Public school · Needles Unified

Needles Middle — Rating & test scores

720 Bailey Avenue, Needles · 196 students · Grades 6–8

How to enroll
Compare

Compare schools

Choose up to four middle schools.

Type at least two characters to search.

Save

Sign in to save this school

Shared campus · © OpenStreetMap

The California School Campus Database records Educational Training Center, Needles High and Vista Colorado Elementary on this campus too; it gives each school the whole campus, so this drawing doesn’t show which buildings each uses.

Drawn from OpenStreetMap, inside the campus outline from the California School Campus Database (2025). Volunteers map it, so a new building may be missing. Buildings with no mapped height are drawn one storey high.

A picture of the campus, not an attendance boundary or a rating.

Schools maintain a closed campus policy. For students’ safety, visitors may enter a campus only with the school’s official permission; this drawing implies no permission to enter.

Scope Score 66

Needs SupportScope Score · 3rd percentile. Higher than 3 in 100 of the 2,529 California public middle schools we score.

75 is the typical California school. 100 is the best result in the state. How the score is built

Well below California in English (reading and writing) and math, grades 6–8, spring 2026: 31% and 12% scored Proficient or Advanced, against 49% and 37%.

Source for this line
Source
California’s state tests (CAASPP), California Department of Education, spring 2026
Students
all students tested in grades 6–8: 200
Comparison
California: CDE’s grade 6, 7 and 8 rows for the whole state combined, weighted by students tested (our calculation; 1,254,039 in English and 1,254,800 in math tested).

Overview

Is Needles Middle a good middle school?

Needs Support. Needles Middle is lower than most California middle schools on test results, progress in both subjects and attendance.

Test results, spring 2026

English, Proficient or Advanced2031%
Math, Proficient or Advanced912%
English, Advanced74%
Math, Advanced73%

Progress in a year, 2025

English13−12 pts
Math19−12 pts

Showing up, 2025–26

Attendance1827 in 100
Needles Middle’s place among California middle schools, out of 100Bar colour, from the lowest quarter of schools to the highest

One more thing to know

27 in 100 students (62 of 229) missed 10% or more of school days in 2025–26. That is one and a half times the rate at the average California middle school.

Each bar is Needles Middle’s place among 2,529 California public middle schools we score. Our calculation from California Department of Education records, updated October 15, 2026.

How to read these bars, and their sources

A place counts the schools out of 100 with a lower figure. The dashed line is the middle. Test results are from spring 2026, grades 6–8. Progress is the state’s measure of how the same students’ scores changed against the score it expected, 2025. Attendance counts students who missed 10% or more of school days; fewer is better, so a higher place means fewer such students.

Source for the sentence
CDE chronic absenteeism file, 2025–26. All students counted for chronic absence (CDE’s eligible enrollment): 229. The California figure is an average of school rates (2,529 scored California middle schools), our calculation.

In its own words

What does Needles Middle say about itself?

We haven’t read Needles Middle’s website yet. Until we do, the school’s own site is the best place to hear it in its own words.

Open needlesusd.org (opens in a new tab)

Progress

Did students here score higher than students who started at the same place?

Lower, in both subjects. In 2025, students here in grades 6–8 scored 12 points lower in English than California students who had the same score the year before. The state calls that Moderate. In math, they scored 12 points lower, which the state calls Moderate.

English

−12

points lower than California students who had the same score a year earlier. The state calls it Moderate, the second of its five growth levels.

By student group · students counted

Low-income130−13 points
Hispanic or Latino640 points
White63−14 points
Students with disabilities32−17 points
American Indian or Alaska Native18−33 points

Math

−12

points lower than California students who had the same score a year earlier. The state calls it Moderate, the second of its five growth levels.

By student group · students counted

Low-income130−13 points
Hispanic or Latino64−11 points
White63−7 points
Students with disabilities32−7 points
American Indian or Alaska Native180 points

Grades 6–8, 2025, 160 students with scores in both years. Faded rows have fewer than 40 students. It describes results, not causes. Source: California Department of Education, growth model.

How the state’s growth measure works

The state calls this comparison an expected score. It sets one for each student from that student’s own score the year before.

California uses each student’s English and math scores from the year before to set an expected score, based on how students with similar earlier scores did across the state. Zero would mean students here scored as expected. In English they scored 12 points below that expected score, and in math 12 points below it. Unlike the growth in our Scope Score, it follows the same students from one year to the next.

The state sorts every school’s growth result into five growth levels, from Minimal to Exceptional.

Here, as at most schools, the state’s figure blends the two most recent years, so it moves more slowly than one year’s scores.

Our Scope Score measures growth another way. It compares the latest grade 8 scores here with the school’s grade 6 scores two years earlier (partly different children), then places that change among California schools at the same level. The state’s measure counts only students who took California’s test the year before, so the two can point different ways.

SchoolScope middle standardized cohort gain: approximately 35th percentile on a calibrated reference scale, not an empirical school rank. This score compares school-level grade groups across English and math, not matched students in California's separate growth model.

Schools like it

How does Needles Middle compare with schools like it?

Needles Middle’s Scope Score is 66. 556 California middle schools, counting Needles Middle, have a similar share of students from low-income families. Their typical score is 72. Needles Middle’s result is higher than 41 of them.

The five schools with the highest results of the 556

  1. Students from low-income families: 88%

    Scope Score 95Strong · 98th percentile

  2. Students from low-income families: 89%

    Scope Score 87Strong · 91st percentile

  3. Students from low-income families: 85%

    Scope Score 86Strong · 90th percentile

  4. Students from low-income families: 86%

    Scope Score 86Strong · 90th percentile

  5. Students from low-income families: 77%

    Scope Score 85Strong · 88th percentile

556 California public middle schools where 77% to 89% of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25. The chart compares results, not causes. Our calculation from California Department of Education records, spring 2026.

How the group is chosen

The group is every California public middle school we score where 77% to 89% of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25. That is within 6 points of Needles Middle’s share. The count includes Needles Middle. Typical means the median: half are higher and half are lower. Schools differ in more than family income, and no score is changed for it. Our calculation from California Department of Education records: state tests (CAASPP), spring 2026, and school meal eligibility, 2024–25.

Over time

Have results changed?

Results in both subjects were similar to 2025. English went from 27% to 31% and math stayed at 12%.

Share at the state’s top two test levels, 2017 to 2026

Grades 6–8. Point at a year, tap it or use the arrow keys to read its figures.

English

No comparable testsNo tests25%50%75%2017201820192022202320242025202625%49%CaliforniaCalifornia31%Needles MiddleThis school

Math

No comparable testsNo tests25%50%75%2017201820192022202320242025202617%37%CaliforniaCalifornia12%Needles MiddleThis school

The lines break where a year has no comparable state test results. Each spring tests a different group of students. Source: California Department of Education, state tests (CAASPP).

Each year’s results

The top two levels were called Met or Exceeded before 2026 and are called Proficient or Advanced now.

English, grades 6–8: share at the top two levels
SpringNeedles MiddleCaliforniaTested here
201725%48%232
201826%49%240
201926%50%252
202224%47%195
202327%46%193
202432%46%203
202527%49%202
202631%49%200
Math, grades 6–8: share at the top two levels
SpringNeedles MiddleCaliforniaTested here
201717%37%233
201819%37%240
201916%38%251
20228%31%195
202311%32%193
202415%33%203
202512%36%201
202612%37%200

Tests

How did students here do on state tests?

Well below California in both subjects.

English

31%

scored Proficient or Advanced.

343527
California49%

Math

12%

scored Proficient or Advanced.

59299
California37%
MinimalDeveloping levelProficientAdvanced

In grades 6–8, spring 2026, 31% scored Proficient or Advanced in English and 12% in math, against 49% and 37% across California.

The state published these results on October 15, 2026. What changed across California. Spring 2026, grades 6–8 combined. From spring 2026, the state calls its top two levels “Proficient or Advanced” (formerly “Met or Exceeded”). Source: California Department of Education, state tests (CAASPP).

How does math compare with English?

In grades 6–8, spring 2026, math trails English by 19 percentage points in the share who scored Proficient or Advanced, against 12 points across California. The grades 6–8 cards above give each subject’s share.

Results for each grade, spring 2026

What each level means: California's level descriptions.

English

English, grades 6–8: share of students tested, spring 2026
MeasureGrade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Proficient or Advanced35%25%32%
Advanced4%3%3%
Proficient31%22%29%
Developing level33%27%44%
Minimal32%48%24%
Tested686171
California48%51%49%
Difference−13−26−17

California is CDE’s statewide English row for each grade, counting every student tested there; the comparisons in the chapters combine these rows for their grades, weighted by students tested (our calculation).

Math

Math, grades 6–8: share of students tested, spring 2026
MeasureGrade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Proficient or Advanced15%10%10%
Advanced4%0%4%
Proficient11%10%6%
Developing level32%23%32%
Minimal53%67%58%
Tested686171
California37%38%36%
Difference−22−28−26

California is CDE’s statewide math row for each grade, counting every student tested there; the comparisons in the chapters combine these rows for their grades, weighted by students tested (our calculation).

A grade the school doesn't teach has no row. “Suppressed” marks a result CDE blanks because fewer than 11 students tested (CDE’s reporting rule); “none tested” marks a grade CDE lists with no students tested; “not on file” marks a result missing from the records we hold. None of them means zero.

All four test levels, with the number of students tested
Share of students tested at each level, spring 2026. The state’s test levels Advanced, Proficient, the Developing level (formerly Nearly met) and Minimal.
StudentsAdvancedProficientDeveloping levelMinimalTested
English, grades 6–8 · This school4%27%35%34%200
English, grades 6–8 · California19%30%23%28%1,254,039
Math, grades 6–8 · This school3%9%29%59%200
Math, grades 6–8 · California21%16%23%40%1,254,800

Spring 2026, grades 6–8 combined: 200 tested in English, 200 tested in math. California combines the state’s results for the same grades, weighted by students tested (our calculation).

Who goes here

Who goes here?

White students are the largest group here, at 43% of students. 62 of 229 students missed 10% or more of school days.

Missing school, 2025–26

27in 100

students were chronically absent. That means they missed 10% or more of school days (62 of 229 students).

At the average California middle school: 18 in 100.

No district average: Needles Middle is the only regular middle school we rank in the Needles Unified district with an attendance record.

Students, 2024–25

196

students in grades 6–8.

White 43%Hispanic or Latino 34%American Indian or Alaska Native 10%Black or African American 5%Two or more races 5%

Family income

83%

of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25, 163 of 196. California: 63%.

Teachers, 2024–25

16

teachers, with 14 years of experience on average.

0% were in their first year.

80% of teaching positions had the right credential, 2021–22.

Suspensions, 2025–26

15.9%

of students were suspended at least once (38 of 239). Average California middle school 3.7%.

Sources: California Department of Education. Each tile names its year.

Missing school, by grade
Grade 6
13 of 79 students in grade 6 were chronically absent.
Grades 7–8
33 in 100 students in grades 7–8 were chronically absent (49 of 150).
Full student mix, 2025–26
StudentsHere
White43%
Hispanic or Latino34%
American Indian or Alaska Native10%
Black or African American5%
Two or more races5%
Asian—
Filipino—
Pacific Islander—
Not reported—
Where these figures come from

Attendance and suspensions: California Department of Education, 2025–26. Student mix: the students the state’s attendance file counts, 2025–26; a dash means our records hold no count. Student count: California Department of Education enrollment, 2024–25. Teachers: California Department of Education staffing files, 2024–25.

Teaching credentials: California’s School Accountability Report Card, 2024–25, measured in 2021–22: 8.5 of 10.7 full-time teaching positions. It counts positions, not individual teachers.

Student groups

How do kids like mine do here?

White and low-income students scored well below the same groups across California.

This schoolThe same group, California
  • Low-incomeEnglish · 172 tested29%California 39%
  • Low-incomeMath · 172 tested10%California 26%
  • WhiteEnglish · 84 tested29%California 62%
  • WhiteMath · 84 tested13%California 50%
  • Hispanic or LatinoEnglish · 72 tested33%California 39%
  • Hispanic or LatinoMath · 72 tested11%California 25%

29% of White students scored Proficient or Advanced in English and 13% in math (grades 6–8, spring 2026), against 62% and 50% for the same group across California. Low-income students: 29% in English and 10% in math, against 39% and 26% for the same group across California. Hispanic or Latino students scored well below the same group across California in math.

Share who scored Proficient or Advanced, grades 6–8, spring 2026. Each group is compared with the same group in the same grades. Source: California Department of Education, state tests (CAASPP).

Every group’s results, with the district

Low-income is the state’s “socioeconomically disadvantaged” group.

Proficient or Advancedgrades 6–8 · spring 2026
Group and subjectHerevs Needles Unifiedvs California
Low-income · 172 tested
English29%−332%−1039%
Math10%−515%−1626%
White · 84 tested
English29%−433%−3362%
Math13%−417%−3750%
Hispanic or Latino · 72 tested
English33%−134%−639%
Math11%−314%−1425%

Each gap is to the same group, grades and subject: in Needles Unified, and across California. No group that is behind across California does 10 or more points better here.

American Indian or Alaska Native students: fewer than 30 tested here. Students with disabilities, 38 tested: no rate for grade 8 in our records, and fewer than 30 tested in the grades with one. No published rate here for Asian, Black or African American, Filipino, Pacific Islander, homeless and military-family students, students of two or more races, English learners and foster youth. That can reflect privacy rules or small numbers; it isn’t evidence of a gap. This table covers groups by income, race or ethnicity, language and disability; girls and boys aren’t split out.

Family and staff answers

What would families and staff tell you?

Families can answer a short set of questions about Needles Middle. These are not star ratings or reviews.

  1. Family answers show once 20 families have answered.Until then this page shows how many have answered.
  2. The questions are about the school, never a person.No question asks about a named teacher or staff member.
  3. Answers are never part of the Scope Score.They sit beside the state’s records and do not change a school’s score.

Families

No family answers yet

0 of 20 needed before answers show

  • Does the school tell you how your child is doing, in a way you understand, before report cards arrive?Usually · Sometimes · Rarely
  • When you contact the school with a question, do you hear back within two school days?Usually · Sometimes · Rarely · Haven’t contacted them
  • Can you get school information in the language you read best?Yes · Mostly · No
  • And 4 more questions.

Answer the family questionsResponder en españolHow family answers work

Staff

Staff can’t answer for this school yet

We don’t check staff emails for Needles Unified yet. Tell us your district’s email domain and we’ll work on adding it.

Ask us to add your district

Money

Where does the money go?

$13,092 for each student in 2024–25. California’s middle schools spent $19,269 for each student. Needles Unified’s plan for 2026–27 covers $5 million.

$13,092

for each student at this school, 2024–25
Spent at the school
$9,969
The school’s share of district office costs
$3,123
Of the total, from federal funds
$728
  • Needles Middle$13,092
  • California middle schools$19,269

The district and California figures combine their middle schools, weighted by enrollment (our calculation, 1,241 California schools). Spending does not show how well money is used. Source: California Department of Education, per-school spending report, 2024–25. Funding records ↓

Needles Unified’s yearly plan

$5million

in the district’s plan for 2026–27

$4million

planned for services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth

This is the district’s plan. It is not this school’s own budget. The plan has 4 goals. The district’s page lists each one. The plan covers $5 million of $20 million in total budgeted spending. Source: Needles Unified Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), 2026–27. Read the district’s plan →

The neighborhood

What is the area around Needles Middle like?

These figures are for everyone who lives in ZIP code 92363. They are not figures for the families at Needles Middle.

Typical household income in a year

$40,068

Typical means half are higher and half are lower. The ZIP code is the school’s address, not its attendance area. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024, ZIP code area 92363.

Typical home value
$163,900
People who live in this ZIP code
5,531
Typical age
50.1 years
Adults 25 and older with a four-year college degree
11%

What you can do

Who can act on Needles Middle’s results?

Needles Unified’s board decides Needles Middle’s plan.

How to take part

  1. Watch the board’s agenda: the hearing is posted at least 72 hours ahead.
  2. Send written comments on the actions and spending the plan proposes.
  3. Raise questions through the district’s parent advisory committee; the superintendent must answer its comments in writing.
  4. Read the midyear report, due by February 28.

State support

The state hasn’t placed Needles Middle in a support program. Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26. Source 

Questions to ask

What should I ask, and when?

Bring these 7 questions to Needles Middle. Confirm anything about applying with the school itself.

On a tour

  1. Do families get each child’s absence count during the year, and what happens once a child starts missing school?27 in 100 chronically absent, 2025–26 (62 of 229 students); average California middle school: 18 in 100
  2. What does the school try before a suspension, and who talks with the family?15.9% suspended at least once, 2025–26 (38 of 239 students); average California middle school: 3.7%
  3. What changes for a student who falls behind in English?12 points lower in English than California students who had the same score the year before, grades 6–8, 2025 (160 students)
  4. Which math courses can students take, and how are placements decided?
  5. Which electives and high-school transition supports are available?

At the office

  1. What time does the day start and end, and is any day shorter?
  2. Is there care before or after school, and what does it cost?

Getting in

What comes after Needles Middle, and how do I get in?

Ask Needles Unified which school serves your address.

  1. Elementary
    Scope Score 70Needs Support · 18th percentile · 2026Nearby same-district option · distance estimate, not a confirmed feeder
  2. Middle · this school
    Needles Middle
    Grades 6–8Scope Score 66Needs Support · 3rd percentile
  3. High
    Scope Score 69Needs Support · 17th percentile · 2025Nearby same-district option · distance estimate, not a confirmed feeder

These links come from past records and from distance. Confirm your child’s school with the district. Each school’s standing compares it with California schools at its own level. Explore schools on the map

All recorded links and nearby alternatives

Elementary links

  • Vista Colorado Elementary

    Nearby same-district option · distance estimate, not a confirmed feeder

    Scope Score 70 · Needs Support · 18th percentile · elementary · 2026

High-school links

  • Needles High

    Nearby same-district option · distance estimate, not a confirmed feeder

    Scope Score 69 · Needs Support · 17th percentile · high · 2025

Links do not guarantee placement. Charter, magnet, transfer and other admission routes can differ. Each school’s percentile compares it with California schools at its own level (continuation and alternative schools only with their own kind); the stages are not one ranking.

Where the path ends: Needles High
Needles HighScope Score 69 · Needs Support · 17th percentile · 2025estimated path

The road from this school ends at Needles High. The AP Course Audit lists 4 AP courses its teachers are authorized to teach in 2025–26. That figure comes from dated records. A child starting here today would reach Needles High around 2029, and a school can change a lot in 3 years. By the state’s 2023 count, 50% of the students who finished high school at Needles High enrolled in college within 12 months, UC or not.

4 authorized AP courses (AP Course Audit 2025–26) → full record on Needles High's page
Source: College Board AP Course Ledger

Where it is

Where is Needles Middle?

Address
720 Bailey Avenue, Needles 92363Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Administrator
Lester EastmanAs the state’s school directory lists it, last updated August 22, 2024.

A school’s place on the map is its address in the state directory. It does not show which homes the school serves. See nearby schools on the map

Short answers to 6 common questions

How do I get in?

Ask Needles Unified which school serves your address. See the details ↓

Is Needles Middle a good middle school?

Needles Middle has a Scope Score of 66. It scored higher than 3 in 100 of California’s 2,529 scored public middle schools (Needs Support, 3rd percentile, spring 2026). See the details ↓

How often do students miss school or get suspended?

In 2025–26, 27 in 100 students missed 10% or more of school days, against 18 in 100 at the average California middle school. 15.9% of students (38 of 239) were suspended at least once in 2025–26, against 3.7% at the average California middle school. See the details ↓

Did students here score higher than students who started at the same place?

Lower, in both subjects. In 2025, students here in grades 6–8 scored 12 points lower in English than California students who had the same score the year before. The state calls that Moderate. In math, they scored 12 points lower, which the state calls Moderate.

  • Included in this measure: 160 students

See the details ↓

How do kids like mine do here?

In spring 2026, 29% of low-income students in grades 6–8 at Needles Middle scored Proficient or Advanced in English, against 39% for the same group across California. See the details ↓

What should I ask on a visit?

The questions drawn from this page are under Questions to ask, ready to copy. See the details ↓

The full record

Source records

This page is built from 12 sets of records from public data sources. Every figure keeps its source, grades, year and count.

Data updated

October 15, 2026

Record sets on this page
12
Sources
California Department of EducationU.S. Census Bureau
State test years
2017–2026

Results

Students

Money and staff

Place, downloads and method

Score factorssource values, index and weights · 2025–26 · ranked #2,431 of 2,529 California middle schools we score
Score factors, 2025–26
FactorSchoolIndexWeight
Advancedaverage of English and math3%3442%
Proficient or Advancedaverage of English and math21%3523%
8th graders in 2026 against 6th graders in 2024 (partly different children)+36 scale-score pts3520%
Chronically absent27 in 100395%
Suspension rate15.9% (38 of 239)55%

Index is where the school's value sits among the California middle schools we score, from 0 to 100, where 50 is their average; it is not a percentile. School values are from 2025–26. Chronic absence and suspension are CDE's all-students school rates; the score uses an adjusted version of each that pulls small schools toward the average, so their index can sit nearer 50 than the rate suggests. Growth is the change between the school's earlier and later grade-level groups, in scale-score points; it does not follow the same students. The weights above add to 95%: English learners reaching the top level of the state’s English test has no value for this school, so its 5% weight is shared out among the measures above.

Scope Score by year2018–19 to 2025–26 · each year’s inputs, and the score for each year we could verify

Scope Score

School yearScope ScorePercentileRankComparison group
2025–26663#2431California middle schools · 2,529 schools · current formula

2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25 have records on file but no Scope Score we could verify against that year’s source files, so no score is shown for them.

School yearChronic absenceSuspensionGrade gap (points)
2018–1921 in 10013.9% (40 of 287)−3
2021–22not on filenot on file−8
2022–23not on filenot on file−2
2023–2430 in 10014.0% (33 of 235)−4
2024–2521 in 1006.9% (15 of 217)−1
2025–2627 in 10015.9% (38 of 239)−4

Chronic absence and suspension are CDE’s all-students school rates for each year.

Grade gap: the same year’s grade 6 and grade 8 results, side by side. They are different children, so the gap describes one year, not any child’s progress. The Scope Score’s growth measure is a different comparison, shown in Score factors above (how it’s built).
No 2019–20 or 2020–21 records in this SchoolScope series
Every tested year2017–2026 · rates, tested counts, and each grade

English and math by test year · all tested grades

Year · subjectStudents with scoresTop levelTop two levels
2026 · English2004%31%
2026 · Math2003%12%
2025 · English2023%27%
2025 · Math2013%12%
2024 · English2036%32%
2024 · Math2033%15%
2023 · English1934%27%
2023 · Math1933%11%
2022 · English1952%24%
2022 · Math1953%8%
2019 · English2526%26%
2019 · Math2514%16%
2018 · English2404%26%
2018 · Math2406%19%
2017 · English2323%25%
2017 · Math2334%17%

Each year names its school year end (2026 = 2025–26). “Students with scores” counts each subject on its own, so don’t add the English and math counts together. A dash is unavailable, not zero.

Earlier years · grade and subject

Year · grade · subjectStudents with scoresMet or exceeded
2025 · Grade 6 · English5621%
2025 · Grade 7 · English7637%
2025 · Grade 8 · English7020%
2025 · Grade 6 · Math569%
2025 · Grade 7 · Math7617%
2025 · Grade 8 · Math699%
2024 · Grade 6 · English6234%
2024 · Grade 7 · English6733%
2024 · Grade 8 · English7428%
2024 · Grade 6 · Math6211%
2024 · Grade 7 · Math6725%
2024 · Grade 8 · Math749%
2023 · Grade 6 · English6727%
2023 · Grade 7 · English7533%
2023 · Grade 8 · English5120%
2023 · Grade 6 · Math679%
2023 · Grade 7 · Math7512%
2023 · Grade 8 · Math5112%
2022 · Grade 6 · English7229%
2022 · Grade 7 · English4717%
2022 · Grade 8 · English7624%
2022 · Grade 6 · Math7212%
2022 · Grade 7 · Math479%
2022 · Grade 8 · Math763%
2019 · Grade 6 · English9123%
2019 · Grade 7 · English7435%
2019 · Grade 8 · English8721%
2019 · Grade 6 · Math9019%
2019 · Grade 7 · Math7415%
2019 · Grade 8 · Math8715%
2018 · Grade 6 · English7919%
2018 · Grade 7 · English8030%
2018 · Grade 8 · English8130%
2018 · Grade 6 · Math7919%
2018 · Grade 7 · Math8016%
2018 · Grade 8 · Math8121%
2017 · Grade 6 · English8123%
2017 · Grade 7 · English8624%
2017 · Grade 8 · English6526%
2017 · Grade 6 · Math8114%
2017 · Grade 7 · Math8720%
2017 · Grade 8 · Math6518%

Current 2025–26 grade results are under Academic achievement, in Results for each grade. “Students with scores” counts the students tested in that grade, subject and year. A missing result is not zero, and each year’s row is a different group of children.

Science (CAST)schoolwide · spring 2026
Science (CAST)TestedAdvancedProficientDeveloping levelMinimal
Schoolwide713%13%72%13%

CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.

Student groups: test resultsEnglish · spring 2026 · against the same group in the district and California
Group · EnglishTestedProficient or Advancedvs districtvs California
Low-income17229%−3−10
White8429%−4−33
Hispanic or Latino7233%−1−6
Student groups: the state’s growth measureCalifornia School Dashboard 2025 · points above or below what the state expected · shown, not part of the score
GroupEnglishnCDE categoryMathnCDE category
All students−12160Moderate−12160Moderate
English-only students−12156not categorized−12156not categorized
Low-income−13130Moderate−13130Moderate
Hispanic or Latino064Average−1164Moderate
White−1463Moderate−763Moderate
Students with disabilities−1732Moderate−732Moderate
American Indian or Alaska Native−3318Minimal018Average
Two or more races+711Accelerated−2611Minimal

CDE reports scale-score points against the state’s expected score — not a percentage or percentile. The table keeps the group records SchoolScope imported for this school, including rows below our narrative display threshold. Muted rows have fewer than 30 students with a valid growth score. SchoolScope uses that threshold for the shorter narrative view; the reported values stay visible here. “Not categorized” means this imported CDE row has a growth value without a performance category. At least one estimate here is a CDE weighted estimate; that describes how CDE combines years, not a year-over-year trend. A group absent from this table has no imported record shown here. Its absence alone does not establish its size or performance. CDE growth covers grades 4–8; here that is grades 6–8. SchoolScope does not use these CDE figures in its Scope Score.

Growth recordsthe state’s student-by-student measure, and grade 8 against the same school’s grade 6 two years earlier, partly different children · two different measures

Grade 8 in 2026 against grade 6 in 2024 · English

English · 2024 · Grade 6
6%
exceeded standard · 34% met or exceeded
CDE CAASPP 2024 · 62 English test records with scores
English · 2026 · Grade 8
3%
Advanced · 32% Proficient or Advanced
CDE CAASPP 2026 · 71 English test records with scores

Minimum rounded subject-mean records with scores at the endpoints: 62 (school-grade cohort proxy).

These paired percentages describe English results for grade groups at this school in two years. The groups are not matched students. SchoolScope's scored growth measure uses a different school-level scale-score proxy across English and math; California's matched-student model is a separate measure.

California growth model · points vs expected

State model · English−12 pts vs expected

matched students, grades 6–8

CDE California growth model · 2025 Dashboard

Weighted school estimate; assessments from 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25

All students, grades 6–8

160 students

CDE growth category: Moderate

California growth model, English: −12 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, CDE category Moderate, against SchoolScope's −2-point median for California middle school records.

State model · math−12 pts vs expected

matched students, grades 6–8

CDE California growth model · 2025 Dashboard

Weighted school estimate; assessments from 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25

All students, grades 6–8

160 students

CDE growth category: Moderate

California growth model, math: −12 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, CDE category Moderate, against SchoolScope's −3-point median for California middle school records.

Source notes. CDE reports scale-score points against the state’s expected score for matched students, never a percentage. Among SchoolScope's retained California middle school records, the median English estimate is −2 and the middle half fall between −10 and +5 scale-score points — the spread is wide, so read the figure against it, not its sign alone. CDE's 2025 Dashboard weighted school estimate uses assessments from 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25; adjacent reporting editions should not be read as independent annual changes. The CDE measure covers grades 4–8; here that is grades 6–8, and it is not part of the Scope Score.

Attendance and suspensionsState records · this school and each student group · 2018–19 and 2025–26

CDE’s all-students school rates for 2024–25 and 2025–26; the change is the difference between the two rates as printed.

Year-over-year school rates
Chronic absenteeism2024–25 · 21 in 100 → 2025–26 · 27 in 100 · +6 in 100
Suspension rate2024–25 · 6.9% (15 of 217) → 2025–26 · 15.9% (38 of 239) · +9.0 percentage points
Group2018–192025–26Change
Female18 in 10027 in 100+9 in 100
Male24 in 10028 in 100+4 in 100
Black or African American3 of 128 of 12—
Hispanic or Latino18 of 7125 of 79—
American Indian or Alaska Native7 of 505 of 23—
White21 in 10021 of 98—
Students with disabilities10 of 4715 of 46—
Low-income24 in 10030 in 100+6 in 100
All students21 in 10027 in 100+6 in 100
Two or more races—2 of 11—
Homeless—9 of 27—

Two reported school years only; no intervening-year result is implied. Where fewer than 100 students were counted, the cell shows the count and no change is printed. Source: CDE school-level chronic absenteeism by student group.

Fundingschool and district spending, from state and federal finance records · each row names its fiscal year and measure

Per-pupil spending

District · current expense$16,497 per pupil

NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · fall district membership: 967 pupils

California · selected district mean$14,491 per pupil

NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · SchoolScope’s unweighted mean across 818 selected California district finance records

School-level federal expenditures$482 per pupil

CDE ESSA · school-attributed per-pupil record · FY 2024–25 (2025) · source denominator: 196

Central federal expenditures attributed here$246 per pupil

CDE ESSA · central expenditures attributed to this school · FY 2024–25 (2025) · source denominator: 196

District current expense · FY 2024–25$21,374 per ADA

CDE SACS Current Expense of Education · district fiscal year ending 2025 · average daily attendance denominator

These figures are not directly comparable: school ESSA attributed spending and NCES district current expense use different measures and populations. Their fiscal years are labeled above.

How the California mean was selected

SchoolScope starts with its selected California finance records, not every NCES California district. For FY 2020–21, it calculates an unweighted mean of NCES F-33 current expense per pupil. District records contribute once, regardless of enrollment. The calculation keeps records with positive per-pupil current expense, enrollment over 100, CCD agency type 1, and a recorded district name; it excludes names ending in County Office of Education, Department of Education, or Superintendent of Schools. This is a SchoolScope calculation, not a state-published spending average.

Selected General Fund operating costs · FY 2024–⁠25 · SchoolScope calculation
Instruction 59%Instruction support 10%Student services 6%Administration 11%Buildings & maintenance 14%
The arithmetic behind these shares · FY 2024–25
GroupDollarsShare, to two decimalsPrinted
Instruction$10,838,59759.13%59%
Instruction support$1,788,5609.76%10%
Student services$1,111,3536.06%6%
Administration$2,016,39911.00%11%
Buildings & maintenance$2,569,07814.02%14%
Total$18,329,186100.00%100%

These shares are our arithmetic: each group’s dollars divided by the $18,329,186 total of the groups shown, rounded to whole percents by largest remainder so they add up to 100. Dollar amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar, so they can differ from the total by a dollar. SchoolScope groups district-level CDE SACS UserGL actuals from Fund 01, using operating objects 1000–5999 and excluding retiree benefits, food and community services, facilities acquisition, other outgo, and nonagency goals. These shares use that filtered total; they do not exactly break down CDE's official current expense per ADA above. The school-level ESSA figure uses a separate source.

NCES F-33 district fiscal-year history, 2017–⁠2021; latest district record shown: 2021
2021$16,497 per pupil
2020$14,241 per pupil
2019$13,413 per pupil
2018$13,191 per pupil
2017$14,064 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

Staffing recordsstate teacher credential-and-placement and district salary records · each for its own year

Additional workforce records

Properly assigned intern credential holders0.0%

CDE 2024–25 SARC, Teacher Preparation and Placement table; measured school year 2021–22. Share of reported school teaching-position full-time equivalents assigned to properly assigned intern credential holders. A reported 0.0% is shown; unavailable rates are omitted. This is a position share, not a count of current teachers or of emergency permits.

The surrounding ZIP codeCensus Bureau survey, 2020–2024 · ZIP 92363 · not the school’s students
American Community Survey 5-year estimates · 2020–2024 · ZIP 92363 area
MeasureEstimate
Median household income$40,068
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)11%
ZIP-area population5,531
Median age50.1 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Median household income covers the past 12 months and is reported in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars. Bachelor's degree or higher uses adults age 25 and over as its population. A dash is unavailable, not zero; a reported zero remains zero. ZIP-area figures do not establish the school's attendance area or describe its enrolled students. These figures are not part of the Scope Score. See all schools in ZIP code 92363 →

Downloads, embed and methodologyCSV · embed code · sources · corrections

Embed this scorecard

<iframe
  src="https://schoolscope.co/embed/school/needles-middle-0929"
  width="100%" height="210" loading="lazy"
  style="border:0;border-radius:12px"
  title="Needles Middle — SchoolScope scorecard">
</iframe>

Free to embed with the credit link. Data updates automatically.

Data sources: public data sources, including the California Department of Education · state tests (CAASPP) 2025–26 · Scope Score from 2025–26 results, compared across 2,529 middle schools · attendance and suspensions by student group from 2018–19 and 2025–26 · district finance for the year each row names · Census survey (ACS) 2020–2024 · Data updated October 15, 2026