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School Profile · Richmond

Making Waves Academy: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Making Waves Academy posts 36% meeting the standard and 10.8% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

4123 Lakeside Drive, 94806 (opens in new tab)·Contra Costa County Office of Education·Richmond·Grades 5-12·1,078 students·80% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(510) 262-1511·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
34
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,477 statewide

Making Waves Academy scores 34 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 34th 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 “36% proficient” and call it done. Making Waves Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Richmond, where three in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

As a charter, Making Waves Academy enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

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.

10%
28%
62%
Grade 6 · 38% proficient
14%
39%
47%
Grade 7 · 53% proficient
11%
26%
63%
Grade 8 · 37% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding holds steady across grades; the proficiency floor barely moves. 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 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
10.8%
State 16.8%
6.0pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+1.5pp
State +1.5pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
35.5%
State 39.3%
3.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
14.0%
State 18.5%
4.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
11.8%
State 3.7%
8.2pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Path

Making Waves Academy serves grades K-12 — students can complete their entire K-12 education here.

Your other options

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

Hispanic87.6%
White1.4%
Asian2.8%
Black6.8%
Other1.5%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 79.9% (16pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
1,078
Near CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
No TK reported, 2025-26
California requires the district to offer TK, but not every site has a room — ask the district which campuses do.
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
2 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$173,382
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$69,500 – $137,732
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Making Waves Academy in Richmond, 47.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 16.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Making Waves Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 31.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (27.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (46.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 32.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 531 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−32.6pp
14.8% vs 47.5% overall · n=163
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−13.7pp
1.5% vs 15.2% overall · n=163
Math · English Learner−20.5pp
6.4% vs 26.9% overall · n=162
Math Exceeded · English Learner−7.3pp
0.4% vs 7.8% overall · n=162

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income531 tested
ELA 47.8%·Math 27.4%· +31.8pp vs district
Hispanic555 tested
ELA 46.3%·Math 26.4%· +46.3pp vs district
English Learner163 tested
ELA 15.3%·Math 7.4%

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 6.0pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 39%Support 60%Other 1%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$86K
$1K above CA median
Median Home Value
$608K
$51K below CA median
Bachelor's+
24%
11pp 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
6.5 years avg experience
57 teachers · 9% first-year · 32% second-year
Teacher Credentials
58% fully credentialed
8.8% 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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is Making Waves Academy a good middle school?
Making Waves Academy has a Scope Score of 34 out of 100, placing it in the 34th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,477 statewide. 10.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.0 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 Making Waves Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 35.5% of students at Making Waves Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 10.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 24.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 10.8% 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. 824 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Making Waves Academy rank in California?
Making Waves Academy ranks #1,477 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 34th 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 Making Waves Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Making Waves Academy increases by 1.5 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 Making Waves Academy?
14.0% of students at Making Waves Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 11.8%. 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 Making Waves Academy compare to other schools in Richmond?
Making Waves Academy scores 34/100 (34th 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 1,078 students. Use the schools in Richmond page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Making Waves Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Making Waves Academy in Richmond, 47.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 16.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Making Waves Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 31.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (27.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (46.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 32.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 531 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.

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 · 38%
10.8%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 43th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
+1.5pp
↑ vs CA +1.5pp · 44th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
35.5%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 47th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
14.0%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 56th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
11.8%
↓ vs CA 3.7% · 17th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 510617%25%24%34%42%−5
Grade 611110%28%34%28%38%−9
Grade 715014%39%26%21%53%+5
Grade 815211%26%31%32%37%−9
Grade 1111224%44%21%11%68%+21
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 51055%24%35%36%29%−7
Grade 61105%16%44%35%22%−13
Grade 715013%25%33%29%38%+4
Grade 815111%15%26%48%26%−6
Grade 111124%16%25%55%20%−4
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/113714%29%58%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 Disadvantaged53147.8%+32+10
Hispanic/Latino55546.3%+46+7
English Learners16315.3%+5
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Making Waves Academy ←3410.8%35.5%+1.511.8%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
39%34%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1000 → #1628 → #1204 → #722 → #1477
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as a middle school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue