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Middletown Middle · Middletown

Middletown Middle: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Middletown posts 37% meeting the standard and 10.1% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

15846 Wardlaw Street, 95461 (opens in new tab)·Middletown Unified·Middletown·Grades 6-8·320 students·53% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(707) 987-4160
2025–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope3243
% Exceeded10%17%
% Met+37%39%
Growth-0.9+1.5
Absence33.3%18.5%
Suspension13.4%3.7%
Scope Score
32
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,585 statewide

Middletown Middle scores 32 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 29th 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 →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Most rating sites would stop at “37% proficient” and call it done. Middletown deserves a closer read. The school sits in Middletown, 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 2024–25

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

12%
29%
59%
Grade 6 · 41% proficient
10%
44%
46%
Grade 7 · 54% proficient
30%
65%
Grade 8 · 35% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 6.6pp across grades; the floor slips 6.1pp. 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
10.1%
State 16.8%
6.7pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-0.9pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
37.4%
State 39.3%
1.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
33.3%
State 18.5%
14.7pp above state avg
Suspension rate
13.4%
State 3.7%
9.8pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
28.6%
State 18.0%
10.6pp 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.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • Ask what typically leads to a suspension, and what happens before it gets there.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Middletown Middle in Middletown, 35.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Middletown Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 5.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (25.9% Math proficient); White students (48.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 8.8 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 170 students tested.

All students at this school: 37% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 37%, district —, state 39%37%
WhiteWhite: this school 42%, district 44%, state 56%42% · +5 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 31%, district 33%, state 32%31% · −6 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 42%, district 42%, state 44%42% · +5 vs school
MaleMale: this school 31%, district 40%, state 42%31% · −6 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 26%, district 32%, state 32%26% · −11 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 25%, district 21%, state 15%25% · −12 vs school

7 of 14 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 7.3pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -7.3pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 33.3%, district 26.8%, state 18.5%33.3% · +14.7pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 13.4%, district —, state 3.7%13.4% · +9.8pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–633.9%
Grades 7–834.1%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 21:1, district 21:121:1
Teaching staff16 teachers
Avg. experience12.6 years
Fully credentialed46%
First-year teachers13%
Intern / emergency permit0.8%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$55,752 – $95,216
Principal salary$122,416 – $134,842
Superintendent salary$186,732

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $11,712, CA average $14,815$11,712 · spent at this school

These measure different things: this figure is spending attributed to this campus, while district-wide figures also include central administration, districtwide programs, and the state's pension contributions made on the district's behalf — costs that never get assigned to a single school. The district number runs higher at nearly every school, not just this one.

Federal share$195 per student

$195 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$17,348 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction58%
Instruction support10%
Student services12%
Administration10%
Buildings & maintenance9%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$12,093 per pupil
2019$11,549 per pupil
2018$11,671 per pupil
2017$10,557 per pupil
2016$11,227 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White57.8%
District 58.9% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic33.1%
District 31.6% · CA 56.1%
Other7.8%
District 8.6% · CA 9.0%
Black0.9%
District 0.3% · CA 4.8%
Asian0.3%
District 0.6% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 53.4% (10pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$79K · CA $85K
Median home value$387K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+31% · CA 35%
ZIP population3,422
Median age46 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 320 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California middle school (≈860).

On the state's science test (CAST), 18% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Middletown Middle a good middle school?

Middletown Middle has a Scope Score of 32 out of 100, placing it in the 29th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,585 statewide. 10.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.7 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for middle schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 6-to-8 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Middletown Middle's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 37.4% of students at Middletown Middle met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 10.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 27.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 10.1% 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. 604 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Middletown Middle rank in California?

Middletown Middle ranks #1,585 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 29th 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 Middletown Middle getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Middletown Middle decreases by 0.9 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 Middletown Middle?

33.3% of students at Middletown Middle are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 13.4%. 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 Middletown Middle compare to other schools in Middletown?

Middletown Middle scores 32/100 (29th 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 320 students. Use the schools in Middletown page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.

How does Middletown Middle serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Middletown Middle in Middletown, 35.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Middletown Middle trails its district average for low-income students by 5.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (25.9% Math proficient); White students (48.0% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 8.8 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 170 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.

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.


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%
10.1%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 43th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
-0.9pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 43th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
37.4%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 49th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
33.3%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 29th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
13.4%
↓ vs CA 3.7% · 11th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
28.6%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 60th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 611212%29%32%27%41%−5
Grade 79010%44%20%26%54%+7
Grade 81005%30%32%33%35%−11
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61129%19%38%35%28%−7
Grade 79011%23%27%39%34%+0
Grade 810014%18%26%42%32%−0
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111004%14%67%15%

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 Disadvantaged17035.3%−5−3
White17548.0%−2−14
Hispanic/Latino10233.3%−7−6
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Middletown Middle ←3210.1%37.4%−0.913.4%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female13.9%28.4%+14.5pp
Male16.8%40.4%+23.6pp
Hispanic/Latino16.9%32.1%+15.2pp
Two or More Races15.4%31.6%+16.2pp
Students with Disabilities15.2%45.5%+30.3pp
English Learners0.0%27.8%+27.8pp
Homeless33.3%36.4%+3.1pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged17.8%36.3%+18.5pp
All Students15.5%34.0%+18.5pp
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction