810 → #1086
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 Joe Walker Middle a good middle school?
Joe Walker Middle has a Scope Score of 32 out of 100, placing it in the 37th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,086 statewide. 22.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 5.2 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 Joe Walker Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 49.5% of students at Joe Walker Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 22.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 27.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 22.6% 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. 1,516 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Joe Walker Middle rank in California?
Joe Walker Middle ranks #1,086 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 37th 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 Joe Walker Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Joe Walker Middle decreases by 55.9 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 Joe Walker Middle?
24.4% of students at Joe Walker Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 19.1%. The suspension rate is 10.2%. 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 Joe Walker Middle compare to other schools in Lancaster?
Joe Walker Middle scores 32/100 (37th 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 781 students. Use the schools in Lancaster page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Joe Walker Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Joe Walker Middle in Lancaster, 34.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 37.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Joe Walker Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 2.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (38.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 52.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 462 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.