School Profile · Escondido
Motivated Youth Academy: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Motivated Youth Academy posts 24% meeting the standard and 6.3% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
500 La Terraza Boulevard #150, 92025 (opens in new tab)·Mountain Empire Unified·Escondido·Grades K-12·251 students·78% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(619) 343-2048·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
28
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,649 statewide · #4 of 4 in Mountain Empire Unified
Motivated Youth Academy scores 28 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 26th 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 “24% proficient” and call it done. Motivated Youth Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Escondido, where three in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
As a charter, Motivated Youth Academy enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The 4 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
6.3%
State 16.8%
10.6pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
23.8%
State 39.3%
15.5pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
17.6%
State 18.5%
0.9pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.1%
State 3.7%
2.6pp below 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.
Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Elite Academic Academy - …
49
→
Middle
Motivated Youth Academy
28
This school
→
Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Your other options
Nearby Middle Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 37
Woodland Park Middle
San Marcos Unified · 3.1 mi
Developing
42/100
Bear Valley Middle
Escondido Union · 3 mi
Developing
39/100
Del Dios Academy of Arts and Sciences
Escondido Union · 0.3 mi
Needs Support
29/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 56
Bernardo Elementary
Escondido Union · 1.9 mi
Solid
59/100
Knob Hill Elementary
San Marcos Unified · 2.3 mi
Solid
58/100
L. R. Green Elementary
Escondido Union · 2.8 mi
Solid
53/100
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
Hispanic13.2%
White59.8%
Asian1.6%
Black4.0%
Other21.5%
GenderFemale 43.4%Male 56.2%Non-binary 0.4%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 77.7% (14pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
251
949 below CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
TK status unconfirmed
No TK enrollment is on file with the state for this school — that isn't the same as “no TK.” Confirm directly with the district.
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
2 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,429
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
At Motivated Youth Academy in Escondido, 29.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 20.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Motivated Youth Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 8.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (12.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (26.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 8.7 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 75 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · Low-Income−8.7pp
24.5% vs 33.2% overall · n=49
1 more gap by subject
ELA Exceeded · Hispanic−5.6pp
3.3% vs 8.9% overall · n=30
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income75 tested
ELA 29.3%·Math 12.8%· +8.7pp vs district
Hispanic30 tested
ELA 26.7%·Math 10.3%· +7.1pp vs district
White18 tested
ELA 27.8%·Math 26.7%· -15.3pp 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.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$81K
$4K below CA median
Median Home Value
$828K
$169K above CA median
Bachelor's+
29%
6pp 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
16.1 years avg experience
19 teachers · 5% second-year
Teacher Credentials
14% 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 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%
6.3%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 38th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
23.8%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 38th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
17.6%
↑ vs CA 18.5% · 51th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.1%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 60th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 14 | 0% | 43% | 21% | 36% | 43% | −5 |
| Grade 8 | 20 | 20% | 15% | 5% | 60% | 35% | −11 |
| Grade 11 | 60 | 7% | 18% | 25% | 50% | 25% | −22 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 14 | 0% | 7% | 43% | 50% | 7% | −27 |
| Grade 8 | 20 | 5% | 5% | 15% | 75% | 10% | −22 |
| Grade 11 | 56 | 4% | 13% | 14% | 70% | 16% | −7 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 86 | 2% | 17% | 62% | 19% |
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 | 75 | 29.3% | +9 | −9 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 30 | 26.7% | +7 | −12 |
| White | 18 | 27.8% | −15 | −34 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motivated Youth Academy ← | — | 28 | 6.3% | 23.8% | — | 1.1% |
| Woodland Park Middle | 3.1 mi | 42 | 19.7% | 46.3% | −7.0 | 5.5% |
| Bear Valley Middle | 3 mi | 39 | 17.3% | 40.7% | −1.6 | 2.8% |
| Del Dios Academy of Arts and Sciences | 0.3 mi | 29 | 9.1% | 26.2% | −0.6 | 9.0% |
| California average | — | 40 | 16.8% | 39.3% | +1.5 | 3.7% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · rank #1792 → #1664 → #1924 → #1649
What we can't show
- — Growth data isn't available — the state needs matched grades across years to compute it.
- — 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
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Motivated Youth Academy a good middle school?
Motivated Youth Academy has a Scope Score of 28 out of 100, placing it in the 26th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,649 statewide. 6.3% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 10.6 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 Motivated Youth Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 23.8% of students at Motivated Youth Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 6.3% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 17.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 6.3% 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. 68 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Motivated Youth Academy rank in California?
Motivated Youth Academy ranks #1,649 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 26th 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.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Motivated Youth Academy?
17.6% of students at Motivated Youth 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 1.1%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. 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 Motivated Youth Academy compare to other schools in Escondido?
Motivated Youth Academy scores 28/100 (26th 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 251 students. Use the schools in Escondido page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Motivated Youth Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Motivated Youth Academy in Escondido, 29.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 20.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Motivated Youth Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 8.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (12.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (26.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 8.7 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 75 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.