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School Profile · Buellton

Jonata Middle: Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.

Jonata posts 52% meeting the standard; 20.7% push past it. Steady is worth something — and the gap between those two numbers is the thing to ask about.

301 Second Street, 93427 (opens in new tab)·Buellton Union Elementary·Buellton·Grades 6-8·168 students·55% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(805) 688-4222·Website
Scope Score
52
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #405 statewide

Jonata Middle scores 52 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 76th 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 “52% proficient” and call it done. Jonata deserves a closer read. The school sits in Buellton, where more than half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 50.6% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide.

The story this school is actually telling

The school, grade by grade

ELA · CAASPP 2024–25

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

14%
46%
40%
Grade 6 · 60% proficient
23%
38%
39%
Grade 7 · 61% proficient
18%
38%
44%
Grade 8 · 56% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding rises 3.9pp across grades; the floor slips 4.6pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

50.6%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Jonata's most underrated number

50.6% 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.

Jonata low-income: 50.6%State low-income: 38.2%

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
20.7%
State 17.3%
3.4pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
52.0%
State 39.5%
12.5pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+1.1pp
State +0.8pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
14.9%
State 19.1%
4.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
3.6%
State 4.2%
0.7pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
42.1%
State 18.0%
24.1pp 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
▼
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

All schools in Buellton →

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

Hispanic53.6%
White38.1%
Asian1.2%
Other7.1%
GenderFemale 44.6%Male 55.4%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
168
692 below CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
55%
8pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
21:1
0 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$14,925
District avg: $21,940 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
42.1% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
At Jonata Middle in Buellton, 50.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 46.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Jonata Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (36.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (49.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 9.5 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 89 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Suspension · Disabilities+6.4pp
10.0% vs 3.6% overall · n=20
Math · Hispanic−10.9pp
34.2% vs 45.1% overall · n=88
3 more gaps by subject
ELA · Hispanic−9.5pp
49.4% vs 58.9% overall · n=87
ELA Exceeded · Hispanic−5.9pp
12.4% vs 18.3% overall · n=87
Math Exceeded · Hispanic−9.7pp
13.4% vs 23.1% overall · n=88

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income89 tested
ELA 50.6%·Math 36.0%· +3.8pp vs district
Hispanic88 tested
ELA 49.4%·Math 34.1%· +3.3pp vs district
White57 tested
ELA 71.9%·Math 59.6%· +4.4pp 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 21.0pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -21.0pp.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 60%Support 39%Other 1%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$103K
$18K above CA median
Median Home Value
$868K
$209K above CA median
Bachelor's+
41%
6pp 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
13.3 years avg experience
9 teachers · 11% second-year
Teacher Credentials
61% 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%
20.7%
↑ vs CA 17.3% · 54th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
52.0%
↑ vs CA 39.5% · 60th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+1.1pp
↑ vs CA +0.8pp · 73th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
14.9%
↑ vs CA 19.1% · 56th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.6%
↑ vs CA 4.2% · 53th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
42.1%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 46th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 65014%46%34%6%60%+13
Grade 75223%38%21%17%62%+14
Grade 85618%38%38%7%55%+9
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 65018%26%30%26%44%+9
Grade 75223%17%23%37%40%+6
Grade 85728%23%26%23%51%+19
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/115613%32%50%5%

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 Disadvantaged8950.6%+4+12
Hispanic/Latino8749.4%+3+11
White5771.9%+4+10
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Jonata Middle ←—5220.7%52.0%+1.13.6%
California average—4017.3%39.5%+0.84.2%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
78%52%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #197 → #368 → #269 → #391 → #405
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 Jonata Middle a good middle school?
Jonata Middle has a Scope Score of 52 out of 100, placing it in the 76th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #405 statewide. 20.7% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 3.4 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 Jonata Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 52.0% of students at Jonata Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 20.7% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 31.4% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 20.7% 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. 317 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Jonata Middle rank in California?
Jonata Middle ranks #405 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 76th 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 Jonata Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Jonata Middle increases by 1.1 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 Jonata Middle?
14.9% of students at Jonata 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 3.6%. 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 Jonata Middle compare to other schools in Buellton?
Jonata Middle scores 52/100 (76th 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 168 students. Use the schools in Buellton page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Jonata Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Jonata Middle in Buellton, 50.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 46.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Jonata Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 3.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (36.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (49.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 9.5 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 89 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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