School Profile · Turlock
Marvin A. Dutcher Middle: The score is middle of the pack. The trajectory isn't.
Marvin A. Dutcher sits mid-pack on raw proficiency — and it's climbing 10.3pp per cohort, faster than most schools anywhere near it.
1441 Colorado Avenue, 95380·Turlock Unified·Turlock·Grades 6-8·810 students·64% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(209) 667-8817·Website
Scope Score
45
🚀 Growth Engine · Developing
ranked #602 statewide
Marvin A. Dutcher Middle scores 45 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 65th 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 “36% proficient” and call it done. Marvin A. Dutcher deserves a closer read. The school sits in Turlock, where three in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: +10.3pp proficiency climbs from grade 6 to grade 8 across the school. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span.
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.
14%
25%
61%
Grade 6 · 39% proficient
16%
35%
49%
Grade 7 · 51% proficient
19%
37%
44%
Grade 8 · 56% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding rises 4.6pp across grades; the floor rises 16.3pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
12.8%
State 17.3%
4.5pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
36.0%
State 39.5%
3.5pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
+10.3pp
State +0.8pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
13.8%
State 19.1%
5.3pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.0%
State 4.2%
2.2pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
31.9%
State 17.7%
14.2pp above state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what changed — new curriculum, new principal, new program. Momentum has a cause, and a visit will find it.
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
3 within ~3 mi · avg 46
Walnut Elementary Education Center
Turlock Unified · 2.5 mi
Solid
55/100
Julien Elementary
Turlock Unified · 0.7 mi
Developing
42/100
Sandra Tovar Medeiros Elementary
Turlock Unified · 2.1 mi
Developing
41/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Reyn Franca
Main St · Nonsectarian · Grades 3-12 · 32 students
8:1Private2.1 mi
Reyn Franca Annex
N Berkeley Ave · Nonsectarian · Grades 3-8 · 8 students
8:1Private0.2 mi
Turlock Christian Jr/sr High School
E Monte Vista Ave · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-12 · 540 students
11:1Private1.2 mi
Turlock Christian Elementary School
Colorado Ave · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-6 · 305 students
18:1Private0.5 mi
Sacred Heart School
Cooper Ave · Roman Catholic · Grades Pre-K-8 · 219 students
20:1Private0.6 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic76.5%
White18.5%
Asian2.2%
Black0.4%
Other2.4%
GenderFemale 49.5%Male 50.5%Non-binary 0.1%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
810
Near CA avg (~860)
Free/Reduced Lunch
64%
0pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$16,471
District avg: $13,278 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
31.9% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$69,264 – $131,283
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Marvin A. Dutcher Middle in Turlock, 41.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Marvin A. Dutcher Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 8.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (18.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (44.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 35.4 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 528 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+7.0pp
20.8% vs 13.8% overall · n=120
ELA · English Learner−35.4pp
13.5% vs 48.9% overall · n=253
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−16.3pp
0.3% vs 16.6% overall · n=253
Math · English Learner−19.1pp
4.7% vs 23.8% overall · n=251
Math Exceeded · English Learner−8.8pp
0.6% vs 9.4% overall · n=251
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income528 tested
ELA 41.1%·Math 18.4%· +8.1pp vs district
Hispanic603 tested
ELA 44.4%·Math 18.7%· +9.3pp vs district
English Learner253 tested
ELA 14.6%·Math 5.2%· +1.3pp 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 rises by 20.2pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: +7.3pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$75K
$10K below CA median
Median Home Value
$434K
$225K below CA median
Bachelor's+
19%
16pp 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
13.6 years avg experience
41 teachers · 7% first-year · 5% second-year
Teacher Credentials
80% fully credentialed
2.6% 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%
12.8%
↓ vs CA 17.3% · 45th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
36.0%
↓ vs CA 39.5% · 47th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
+10.3pp
↑ vs CA +0.8pp · 72th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
13.8%
↑ vs CA 19.1% · 57th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.0%
↑ vs CA 4.2% · 58th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
31.9%
↑ vs CA 17.7% · 70th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 153 | 14% | 25% | 27% | 33% | 39% | −7 |
| Grade 7 | 330 | 16% | 35% | 23% | 26% | 51% | +3 |
| Grade 8 | 306 | 19% | 37% | 24% | 21% | 56% | +9 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 152 | 5% | 14% | 36% | 45% | 20% | −15 |
| Grade 7 | 329 | 9% | 19% | 31% | 42% | 27% | −7 |
| Grade 8 | 304 | 14% | 10% | 24% | 52% | 24% | −8 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 304 | 10% | 20% | 61% | 9% |
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 | 528 | 41.1% | +8 | +3 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 603 | 44.4% | +9 | +6 |
| English Learners | 253 | 14.6% | +1 | +4 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvin A. Dutcher Middle ← | — | 45 | 12.8% | 36.0% | +10.3 | 2.0% |
| Denair Middle | 2.2 mi | 32 | 5.9% | 28.5% | +3.5 | 3.2% |
| 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 #976 → #821 → #989 → #803 → #602
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 Marvin A. Dutcher Middle a good middle school?
Marvin A. Dutcher Middle has a Scope Score of 45 out of 100, placing it in the 65th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #602 statewide. 12.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.5 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 Marvin A. Dutcher Middle's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 36.0% of students at Marvin A. Dutcher Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 12.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 23.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 12.8% 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. 1,574 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Marvin A. Dutcher Middle rank in California?
Marvin A. Dutcher Middle ranks #602 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 65th 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 Marvin A. Dutcher Middle getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Marvin A. Dutcher Middle increases by 10.3 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 Marvin A. Dutcher Middle?
13.8% of students at Marvin A. Dutcher 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 2.0%. 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 Marvin A. Dutcher Middle compare to other schools in Turlock?
Marvin A. Dutcher Middle scores 45/100 (65th 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 810 students. Use the schools in Turlock page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Marvin A. Dutcher Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Marvin A. Dutcher Middle in Turlock, 41.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Marvin A. Dutcher Middle outperforms its district average for low-income students by 8.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (18.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (44.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 35.4 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 528 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.