Math
22%Grades 6 & 8 · Proficient or Advanced
Public middle school
Nicolas Junior High
A closer look at learning, opportunity and fit.
41% of tested students are Proficient or Advanced in English and 22% in math. Explore the evidence alongside the opportunities your child would use.
Data sources · Methodology · State tests: 2025
Contact
English
41%Grades 6 & 8 · Proficient or Advanced
Students
539Total enrollment
Chronic absence
—Students absent 10% or more of school days
What are you trying to decide?
The overall score is a starting point.
Look at subject results, trends and student groups, then consider the opportunities your child would use.
View school performance →Start with your child’s daily experience.
Explore teaching, coursework and student-group results. A schoolwide average cannot predict an individual experience.
Explore student experience →Confirm the enrollment route.
Check the address, grade and enrollment requirements directly with the district or school.
Check attendance and enrollment →Compare the options you can access.
Use comparable evidence alongside entry requirements, cost and location.
Compare nearby schools →Academic performance
What do the results tell us?
2025 results · Grades 6 & 8 · weighted by students tested within each subject.
Proficient or Advanced combines Levels 3 and 4, formerly Standard Met and Standard Exceeded. California changed the names for 2025–26; the cut scores did not. About the labels →
Share at Proficient or Advanced
● Math┄ English
Gaps in the lines mark years without annual results.
Exact annual results
| Year | Math | English |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 20% | 33% |
| 2022 | 13% | 30% |
| 2023 | 17% | 31% |
| 2024 | 24% | 40% |
| 2025 | 22% | 41% |
Each year describes that year’s tested students. Changes between years do not follow the same children over time. Cohort-growth evidence, when available, is labeled separately below.
How achievement is distributed
AdvancedStandard Exceeded
9%ProficientStandard Met
14%DevelopingStandard Nearly Met
31%MinimalStandard Not Met
47%AdvancedStandard Exceeded
12%ProficientStandard Met
29%DevelopingStandard Nearly Met
30%MinimalStandard Not Met
29%Achievement-level percentages are not percentiles. “Developing” here is a test achievement level, separate from the SchoolScope performance band with the same name.
Annual results and the full academic record
Where students land · CAASPP 2024–25
Where its students land
ELA37% met or exceeded
Exceeded 9%Met 28%Nearly Met 28%Not Met 35%
Math20% met or exceeded
Exceeded 6%Met 13%Nearly Met 29%Not Met 51%
Exceeded Met Nearly Met Not Met
California middle schools · average17% exceeded · 40% met or exceeded
California’s growth results and student groups
State growth model · CDE growth model 2024–25
California's own growth model places it near the 39th percentile of middle schools.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
California runs its own growth model — it follows individual children in grades 4 through 8 and compares each one against a prediction from their own prior scores. On that measure this school sits a little below the middle of California middle schools in reading and math together. We show it; we don't score it.
— pts vs expected is scale-score points above or below what California's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores. It is not a percentage and not a percent of anything. A typical California middle school lands at −1 in reading, and the middle half of them fall between −8 and +6 — the spread is wide, so read the rank, not the sign. CDE blends two consecutive years into each published figure, so adjacent years share input data and no year-over-year trend can honestly be drawn from them. It covers grades 4-8 only, and it is not part of the Scope Score — we assessed it and left it out: it tracks school demographics roughly three times as strongly as our own growth measure does, and one published year is not enough to test how stable it is.
California's growth model, ranked against the schools it scores
State model · readingmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, reading: 0 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 45th percentile of 7,519 reported schools.45th pctile · 0 pts
State model · mathmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, math: −5 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 33rd percentile of 7,518 reported schools.33rd pctile · −5 pts
this school| the tick is the middle of the California field
Students & opportunity
Who shares in the school’s results?
Who it works for · CAASPP 2024–25
Low-income students here meet the ELA standard about even with the same group statewide.
At Nicolas Junior High in Fullerton, 35.6% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 47.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Nicolas Junior High trails its district average for low-income students by 11.8 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (18.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (34.4% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 31.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 452 students tested.
Met or exceeded · reading and math combined
All students at this school: 28% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 28%, district —, state 40%28%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 26%, district 36%, state 32%26% · −3 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 27%, district 42%, state 32%27% · −1 vs school
MaleMale: this school 27%, district 55%, state 42%27% · −1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 30%, district 57%, state 44%30% · +1 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 5%, district 21%, state 11%5% · −23 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 7%, district 19%, state 15%7% · −21 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 50%, district 65%, state 56%50% · +22 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 14%, district 18%, state 22%14% · −15 vs school
7 of 16 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.
this school district, same group California, same group
ShowHide Student-group results by grade
Student-group results by grade
Results compare different grade groups in the same year, relative to the lowest tested grade. They do not track the same children over time. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
ShowHide California's growth model by student group
The state's growth model, by student group
California follows these children individually and predicts each one's score from their own prior year. Each row is read against the same group at a typical California middle school — not against zero, and not against this school's all-students figure, because the state's expectation already differs by group.
Reading
Low-income students431 studentsLow-income students, reading: −1 scale-score points versus expectation, against −3 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 431 students.−1 pts · +2 vs typical
Hispanic or Latino students424 studentsHispanic or Latino students, reading: −1 scale-score points versus expectation, against −2 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 424 students.−1 pts · +1 vs typical
English Learner218 studentsEnglish Learner, reading: −5 scale-score points versus expectation, against −5 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 218 students.−5 pts · 0 vs typical
English Only211 studentsEnglish Only, reading: +3 scale-score points versus expectation, against 0 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 211 students.+3 pts · +3 vs typical
Recently reclassified159 studentsRecently reclassified, reading: −1 scale-score points versus expectation, against +2 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 159 students.−1 pts · −3 vs typical
Math
Low-income students430 studentsLow-income students, math: −7 scale-score points versus expectation, against −5 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 430 students.−7 pts · −2 vs typical
Hispanic or Latino students423 studentsHispanic or Latino students, math: −6 scale-score points versus expectation, against −6 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 423 students.−6 pts · 0 vs typical
English Learner217 studentsEnglish Learner, math: −1 scale-score points versus expectation, against −3 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 217 students.−1 pts · +2 vs typical
English Only211 studentsEnglish Only, math: −8 scale-score points versus expectation, against −3 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 211 students.−8 pts · −5 vs typical
Recently reclassified158 studentsRecently reclassified, math: −4 scale-score points versus expectation, against −1 for the same group at a typical California middle school, 158 students.−4 pts · −3 vs typical
this school typical California middle school, same group| the centre tick is 0 = as predicted
— 2 more groups are reported here with between 11 and 29 students. We hold those back on purpose: at that size the figure swings about 17 points on its own, and a quarter of such groups land past the state's top or bottom cut point by chance alone. They are listed with their student counts in the data appendix. — A group not listed at all had fewer than 11 students with a growth score, so California published nothing for it here. That is a privacy protection, not a judgment about those students. — Context only. None of this enters the Scope Score.
The daily experience
What is it like to be a student here?
Students per teacher
Student–teacher ratio is a schoolwide staffing measure, not an average class size.
Teacher experience
Average teacher experience in the published staffing record. It does not measure individual teacher effectiveness.
Chronically absent
The share of students absent for at least 10% of their enrolled school days. Attendance reflects both school and out-of-school circumstances.
The people teaching · CDE staffing 2024–25
About 19 students for every teacher here.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
Students per teacher19 · district 26
Teaching staff29 teachers
Avg. experience14.7 years
Fully credentialed73%
PrincipalJose Varela
ShowHide what the district pays
Teacher salary schedule$61,425 – $132,281
Principal salaryFrom $158,056
Superintendent salary$316,263
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
Resources & neighborhood
What sits behind the school experience?
Explore school spending and the district budget
What gets spent · FY 2024–25
It spends $20,245 per student, more than the California average.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
$408 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.
The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.
Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $20,245, CA average $14,491$20,245 · spent at this school
Federal share$408 per student
District current expense · FY 2024–25$17,654 per student
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction 63%Instruction support 16%Student services 7%Administration 5%Buildings & maintenance 9%
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
ShowHide the district's spending year by year
district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$14,771 per pupil
2019$12,402 per pupil
2018$12,242 per pupil
2017$11,503 per pupil
2016$10,902 per pupil
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood · ACS 2024
Four in five of students here qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus three in five statewide.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
Worth knowing
On the state's science test (CAST), 20% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.
Hispanic or Latino87.2% · district 51.2% · CA 56.1%
White3.5% · district 15.1% · CA 19.9%
Asian2.0% · district 24.0% · CA 10.2%
Black1.9% · district 1.3% · CA 4.8%
Other5.4% · district 8.3% · CA 9.0%
Free or reduced lunch82.6% · CA 64%
Median income$114K · CA $85K
Median home value$884K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+43% · CA 35%
ZIP population51,842
Median age38 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Culture & philosophy
What is the school’s approach?
School-stated approach · questions for your visit
Look beyond the brochure
A source-reviewed culture summary is not available for this profile yet. Ask how teaching, student support and family communication work day to day.
Read the school’s own website ↗Family voices
What would you want another family to know about the daily experience here?
Ask a current family: “When your child needs help, how does the school respond?”
Educator voices
What should families understand about teaching, support and the school community?
Ask an educator: “How do you adapt a typical day for children with different needs?”
Compare nearby schools
What are the alternatives?
Compare schools serving the same grade stage. Private schools have no comparable state-test score.
2025 · middle schools · combined reading and math measures. Percentiles compare schools within their enrollment group.
No nearby schools in this category are listed. The school being viewed stays visible for reference.
| School | Type | Performance band | Advanced | Proficient or Advanced | Distance | Select |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolas Junior High | Public | Not available | — | — | School being viewed |
More nearby public and private options
Your other options
Your other options
Nearby public schools across grade levels, plus private options within 10 miles.
Private schools do not receive a Scope Score or statewide ranking on SchoolScope.
20 private schools within 10 miles
Not scored
What should I check before applying?
- District public
- Confirm the attendance boundary and any permit options.
- Charter
- Check applications, priorities and deadlines with each school.
- Private
- Confirm admission requirements, tuition and financial aid.
Moving & enrollment
Which schools could serve my child?
Check your address with the district
School location and nearby schools do not establish attendance eligibility. Confirm boundaries and permit requirements with Fullerton Elementary.
District information →School website →Schools across the K–12 journey
Elementary · K–5
Golden Hill School for Creative & Performing ArtsPublished boundary overlapScope Score 56/100
Orangethorpe ElementaryPublished boundary overlapScope Score 30/100
Pacific Drive ElementaryPublished boundary overlapScope Score 42/100
Richman ElementaryPublished boundary overlapScope Score 38/100
Woodcrest ElementaryPublished boundary overlapScope Score 29/100
Valencia Park ElementaryAlternative · verify enrollment routeScope Score 30/100
Maple ElementaryAlternative · verify enrollment routeScope Score 26/100
Middle · 6–8
High school · 9–12
Source: sabs_2016. Schools are grouped by grade stage. Nearby schools are not confirmed feeder links or address assignments. Verify the current path and eligibility with the district.
Plan your next step
What should I do next?
Worth a school visit
With no score to read, a visit does the heavy lifting: ask about class sizes, teacher tenure, and where last year's students went next.
- Ask about typical class sizes and the student-teacher ratio.
- Ask how long teachers have stayed at the school.
- Ask where recent graduates or transfers went next.
- Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom, and watch how a lesson actually runs.
Use the published evidence to prepare questions, then verify fit and access with the school.
Behind the evidence
Inspect the full record
Public sources, visible methods and the underlying school record. Source years and limitations stay attached to the evidence.
How the Scope Score is calculated
On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to see the state comparison and weights.
A closer look at the evidence
Nicolas Junior High: reading the evidence
Nicolas is a middle school in Fullerton. We publish no Scope Score, band or rank for it this year — the composite they are all built from isn't on file. Here's what we can show.
Subject proficiency describes tested students, while graduation describes a graduating cohort. These figures are not successive stages followed by the same students.
Explore the underlying data →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